Dad's a Fool in Pizza Hut Commercial
October 24th, 2007 by Glenn Sacks, MA for Fathers & Families
In this Pizza Hut ad, mom and the kids are horrified that dad is going to make dinner, because, of course, he can't cook and only hip, smart mommy knows how to take care of the kids and run things.
The commercial is supposed to be funny, and I suppose it would be if it weren't the thousandth time I've seen the "dad as idiot" theme. Chris, the reader who sent this to me, asks, "Why are men always the butt of the joke?" and that's about how I feel, too.
In the picture, the mother, who's assigned the standard role of "yes kids, we know dad's a fool but don't say anything," is shocked--shocked!--that hubby came up with a good dinner. A good dinner he bought at Pizza Hut, of course.
To watch the commercial, click here or see below. To watch some other videos of "dad as idiot" TV commercials, click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, or just turn on your television for 75 seconds.
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October 24th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Sounds like it's time to "Boy"-cott Pizza Hut.
Not sure if their newly promoted Brian Nichols is the guy who did this, but he sure seems to be the guy at Pizza Hut who could undo it.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi_menuItemID=887566059a3aedb6efaaa9e27a808a0c&ndmViewId=news_view&ndmConfigId=1000601&newsId=20070920005649&newsLang=en
Personally, I would expect better marketing than this gender-exploiting dross from a P&G alum like Mr. Nichols.
Maybe he can fix the error by canning this junk ad?
October 24th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Correction, that was Brian Niccol the new Chief Marketing Officer of Pizza Hut.
Brian Niccol, not Brian Nichols.
As the new "Chief Marketing Officer" maybe he can stop his company from repeatedly throwing pizza into the face of every father in America - and doing so national television.
Or who knows, maybe he'll continue with this misguided track and wind up where two female executives at Fidelity wound up -- the ones who allowed their ugly black-man-father-insulting ad on TV -- out the door.
CMO is a high perch from which to fall Mr. Niccol. Heck, from that organizational height, one could reach enough terminal velocity to "splat" on the ground of corporate America like...well...like a pizza.
October 24th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
...none of these commercials every clues us in on how such super-intelligent, in-command women choose such zeroes as their life partners. Guess we're supposed to assume these were all government-mandated, arranged marriages...
October 24th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
I'm an almost-daily reader, but I never comment...
As a 36-year old black woman, I too am desperately tired of humor that makes fun of men as idiots who can't form a complete sentence, tie their own shoes, or prepare at least a mediocre meal.
Women who buy into the implied inferiority of men become some of the worst feminazis on the planet - you know - the ones who also blame men for their loneliness.
All of this feeds the destruction of relationships and ultimately the family. In other words, I spied this commercial too and I wasn't laughing either.
October 24th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Wow! I'm surprised this article was posted. Recently, I saw this father-bashing commercial, too -- and ironically on a night when my brother, mother, and I planned to get pizza for dinner. I had decided to take a break from cooking -- Yes, I'm a man, and I can cook! Generations of men in my family have cooked and engaged in household duties, starting with my great grandfather. He could out-cook my great grandmother any day of the week. He even had his own restaurant many years back. Anyway ... back to the point. After seeing this ridiculous commercial, I certainly cut Pizza Hut out of my choices from where to get pizza. With disdainful eyes fixed on the screen while the commercial aired, I announced we would order pizza from Domino's instead. I plan never to order from Pizza Hut again until they redeem themselves by creating a father-friendly (or male-friendly) commercial. I know, it seems silly, but I'm making a stand against this, even if it is trivial. My mother understood.
October 24th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Hawa: Welcome, we always like a new face.
And yeah, unfortunately this 'men are idiots' theme is the norm in the Anglosphere, at least. It's strange, the other day I saw somebody say that 'The taming of the shrew' points out the innate misogyny of Shakespeare's times. Yet swap the genders and you basically have the premise to Everybody loves Raymond.
And after researching it, it turns out that there was an equivalent play in Shakespeare's time, with the woman trying to 'tame' the man.
It was vastly more popular the Taming of the shrew.
How's that for revisionist history?
October 24th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
And having just watched the ad...
'Who's the man?'
You're certainly not, how many men today can't cook a pizza?
October 24th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Just saw an iPhone ad in which the guy saves the evening when his girlfriend can't recall the name of the fiance' of the girlfriend's boss. Guy saves her by using his iPhone under the dinner table to look up their wedding web site.
So guys, save up that cash you would have spent at Pizza Hut this year and buy an iPhone to support an advertiser who presents a very realistic, tech-guy-saves-forgetful-chick's derriere, depiction of modern American life.
October 25th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Has anybody else noticed that the commercial changed over the past day or two? When it airs in my area, the intro and surprise is gone. Now, the dad is shown waving the family to the table, and their faces look pleased (and not surprised).
October 25th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Sometimes advertisers create a shortened version of a primary commercial to get most of the benefit of repeating the ad, but with a shortened air time. For example, an initial ad of 60 seconds might be re-rendered as a 30 second ad which captures most of the original ad's message, but at less expense to the advertiser.
