The "Dad Joke” Effect

Today McCain unveils a new through-the-line campaign across VOD, OOH, social, digital, influencer and earned that celebrates the power of shared laughter to keep dads emotionally close to their boys as they reach their crucial teenage years.

‘The "Dad Joke" Effect - Dads, Boys and the power of joy’ has been created in collaboration with charity partner Beyond Equality and features real dads and sons from around the UK in a new 60” TVC, as well as TV personality Joe Marler and his son Jasper in a portrait series shot by Rankin.

“The Dad Joke Effect” was developed based on insight from experts at Beyond Equality, who highlight the pivotal shift that happens in boys between the ages of 7–11, and how fathers can help keep their boys close as they grow towards their teenage years. In childhood, boys have a wide range of emotional expression but during middle childhood they begin to edit their emotional behaviour, influenced by older men, the media and their peers. This shift can cause the playful bond with their father to fade as boys reach adolescence.

To help dads keep their boys close, McCain’s new campaign encourages father figures to use the power of playfulness and make their son laugh every day. Developed by adam&eve\TBWA (Creative), PHD (Media), McCann (Social & Influencer) and Freuds (Earned & Talent), the campaign will run across VOD, social/digital, OOH, Earned and influencer until June 10th.

McCain has always championed families and the moments that bring them together at mealtimes –
and this time is using its position to spread positivity with dads and younger lads, before they get to the stage where the dynamic shifts. At the centre of the campaign is heartwarming film, directed by Jim Archer and produced by Minds Eye, which spotlights those playful, silly moments between different father-son relationships.

The OOH campaign, which launches nationwide, is shot by Rankin and features real dads and lads alongside Joe Marler and his son Jasper.
McCann leads the social, digital and influencer rollout of ‘The "Dad Joke" Effect’, extending the campaign’s central idea into the platforms where dads and families are already sharing everyday moments together. Running across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube, the activity is designed to celebrate the role humour and playfulness can have in helping dads stay emotionally connected with their sons as they grow up.
The campaign features talent-led content, creator collaborations and short-form social films inspired by the everyday banter, rituals and moments of humour that shape father-son relationships. Designed with a social-first approach, the content captures the warmth, silliness and familiarity of those interactions in ways that feel authentic to each platform.

Alongside this, influencer partnerships with father figures and family creators from across the UK will help bring the campaign to life through real moments of connection, encouraging dads to “keep the jokes coming” as their boys move towards their teenage years.

In earned, McCain has partnered with Beyond Equality to co-author “The ‘Dad Joke’ Effect: How shared laughter keeps pre-teen boys close”, a new report that sheds light on the concerns of father-figures to pre-teen boys revealing that over half (55%) of dads to 7-11 year old boys feel pressure to raise their son to fit traditional masculine stereotypes. Meanwhile 63% worry their son will drift away in their teenage years and 54% want a deeper relationship with their son but don’t know where to start.

To help dads experience the power of shared laughter with their sons, McCain will also announce a one-night-only comedy Club Night headlined by Josh Widdicombe on 1st July, with tickets on sale for a £5 donation to Beyond Equality.