Prostate Cancer UK Ode to Dads: Stronger than strong

Prostate_Cancer_UKDads, hey, doncha just love ’em. Well, most of the time anyway and luckily they are not all like the father of TV presenter Jay Blades, who was so useless he dismisses him as “the man who contributed towards my birth”.

Anyway, with Father’s Day looming large, Prostate Cancer UK has launched a love letter to dads and a reminder of everything we would miss about them if they were not around, from quirky habits, bad jokes and even worse dancing.

Created by BBH, Ode to Dads features candid video and photography showing real fathers getting up to typical dad behaviour, set to a version of She’s the One, originally by World Party and also covered by Robbie Williams. It includes classic lines such as: “If there’s somebody, whose nose hair’s too long, He’s the One”… “If there’s somebody asking what’s wrong, If there’s somebody stronger than strong, He’s the One.”

Inept DIY, obsessive vinyl ordering and an extensive variety of dad-relatable antics feature – but there are plenty of moving moments too, from a father offering his broken-hearted daughter a shoulder to cry on, to the dad who gently tends to his child’s scraped knee. “Imagine a day without our dads,” it says, before urging audiences to visit the Prostate Cancer website to help save lives this Father’s Day.

The inspiration for the campaign comes from Prostate Cancer UK’s ‘Men, we are with you’ promise. Over 11,500 men die from prostate cancer each year, with over 30 men estimated to die this Father’s Day alone. The film acts as a sobering reminder of how many people are robbed of being with their dads by the disease.

The activity is part of Prostate Cancer UK’s long-term aim of raising awareness of the disease and vital funds for lifesaving research to help diagnose prostate cancer earlier. The campaign is aimed in particular at an audience of people with dads over 50 who might find themselves worrying a bit more about their ageing parents’ health.

Alongside the film, BBH has created a series of executions that will feature in digital outdoor and poster sites in all major UK cities, with space donated by media owners ClearChannel, Jack, part of BuildHollywood, City Lights and Open Media.

It is running for two weeks on TV and social channels, supported by radio and OOH. Media has been handled by the7stars.

Prostate Cancer UK director of communications Ali Day said: “From dancing with no concept of rhythm, to providing a reliable late night taxi service or just a shoulder to cry on, there is so much to love about dads. The tragedy is this leaves so much to miss when they are no longer with us. Thirty men die of prostate cancer every day. That is 30 dads, uncles, brothers and friends who will be lost this Father’s Day alone.

“Our campaign has been created to remind people what they would miss in a world without dads, tapping into the public conscious at this poignant moment in the year to encourage a wide and diverse audience to join us and donate to lifesaving research. These funds are vital in developing an effective screening programme that can accurately test and diagnose men earlier, which could save thousands of lives each year and help give more men more Father’s Days.”

BBH creative director Nick Gill added: “Prostate Cancer UK’s mission to stand with men got us thinking about what life would be like without the men we love and all the things we’d miss, especially when it comes to our fathers. So ‘Ode to Dads’ was conceived – a love letter to them, and a celebration of all the day-to-day eccentric dadisms we wouldn’t be without.”

So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?

Well, either we are going soft or we have hay fever, because everyone here is very watery eyed over this campaign, which strikes the perfect balance between stupid dad and lovely dad.

Believe us, you don’t want to end up in the Dead Dads’ Club, so come on, let’s make sure all dads are around for as long as possible.

Decision Marketing Adometer: An “any chance of a lift papa?” 10 out of 10

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