As a result of the “clueless Dad” backlash, we predict the next trend in advertising to be the “smart Dad” whose stunning wit and intelligence will out maneuver even the smartest, hippest, home/career juggling Mom. Currently, Verizon holds the “clueless Dad” award but the trend is years old and ripe for change. We eagerly await the advertiser who can make Dad look smart, Mom look “un-smart” and do it without returning women to their place next to the Refrigerator as they were often shown.
While we’re sure we won’t be seeing a spot called, “Get Me A Beer, Bitch” from Budweiser, perhaps we’ll see a new form of advertising emerge which goes for something other than the lowest common denominator and portrays people as real human beings with intelligence rather than the buffoons they, more often than not, appear to be in many ads. Making someone look dumb is the simplest way to get a laugh and the fastest way to make the viewer feel superior to the poor loser in the ad. Verizon and others who employ the “clueless Dad” and the general “people are idiots” creative strategy should be ashamed of themselves. Of course, tomorrow, we’ll probably have a story poking fun at some cause group who can’t see the humor in Hardee’s surely-to-be-seen-soon busty babe on a pogo stick forcing men to drop to their knees and drool ad for their new five pound Mondo Chicken Breast Burger.
