J. Walter Thompson, Melbourne has partnered with beyondblue to launch Dadvice, a new behavioural change campaign, addressing the seldom talked about challenges of being a new dad.

Dadvice, a unique four-part web series targeting new dads, was developed in partnership with Princess Pictures and is housed on YouTube and via a dedicated website.

The four-part series hosted by comedian Ben Lomas – who is joined by Australia’s top comedians Dave O’Neil, Sammy J and Lawrence Mooney (all fathers) – follows twelve dads, with babies ranging from two weeks to two years. In the series the dads candidly discuss their experiences of new dad stress – a subject thousands of new dads grapple with daily, but one rarely seen or talked about. 

Lead creative team from J. Walter Thompson, Melbourne, Jess Lilley and Jim Walsh said beyondblue research had supported the use of comedy as the catalyst for a discussion around dad stress, helping to ensure new dads felt comfortable acknowledging an issue they would ordinarily keep to themselves.

“We needed an idea that new dads could see themselves in; an idea they could relate to and wanted to share. At the same time, the conversation needed to be honest and go quite deep, touching on subjects men don’t generally discuss, without being too confronting. Comedy is the perfect vehicle,” Lilley and Walsh explained.

Incorporating three levels of content – new dad video diaries, round table discussion and live comedy – Dadvice is brought together in four episodes, each addressing a key pillar of mens’ lives that can be impacted by fatherhood – work, mates, relationships and the dad himself. The series runs, alongside more detailed information, as well as a test new dads can take to determine whether they should seek further help to address their mental health. 

Kieran Antill, executive creative director, J. Walter Thompson, Melbourne believes Dadvice is an example of where agencies need to go to create meaningful content. “We’ve moved out of the traditional agency comfort zone to create something original, exciting and impactful, that’s closer to TV than advertising. This is where we need to be to remain relevant to consumers today.”

Hugh Miller, manager integrated marketing, beyondblue: “Dadvice shows the reality of fatherhood for many men – it’s not always a glossy picture. There are pressures that need to be dealt with, and Dadvice aims to provide this guidance to men trying to find their feet as a dad. It encourages new dads to speak about how they are feeling, rather than bottle their stress up.” 

“The dads also recorded video diaries over six weeks – capturing a unique insight into the unspoken challenges fatherhood brings,” said Miller.  “Dadvice is about intervening early. It’s about giving men the strategies to manage their stress as a new dad before things escalate to a crisis point. When a dad is feeling on top of things, he is better placed to be a supportive partner and involved dad – which is good for the entire family.” 

The online campaign appears on both paid and unpaid channels, and is supported by other  elements including, digital and social campaigns plus media and PR. The campaign commences on Father’s Day and will rollout until mid-October.