It looks like Dove may be the first brand to release its Super Bowl ad online -- and it's a tearjerker aimed at dads.
The ad consists of one word, "dad" (or "daddy"), which is repeated by boys and girls at different stages of their lives. The repetition is affecting, particularly on repeated viewings and may results in watery eyes from more than a few fathers.
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Dove, which is known for its decade-plus "Real Beauty" campaign and 2013's viral hit "Sketches," has mostly targeted its advertising at women. In 2010, the brand bought a Super Bowl ad to promote its men's line Men + Care. That ad was much more jokey in tone and employed a version of "The William Tell Overture," with lyrics like "Go out with your friends, but be a gentleman too. Then find a girl who'll say 'I do'..."
This spot takes a different approach, but underscores Dove's intention, which is to "showcase and to highlight through social channels what it looks like to be a modern man," according to Jen Bremner, director of marketing for Dove Men + Care. The ad includes the hashtag #realstrength to drive that discussion.
The Super Bowl push comes a year after Unilever rival Procter & Gamble released an ad saluting moms in a similar fashion before the Sochi Winter Olympics. An ad for Axe, a sister brand to Dove at Unilever, also had a hit with its "Make Love Not War" ad, which was released a couple of weeks before the Super Bowl.
Note: A reader has pointed out that Dove's ad is nearly identical to a Father's Day spot it ran in 2014.