We knew we'd be entertained by the game and the halftime show at SuperBowl XLIX. We knew we were in for heavily produced (and hilarious) celebrity commercials. But what really stood out was the emotional, grab-the-tissues "dadvertising." From Toyota to Dove, there was no shortage of commercials depicting dads playing the role of a lifetime -- that of a father.
Toyota's Super Bowl spot, called "To Be A Dad," is the work of director Lauren Greenfield, who's also the genius behind the "Like A Girl" commercial. "To Be A Dad" included tear-jerking quotes from current and former football players -- who also happen to be fathers. For instance, former NFLer LaVar Arrington asks, "What type of excuse can you give your father when he has prosthetic legs and he's getting up and he's walking around, he's cleaning gutters?"
Dove's ad proclaimed that a man is made stronger by showing that he cares, and was accompanied by the hashtag #realstrength. And Nissan's "With Dad" commercial pulled at the heartstrings with a father, a race car driver, lovingly holding his baby.
Once you're done weeping -- seriously, the commercials were intense this year! -- take a closer look: It seems that the days of the "dumb dad" are behind us, and the days of the caring, involved dad are in.
We'll take it.