Comparing new dads to dogs may not have been Clorox’s best idea. The published essay went on to explain that “while dads, dogs and other household pets are filled with good intentions, they lack the judgment and fine motor skills to execute well.”
Lacking judgment of their own, Clorox broke the #1 Rule of Public Speaking: Know your audience.
After hearing feedback from parents and others who were disgusted with the comparison, Clorox quickly removed the essay.
But this is not the first time Clorox has bashed fatherhood and lived to regret it. In past years, the company used the very sexist Feckless Father/Martyred Mother approach in an advertisement showing a “father and daughter making a huge, juvenile mess and Mom sighing and cleaning up.” Following that, there was one with the image of fathers at the park, more or less ignoring the kids to talk about cars.
And Clorox is not alone. Kimberly-Clark’s brand Huggies commercial showed dads so consumed by sports on TV that they neglected to tend to the full diapers of their babies.
A more judicious media strategy for Clorox, Kimberly Clark and other consumer-oriented companies would be to put not only their products, but also their consumers, in the best possible light.
Stay tuned.