Huggies Ad Backlash: Dads Take Offense at Being Portrayed as Clueless
The latest advertisement by diaper brand Huggies has been accused of portraying dads as clueless, and has sparked outrage from various commentators.
In the ad, fathers are seen struggling to care for their young children when it came to diaper changing, cleaning, and feeding, causing uproar that dads were portrayed as less-capable parents.
One stay-at-home dad garnered over 1,300 signatures on a petition entitled "We're dads, Huggies. Not dummies."
After an outcry of comments criticizing the commercial, Huggies pulled the ad off of its Facebook page.
Social media sites were flooded with comments from both mothers and fathers who took offense to the Huggies ad campaign.
One father wrote, "Your ad campaign disgusts me. My wife and I share the responsibilities of the house. I cook, grocery shop, clean, and we take care of our daughter equally. At times I have been at home with my daughter more than my wife has been, after she had to return to work and I had a lot of time off. It is insulting to all the fathers to portray us as a bunch of bumbling idiots."
On Facebook, James posted, "As a working Dad and a 'house dad' I can honestly say that I have put a lot of effort into learning to become a good dad. And I might add that I am now a Master Diaper Changer!!"
Another Facebook user disagreed with the controversy over the ads.
Melodie wrote, "All this fuss over a funny commercial is ridiculous. Has the world lost its sense of humor?"
Huggies has responded to the ad backlash with a statement posted on Facebook. The head of advertising, Eirk, explained that Huggies' goal was to "demonstrate the performance of our products in real life situations."
Erik continued to clarify that Huggies intended to display men having just as much knowledge and input on what product is best for children as women do. He added that changes have been made to the ad so that "the true spirit of the campaign comes through in the strongest way possible."
"We appreciate the honest feedback and look forward to the continued discussion on the brand," concluded the statement.
Huggies' campaign slogan currently reads, "Have Dad Put Huggies to the Test."
The promotion contest explains, "Each week one lucky dad will get the chance to show off his diaper changing skills with this stylish Daddy Diaper Bag!"
