Dove Men+Care marked Father’s Day with a digital campaign inviting Canadian dads to showcase their “Dad credentials” on their LinkedIn profiles, marking a significant increase in the brand’s social media investment and online engagement efforts.
Dubbed “MyMostImportantRole,” the June-long campaign encourages fathers to use LinkedIn’s “Add position” feature to officially list “Dad” as a role. The target audience is parents who are facing the tension between professional demands and caregiving responsibilities.
To kick off the initiative, founder and CEO at Foundation Marketing Ross Simmonds, sports commentator Donnovan Bennett, chef and TV host David Rocco, and innovation strategist Shawn Kanungo updated their LinkedIn profiles to include their roles as fathers and shared custom posts with the hashtag #MyMostImportantRole. Their content was paired with custom images created by Canadian illustrator Mateusz Napieralski, designed to reflect the different experiences of modern fatherhood.
The campaign’s media plan also includes owned, paid and earned channels to ensure broad reach. Dove Men+Care is working with long-time partner Dad Central, which will help spread the word through its fatherhood community network, and is using paid amplification targeting Canadian men over the age of 25 to support posts on LinkedIn. Also, internal communications have been disseminated across Unilever’s network to encourage employees to share their own stories.
Initiative handles paid media, while Edelman is in charge of strategy and earned media.
Divya Singh, general manager of personal care at Unilever Canada, tells Media in Canada that the campaign has received a positive response, with nearly 600 interactions across posts. Users have praised the content as “authentic” and “emotional,” with Simmonds’ post generating over 170 reactions and 24 comments.
“This level of interaction proves that #MyMostImportantRole is landing as a meaningful, culture-shifting moment that gives men permission to be seen as both professionals and caregivers,” Singh says.
She says fatherhood milestones are often overlooked in professional contexts, and the campaign seeks to challenge “outdated norms” by acknowledging fatherhood as a key aspect of men’s success, beyond just their professional titles.
“Nowhere are professional milestones celebrated more than on LinkedIn, and thus where we saw an opportunity to help shift the conversation to the importance of active fatherhood,” she says. “We want to see dads embracing the role of caregiving with pride, especially in spaces where that part of their identity has historically been left out, like LinkedIn.”
The brand is also boosting digital purchases as consumers increasingly turn to social media to shape their viewpoints, especially around subjects like work-life balance and caregiving, which Singh says allows for real-time conversations and improved brand awareness. Additionally, she notes consumer behaviour is evolving, with millennials and Gen Z prioritizing platforms like LinkedIn to share personal and professional content, reflecting a desire for more holistic online profiles.
The campaign builds on Dove Men+Care’s existing efforts to redefine masculinity by championing caregiving, having previously advocated for men’s “right” to care for themselves at home and supporting paid family leave.
“The message of care is consistent, but the execution evolves,” Singh says. “We’re taking the conversation to new spaces and audiences. It’s not a shift in direction but an expansion of the brand’s platform to further normalize care in every dimension of a man’s identity.”
