When it comes to total spending, Father’s Day falls just under Mother’s Day, but it’s catching up. More and more people celebrate the holiday by treating not just Dads, but all father figures.
Father’s Day is on the third Sunday in June. If your Father’s Day marketing plans aren’t fully mapped out, there’s still time to create a meaningful campaign.
Why is Father’s Day an important marketing opportunity?
Father’s Day is a big shopping holiday with deep emotional connections. To celebrate the father figures in their lives, shoppers are looking for unique and meaningful gifts—and they’re highly motivated to buy.
With a strong Father’s Day marketing strategy, brands can reach potential customers and create a lasting impression. Brands that connect with audiences during the holiday benefit in many ways.
1. It’s a major shopping holiday
Father’s Day spending is expected to hit $24 billion this year. According to an NRF survey, about 76% of people will celebrate the holiday, and the average person will spend around $200.
2. It’s ripe for emotional storytelling
Father’s Day brings out a lot of emotions. When people buy gifts, they choose something that creates a special memory (37%) or is unique (46%). Because gift-giving is personal, it’s perfect for emotional storytelling. Brands can partner with creators and build heartfelt and powerful campaigns by exploring questions like:
- What does it mean to be a dad?
- Why is this Father’s Day gift meaningful?
- How have your father figures made an impact on your life?
3. It’s perfect for authentic influencer marketing
Influencers help brands feel personal and authentic. People are more open to gift ideas from creators they follow than from a brand. Instead of feeling like an ad, it’s like getting a recommendation from a friend.
Partnering with influencers can increase your Father’s Day marketing reach and impact. Although nearly half of Father’s Day gifts are for dads and step-dads, NRF’s survey shows people also shop for:
- Husbands (25%)
- Sons (12%)
- Brothers (9%)
- Friends (8%)
- Grandfathers (6%)
A diverse group of people buy and receive gifts. By partnering with diverse influencers, brands connect with a wide audience.
4. It creates urgency
People are already in the market to buy a Father’s Day gift, and there’s a sense of urgency to get one before June 15. Brands can tap into this by highlighting in-store pickup or guaranteed delivery by Father’s Day.
For last-minute shoppers, focus on convenience. Products they can get instantly like e-gift cards, subscriptions, or experiences are thoughtful and easy to buy.
Best practices for a winning Father’s Day campaign strategy with creators
When done right, a Father’s Day campaign helps brands connect with customers on an emotional level. Brands reach new customer segments, build loyalty, and increase sales. To set your brand up for success this Father’s Day (especially when partnering with creators), follow these best practices.
1. Partner with many creators—not just dads
Running a Father’s Day campaign doesn’t mean only partnering with dad influencers. People buy gifts for grandfathers, uncles, brothers, mentors, and other father figures.
Partnering with a mix of creators reflects the different ways people celebrate Father’s Day and increases overall reach.
- Momfluencers – Share gift guides and ideas for what to get husbands.
- Gen Z and Millennial creators – Post gift ideas for their dads often with humorous videos.
- Dad-adjacent creators – Creators, who may be dads or father figures, can share ways to treat themselves.
Get even more creative by partnering with creators in niches that overlap with your brand and audience.
- Foodies and chefs – Share Father’s Day recipe videos (ideal for grill tools, drinkware, food and beverage brands).
- Wellness and fitness – Feature Father’s Day “train with dad” workouts or sports and wellness-themed gift guides (for apparel, supplement, and sports brands).
- DIY and home improvement – Creators can feature their dads in a “Build with Dad” content series. Together, they work on DIY projects, furniture, or other home upgrades (for tools, supplies, or DIY brands).
2. Be sensitive and inclusive
Everyone’s family situation is different. While some happily celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, others avoid it due to grief, trauma, or other personal reasons.
In recent years, brands started acknowledging customers’ mixed feelings—mostly by emailing them with options to opt-out.
Online florist Bloom & Wild sparked the trend in 2019. The shop made headlines for allowing customers to opt out of Mother’s Day marketing. At the time, people praised the brand for its novel and thoughtful gesture.
But, countless brands have jumped on the bandwagon since then. Now that everyone is doing it, the gesture doesn’t feel as genuine or personal. Sending opt-out emails may be well-intentioned. However, more customers are overwhelmed and even annoyed by them, especially since a flood of opt-out emails hit their inboxes all at once.
You can still be empathetic and inclusive in your Father’s Day marketing, without opt-out emails. Here are a few ideas:
- Use inclusive messaging – For example, you might use “father figures” rather than “dads”, but choose what makes sense for your audience.
- Feature diverse creators in your campaigns – Partner with creators who may not fit the traditional dad role (single dads, same-sex parents, stepdads, grandfathers, mentors, brothers, etc.)
3. Plan early and adjust
April to early May is a good time to look for influencers for your Father’s Day campaigns. Ideally, by May, you’ll have a solid list of influencers that match your audience and campaign goals.
Planning ahead will also make it easier to find the right creators and align on the content and creative. Here’s a general schedule to help you stay on track for your next Father’s Day influencer campaign.
- 8-10 weeks (late April) – Search for influencers who align with your audience and brand. You can do this with GRIN’s Creator Discovery Suite by searching influencer interests, engagement, followers, and more.
- 5-7 weeks (May) – Partner with creators on copy and creative. Heavily scripted campaigns fall flat because they feel inauthentic. Instead, allow influencers to pitch content ideas or draft scripts while your brand reviews them.
- 3-4 weeks (mid-May to early June) – Influencers should send out their first few batches of posts and videos.
