Dove Men+Care stands up for racial equity by supporting families of Black men taken too soon by racism and violence
CHALLENGE
This Father's Day 2020, the most important news story was sparked by a dad who did not make it home – George Floyd. But he's not alone. A devastating number of Black fathers in the U.S. have been, and continue to be, taken from their families because of racism and violence. Dove Men+Care was determined to change the narrative and support families in need.
INSIGHT
Reacting quickly to our intuition around this stark reality, we found data in the Washington Post that showed nearly 1,300 Black Americans have been killed by police in the last five (5) years. Further, 95% of those killed were men, and many were fathers. This also meant that thousands of families were left behind — without their caring fathers to celebrate with for Father’s Day.
IDEA
Dove Men+Care created #FathersDayTaken to celebrate the humanity of Black fathers taken too soon to racism and violence and introduced a platform to help the families left behind. This included development of a new video asset that honored caring Black fathers and exposed the reality of those take, a donation of $1 Million to support the families of victims left behind, the launch of a GoFundMe to raise additional funds to benefit the families, and the creation of a customizable Father’s Day Card to honor those taken that could be shared across social and digital channels from the Fund page.
PRESS & COVERAGE
“Father’s Day Taken is an example of activism for brands, and it’s the right time to do that”
“This Father's Day I'm grieving with Black children who have lost their fathers to police brutality…here’s how to support them”
“The campaign moves beyond opportunistic brand activism and puts its money where its mouth is with a $1 million donation pledge for the families of black fathers taken by racism and violence”
CAMPAIGN IMAGERY
THE RESULTS
161
Earned placements across traditional and social outlets
$10,000+
Raised from $5 card donations to supplement our $1 Million commitment to support families of victims
70%
Of all placements included our CTA to donate to support families of victims