NJOMACS

The study problematizes dadvertising - the portrayal of fathers in advertisements as nurturing, emotionally engaged and active participants in childcare and family life - by exploring its drivers, defining indicators and socio-cultural implications in Nigeria, where gender roles are deeply ingrained in patriarchy. Employing the mixed methods as well as Social Constructionism and Cultivation Theory, the study leverages content analysis, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Twenty television commercials were sampled purposively for content analysis, generating quantitative data for the study, while 14 participants partook in two focus group discussions and five key informants were interviewed for the generation of qualitative data. Findings reveal that dadvertising in Nigeria is driven strongly by strategic brand positioning by advertisers, the domino effect of the global advertising trend on local advertising and the increasing role of fathers in family dynamics, among other factors. While revealing the depiction of fathers in central narrative character as the most defining characteristic of the trend, findings also indicate that dadvertising is struggling to gain traction in Nigeria largely because fatherhood, steeped intricately in patriarchy, is overly tied to traditional provider/authority masculinity. The research recommends mainly that brands should prioritize cultural authenticity in their messaging by ensuring that dadvertising remains grounded in local nuances and realities in order to maintain brand integrity and consumer trust.