- 1-2 weeks (early to mid-June) – Use urgency the week or two before Father’s Day to nudge shoppers who haven’t picked up a gift yet. Many buy online, so it gives them enough time for delivery.
- A few days before Father’s Day – Creators should post with last-minute gift buyers in mind. Messaging should focus on convenience and quick solutions, so highlight pick-up in-store options or experiences (dining, travel, or other events).
Not limiting your posts to the week of Father’s Day helps catch early shoppers and gives you room to optimize. Analyze engagement on early posts and tweak messaging or creative if it could lead to better results.
Depending on the scale of your campaign and how many people (like your legal team) need to review and approve materials, you may plan earlier.
4. Blend influencer marketing and paid ads (influencer whitelisting)
People tend to engage more with influencer content than paid ads or branded posts. Influencer whitelisting combines the best of both worlds.
With it, brands license to use and run paid ads through an influencer’s social media handle. Ads show up under the influencer’s name, not the brand. So, they don’t feel as intrusive and look almost like regular organic content.
Influencer whitelisting is perfect for Father’s Day gift guides and other influencer content. You get higher engagement because it’s shared with a creator’s followers. It also feels more like a personal recommendation than an ad.
However, brands can still track clicks, conversions, and other performance metrics like they would for any ad.
Father’s Day marketing campaign ideas to guide your strategy
Brands have a unique opportunity to connect emotionally with customers through Father’s Day campaigns. If you’re looking for Father’s Day marketing campaign ideas, here are a few brands to get inspired.
1. Béis
@beis Replying to @Zas @Michael Justin is THE Airport Dad 🛬 #airportdad ♬ original sound – Beis Travel
The travel and luggage company Béis wanted to expand its product line and attract more male audiences. In the weeks leading up to Father’s Day, it launched a viral “Airport Dad” influencer campaign.
Béis worked directly with influencer Girlbosstown on content creation. It also featured travel and lifestyle influencers like TikToker Michael Justin who fit the “Airport Dad” personality. Content included an airport photoshoot, dad influencer interviews, and funny skits of “Airport Dad” quirks like arriving extra early and carrying all the bags.
The campaign helped Beis carve out a space they didn’t have before in the travel gear market. It also positioned its gear as the perfect gift for dads who like to travel.
2. Dove
Dove has long been known for inclusive marketing. For Father’s Day, the company ran its “Care Makes a Dad” campaign and focused on non-traditional father figures.
Dove wanted to break traditional stereotypes and show that fatherhood is about care, not DNA. Father’s Day can celebrate anyone who makes an impact—stepfathers, foster parents, godfathers, brothers, coaches, friends, or even teachers.
It partnered with pro basketball player Nah’Shon Lee “Bones” Hyland and released a short film “Care Makes a Dad”. Bones shared his fatherhood experience raising his cousin Izzy.
Dove also partnered with influencers to spread campaign reach. The creators watched the film and posted TikTok and Instagram videos sharing what fatherhood means to them.
3. Nutrafol
@nutrafolmen A golf towel reminder that Dad may out-putt you, but you can out-hair him. Shop the link in bio for the entire “Happy (You Don’t Have to Have Your) Father’s (Hair) Day” Gift Bundle, a great gift for you, a friend, or the father figures in your life. #golf #golftiktok #golftok #fathersday #fathersdaygift #golfswing ♬ original sound – Nutrafol Men
For Father’s Day, hair growth supplement brand Nutrafol tackled what could be a sensitive topic: hair loss. However, it navigated it successfully with its “Happy (You Don’t Have To Have Your) Father’s (Hair) Day” campaign.
Nutrafol seeded products to influencers and put out a limited edition, Father’s Day merch kit that included:
- A supply of Nutrafol supplements
- An apron with the phrase: “Grill Master (of his own hair fate?)”
- A “Not today, DNA” coffee mug
The merch used humor, puns, and catchy phrases to lighten up a tricky conversation about hair loss. It also focused on educational content about the underlying causes of hair loss that aren’t just genetics.
Sending influencers gifts like Father’s Day merch is a relatively low-cost way to raise awareness and gather UGC content ahead of the holiday.
4. RYOBI
@bbqfriend Ryobi Days are Back!!! Just in time for Fathers Day! When you buy the Battery Starter Kit you get a tool of choice for free! Personally I love these Clamp Verse Speakers. You can daisy chain them together with any of the other Verse Speakers Ryobi has to offer for the ultimate sound experience. Get to @The Home Depot and grab some @RYOBI Tools USA tools for Dad this Father’s Day! #ryobipartner #fathersday #diy ♬ original sound – BBQFriend
“RYOBI Days” rolls out around Father’s Day. During it, the tool brand and The Home Depot offer a free gift. The perfectly timed BOGO promotion sparks a wave of social posts from dad, home improvement, DIY, and other influencers.
RYOBI’s campaigns work because they don’t solely focus on the BOGO promotion. They also partner with creators (many dads) who regularly use their tools. People see these creators use RYOBI year-round in their DIY projects. By the time Father’s Day rolls around, RYOBI’s already established itself as a trusted brand that’s on many dads’ wishlists.
Key takeaway: Build meaningful Father’s Day marketing campaigns with GRIN creators
There are many ways to approach your Father’s Day marketing strategy. You can explore diverse, emotional fatherhood experiences or lean into “dad joke” humor and memes.
No matter which approach you take, it should align with your brand values and audience. GRIN can help you find the right creators for your brand and create authentic, heartfelt influencer marketing campaigns for Father’s Day.
