Dove Men+Care 'Calls For Dad' Commercial Is a Hit Leading Up to Father's Day

Dove Men+Care continues to create impactful campaigns around its line of men's grooming products. The latest is its "Real Dad Moments" campaign, and just in time for Father's Day the company debuted a "Calls For Dad" video. The minute-long commercial (though Dove is describing it as a short film) was posted to YouTube on Monday and has become an instant hit. The video has received more than four million views in four days.

You'll see sons and daughters of all ages calling for "dad" or "daddy," from little boys and girls learning to swim and potty training, to grown men and women at weddings and moments of distress. In the video's description, Dove writes: "Three quarters of dads say they are responsible for their child's emotional well-being, while only 20% of dads see this role reflected in media. It's time to acknowledge the caring moments of fatherhood that often go overlooked."

The brand encourages you to share your pride for your father on social media using the #RealDadMoments hashtag. And it is embedding several of those photos on the Fatherhood section of its website, as you can see in the screenshot below.

I'm happy to see fathers being recognized in such a positive way. I grew up with my father in my home and in my life, but I realize that's not a reality for a lot of people. Hopefully this campaign will make the good dads feel appreciated, and will motivate the dead-beat dads to change their ways. I remember specifically last year seeing numerous posts on Facebook on Father's Day. But rather than it being of people celebrating their fathers, a lot of the posts were from people dissing their dads for not having been involved in their lives or single mothers speaking out about how they have to play the role of both parents (with some mothers saying Father's Day is for them too). That's tough, and I certainly sympathize, having seen the impact of absentee fathers throughout my family, friends, and community, but Father's Day should be reserved for saluting the good dads.

I had the privilege last year of going on set of a Dove Men+Care commercial shoot that took place at Jay Bilas's Charlotte home. Bilas, a popular ESPN college basketball analyst, was featured prominently in the "Real Moments" campaign that premiered nationally during NCAA March Madness 2013, and that also included separate commercials of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade with his kids. The Bilas shoot occurred at his home that January, and I got to go behind the scenes as camera crews filmed the Bilas family in funny and down-to-earth moments. I wrote an article about it for Charlotte magazine's website.