This spec spot, named after the famed song by Harry Chapin, is true to its lyrics—well, almost. The :30 opens at the breakfast table, on which a young boy has enthusiastically set two bowls of cereal. The second is for his dad, who’s too busy to take the time to eat with his son.
As the father, dressed in a business suit, is about to rush out the door for work, he stops a moment and looks back at his boy. We hear "Cat’s in the Cradle" and its poignant lyrics about a dad who doesn’t pay attention to his son—only to learn too late the folly of his ways. In the song’s conclusion, when the youngster comes of age, he understandably has no time for his father.
Before our eyes, the boy grows up while eating his cereal, becoming an older kid, then a teenager, then a parent (with a wife and infant at his elbow), while the second bowl remains untouched. In the final sequence an elderly man eats at the table, still looking accusingly in the direction of his father. At last the original dad snaps out of his dream and back to reality. He sees his young son again at the table. Indeed, it’s not too late: The father, touched, seems about to soften and sit down next to his boy.
But the mood is broken when Dad looks at his wristwatch. The spot takes a darkly humorous twist as he rushes out the door. So much for getting life’s priorities in order.
The :30 concludes with the Post logo over a tagline: "You miss a lot when you miss your cereal."
This spec ad for Post Cereals was conceived by a team from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco: art director Andy Azula and copywriter Aaron Stern. "Cat’s in the Cradle" was directed and executive produced by Danny Kaufman of Elsewhere Films, Los Angeles. Line producer was John Malina. The :30 was shot by DP Scott Galinsky.
Jay Nelson of Swietlik, Santa Monica, served as editor, backed by assistant editor Javier Alvarez. Colorist was Paul Bronkar of since closed 525 Studios. (Bronkar is now with Company 3, Santa Monica.) Audio mixer/sound designer was Art Wright of Thunder Sound, Santa Monica.
