To Be A Dad – Toyota Pre-Super Bowl Commercial

The process of going from an Unfinished Man to becoming a finished man is a lifelong quest which involves lots of failures as well as successes. One important goal that many men want to attain is having the ‘perfect family’ with a wife and eventually some children. Toyota recently launched a pre-Super Bowl ad, “To Be a Dad”, and aimed it right at the heart of American families with their online ad campaign playing up the role of dads in families.

I am fortunate enough to have both parents in my life but dad was definitely not the type to show love through words but rather through actions (minus the discipline spankings). The ad features football stars, former and current, discussing what it means to be a father and what they themselves learned from their own dads. A few of the athletes are also joined by their children in the ad.

“To Be A Dad” & “How Great I Am”

How do you become a good father to your children? Let’s be honest, society in the modern age is pretty messed up when it comes to family dynamics. There are too many sperm donors when they should be fathers. Is becoming a good father something you learn from your parents, or is it a choice that you make?

During the Super Bowl XLIX, you may notice several brands taking a different approach in their ad campaigns by skipping the sophomoric humor commonly found during this event and replacing it with something that makes an emotional connection with consumers.

I myself am not a father yet but having a niece and two baby nephews is giving me lots of practice to show love, affection, and becoming the favorite uncle via bribes.

Camry Lauds Greatness and Dads

Great Dads, in particular. In the new ad campaign bringing attention to the new Camry, Toyota highlights the father in their family sedan family tree. They highlight the fathers of athletes and achievers, most of whom are pretty great in their own right. Even when they weren’t, it’s the sons who learn to break the cycle and be wonderful fathers to their own children. After seeing the series, a few stories will stand out to you.

Amy Purdy is a snow boarder and dancer, who lost her legs and kidneys tragically. Despite this, she is able to climb mountains, trail run, and dance better than most people who are fully intact. Her father recalls watching her triumph after personal losses that would end many people. Children can inspire parents, but parents can also inspire their children.

In a similar moment, one football great remembers the determination of his father, who worked hard for decades, despite being a double amputee. His son recalls thinking as a child, if a man with no legs can climb a ladder to clean gutters, there’s nothing I can’t do. After years of success in the NFL, his father has had the satisfaction of seeing his own determination blossom in his progeny.

Not everybody had a dad who was an example like this. Some had abusive or absentee patriarchs, but this isn’t glossed over by Toyota. We are reminded that being a good father is something that can be innate, but can also be learned. We are encouraged to be the best we can to our own children, so that when our sons are asked what kind of fathers they want to be to their kids, they will say (like the kid at the end of the video, looking up at his father) “this kind”.