Quirky habits, bad jokes and even worse dancing feature in a new campaign for Prostate Cancer UK, created by BBH London as a love letter to dads in the run up to Father’s Day on June 19, and a reminder of everything we’d miss about them if they weren’t around.
In BBH’s two-minute hero film, “Ode to Dads” directed by Dan Emmerson of Somesuch, candid video and photography show real fathers getting up to typical dad behavior, set to a version of “She’s the One,” originally by World Party and famously covered by Robbie Williams.
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 viewers to visit the Prostate Cancer UK website.
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.
With campaigns like "Ode To Dads," Prostate Cancer UK aims to raise 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 aging parents’ health.
Nick Gill, creative director at BBH, said, “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.”
