WASHINGTON, DC (September 23, 2020) – Parents and families are facing new challenges amid the pandemic, but one thing hasn’t changed: the importance of dads being involved in their children’s lives. New PSAs announced today—created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse and the Ad Council—encourage fathers to show their “#Dadication” by making time for their kids, even when parenting isn’t easy.

The new PSAs are the latest in an ongoing national campaign to encourage dads to be part of their children’s lives. Research from ACF shows that having an involved father significantly contributes to happier and healthier children, whether or not the father lives with the child.

“There is no one right way to be a dad. The most important thing is being there for your children,” said Heidi Arthur, Chief Campaign Development Officer at the Ad Council. “With this campaign, we can inspire dads everywhere to show ‘dadication’ and make a difference in their children’s lives every day.”

“Research has shown that having an active involved father in a household contributes strongly to better overall outcomes for the entire family, especially the children,” said Lynn Johnson, assistant secretary for HHS’ Administration for Children and Families. “This new public service campaign will help reinforce the importance of a father’s presence and involvement in a family dynamic resulting in a happier and more positive family environment.”

“These powerful new PSAs remind dads everywhere that they don’t have to have all the answers, as long as they continue to show up and show love,” said Kenneth Braswell, Project Director for the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse and Chief Executive Officer for Fathers Incorporated. “We celebrate ‘dadication’ because when dads are involved in their children’s lives, it leads to positive outcomes.”

The “#Dadication” concept demonstrates the many ways fathers can show up for their children even in the face of common struggles like financial stress and busy schedules–struggles which may be heightened during the pandemic. Included in the TV spots are the inspiring stories of two real dads describing the challenges and joys of fatherhood paired with home footage and family photos.

The PSAs were developed pro bono by advertising agency Campbell Ewald, and will appear in donated time and space nationwide in all formats, including TV, radio, digital, out-of-home and print.

“As the father of a 17-year-old girl, I know that all dads encounter challenges along the way. We make mistakes, but we come back again and again and try to do better for our kids. That’s what dads do, and acknowledging those ups and downs is what makes #Dadication so powerful,” said David Bierman, Executive Creative Director, Campbell Ewald.

The campaign also encourages dads to share their own stories of “#Dadication” on social media, and to visit Fatherhood.gov for tips and resources for spending meaningful time with their kids.

Since 2013, the campaign has received over $252 million in donated media value, resulting in over 22.3 billion audience impressions across the country.

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ABOUT THE AD COUNCIL

The Ad Council is where creativity and causes converge. The non-profit organization brings together the most creative minds in advertising, media, technology and marketing to address many of the nation’s most important causes. The Ad Council has created many of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history. Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk. Smokey Bear. Love Has No Labels. Its innovative social good campaigns raise awareness, inspire action and save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org, follow the Ad Council’s communities on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and view the creative on YouTube.

ABOUT THE ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (ACF)

ACF supports programs that focus on responsible fatherhood, such as the Responsible Fatherhood grant program administered by the Office of Family Assistance (OFA). Since 2006, OFA has funded organizations across the United States to provide services and activities designed to promote Responsible Fatherhood (RF). On September 29, 2020, OFA will fund a fourth cohort of RF demonstration grants that are designed to:

• strengthen positive father-child engagement and improve healthy relationships (including couple and co-parenting);
• improve employment and economic mobility opportunities; and
• promote or sustain marriage.

These programs are part of ACF’s community-based efforts to promote strong, healthy family formation and maintenance, responsible fatherhood and parenting, and reentry opportunities for fathers returning from incarceration.

ABOUT CAMPBELL-EWALD

Campbell Ewald is a U.S.-based full service, fully integrated advertising and marketing communications agency with over 100 years of know how. The agency provides both traditional and specialized capabilities including advertising; insights and strategic planning; creative development; integrated content strategy and creation; CRM; media planning and buying; in-house production; and analytics. With offices in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York, Campbell Ewald has been recognized as one of Metropolitan Detroit’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For and one of the top 10 agencies in North America by the Warc 100. The agency’s work on behalf of clients has been honored by, among others, the Cannes International Advertising Festival, the Effies, the One Show, the AAF Mosaic Awards, the ECHO Awards and ADWEEK.

ABOUT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (HHS)

HHS supports responsible fatherhood in diverse ways. Because engaged fathers strengthen families and contribute to healthy outcomes for children, many HHS programs integrate support for fathers. These include Head Start, child support programs, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD CLEARINGHOUSE (NRFC)

The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF’s) Office of Family Assistance (OFA) to assist policymakers, practitioners, and fathers to promote and support responsible fatherhood. NRFC provides evidence-informed materials, resources, and tools including timely information on fatherhood issues, and access to print and electronic publications.