Pantene Breaks Stereotypes

"Strong is Beautiful"

Throughout Super Bowl Fifty, there were only a few sentimental commercials. Most of the ads aimed for the entertainment or humor result. However, one that stuck strongly with me was the “Strong is Beautiful” Pantene commercial. Pantene had football players try to do their daughter’s hair, but it is not about that. The commercial shows a special love and care that these stereotyped strong and work driven dads have for their children. They joke about doing a”dad-do” for their daughters. A “dad-do” is when a dad does his daughters hair, and it is expected to not be very good. However, the effort they put in is the message that is being sent.  Pantene is able to take these men out of their societal “niche” and make them seem like real people.

However, I would argue there are many hidden messages in this commercial. As I watch it back, new parts stand out every time. Starting with the title of the commercial, “Strong is Beautiful”, the message is sent that the fathers, or you could argue the Pantene company, are trying to send the message that girls are strong, and through that, they are beautiful. It opens with Deangelo Williams of the Pittsburg Steelers struggling to do his daughter's hair, but they are laughing together. The commercial shows a few other players then the screen says, “Girls who spend quality time with their dads, grow up to be stronger women.” This is a key message that is sent by Pantene. They used these popular figures to show the importance of presence. It was especially well thought out by the company to use football players during Super Bowl Sunday. The majority of Super Bowl watchers are either dads, or future dads. By Pantene giving a point of interest to the viewers, it rises the chances the message is heard. Fathers need to be present. Even if they cannot do their daughter's hair very well, it is appreciated no matter what it looks like.  

After they show more “dad-do” attempts, the screen says, “Put the next generation of strong in your hands.” This is the main point in the commercial. Parents and adults have the responsibility to prepare children for their future. Parents are responsible for their children’s basic confidence and internal strength levels. This commercial demonstrates that fathers and mothers need to empower their daughters. Young children need to be built up with confidence, and mothers cannot do that on their own.

When the second message fades, it shows the players and their daughters laughing and feeling genuine joy. This shows that just because they did not do their child’s hair very well, does not mean they should not try. Speaking from experience, daughter’s love when their fathers put out an effort to step out their comfort zone for them. The little things leave the biggest impacts on their children. This commercial stood out because it is not solely for the intent of getting viewers to buy Pantene. The commercial closes with Williams and his daughter again, and he asks her how she looks. She responds with “like me”. Williams responds with “strong is beautiful”. This commercial was memorable for me, and I bet for a lot of other viewers too. Pantene planned well with this commercial because they spoke for the proper audience. Football fans will view this commercial and hopefully remember to show their children how they care. Men do not always have to be macho and strong all the time. This commerical helped break that stereotype down, and was able to display how care and quality time can positively influence a child’s life. The message Pantene decided to send is important and prevalent in today’s world. I, personally, am grateful they recognize that and chose to show it to 111.9 million Super Bowl Fifty viewers.