Either that, of Mr. Niccol has demonstrated his ability to cause a pizza to un-splat.
October 25th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I've seen two versions of it. The first times it was the shorter version, and a few days later it was the longer one. I don't like either version, but, although I agree 100% with the "idiot dad" interpretation as a bad influence on society, mostly I hate it because it gives the impression that Pizza is a good substitute for a home-cooked dinner. The KFC (although the food is better) ads where mom rescues dinner by bringing home KFC is just as bad. Both ads reinforce the impression that cooking for your kids is anachronistic, and that fast food is just as good.
Aren't KFC and Pizza Hut the same company? If so, doesn't that make them equal in their bad treatment of parents in general? Mom gets off a little better in the KFC ad, but it's almost the same ad with the genders reversed.
I wonder if the feminists care about the KFC ad the same way they bashed the "my husband never asks for a second cup at home," in that the KFC ad assumes that dinner is the woman's responsibility?
October 26th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Quit being whiny asses. It's not offensive to any body.
If it showed the wife degrading the man in front of the kids it would be offensive.
It's no more offensive to men than the Calvin Klein commercials are offensive to women.
There are bigger issue to complain about.
October 26th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
I saw this commercial a while ago and thought that it might make its way here... I currently do not have a way to tape and send the vid to Glenn.
My kids said that would be great if dad was making dinner (“and yo that commercial is messed up”) because I just happen to be the better cook…LOL
October 26th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Frank D Says: Quit being whiny asses. It's not offensive to any body.
Frank, unfortunately you are correct. The message that men, husbands, and fathers are nothing but worthless, useless idiot ATM dufasess has been so sustained that it largely goes by unchallenged and is not offensive to anybody.
I view that as a poor excuse keep quiet. Far too many times I see things differently than those around me and wish others would also speak up.
I also do not believe in a cosmic order in solving issues that says we must cure cancer and world hunger before we can demand companies hawking their wares do so without stereotyping men as some form of sub-human.
DanH
October 30th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
I wrote Pizza Hut and Pepsi (parent company of pizza hut, Taco Bell and KFC). I let them know I would not be a customer any more.
@Frank - I think you might have missed the longer ad that used to air. Essentially, Mom tells the kids that Dad's responsible for dinner, the kids groan, Mom rolls her eyes and grudging asks the kids to have hope that this time, Dad might get it togeather, and ta-da! Dad's all full of himself for bringing home an f-ing pizza and sodas. Mom's actions do reinforce the kid's message that they're stuck with an incompetant dad's abilities. Now, if it were more of a 'home cooked' meal, such as chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, etc., like Boston Market or KFC, then it always seems to be a woman who figures out how to meet expectations and still handle the martyred (or is it sainted) role of working mom, ever mindful of her families health and comfort. Dad = Pizza, since that's all he can think of during the sports season, if you can pry him out of Hooters.
It seems that way too much convienience food has this formula for their ads. "So simple, even a man can do it", being the general message. The first time I notice this trend, I was really offended by an ad for hot dogs that were separately wrapped, showing a dad incapable of cooking anything else for his kids. Both of my parents cooked, there's a good background for various comfort foods from all over the europe in my family, plus what I've learned to make either from working in restaraunts or watching the food channel. If there's something I want, I can usually find a recipie and work out the details.
I'm the sole provider for my two children. I still manage to cook every day of the week, and I'm not talking 'meal in a box', stuff, either. Most of the other men that I know can cook to various degrees, and are pretty willing to do so. I do know a man who's pretty much a dud at cooking, but he was raised by his mom, who didn't bother to show him how to do anything in the kitchen.
I'm not so offended that I'd sue Pepsico/Pizza hut for duress, but the only business that the can count on from me is when my ex writes them another hot check on our old joint account.
October 30th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Are we supposed to continue to believe that most women can cook these days? Or can sew? Or are willing to clean? Or are appreciative, attentive mothers? Or can satisfactorily offer any of the domestic skills that men once could take for granted? Where is the evidence of this? What do women really have to offer men these days that men have not been forced to learn how to do for themselves, or that they can not simply buy? Not much. It's no wonder the ladies are so keen to keep the anti-prostitution laws in place.
October 31st, 2007 at 12:17 am
hawa: thanks, I echo your sentiments
I have particularly despised this advertisement from the first time I saw it. In our family, my husband does most of the cooking - he's very good at it, enjoys being creative in the kitchen, and certainly cooks more nutritious food than pizza!
Jay R - I think most adults that have ever lived on their own (male of female) learn how to cook for themselves, sew, clean, and if we're fortunate and loving - eventually to be good parents to our children. I bring home more 'bacon' than my husband, but I would hardly expect him to sit in a corner crocheting blankets just because the stereotypical gender role of who makes more money has been reversed in our case. I was raised to know how to cook, sew, clean, and perform all the other domestic arts including child care. I also worked outside with my father, cutting wood, building fences and sheds, repairing equipment and vehicles.
The reality of today's well-adjusted family is that partners are now free to decide what types of household "jobs" they'll work on together, on their own, or with the kids -- knowing they're not going to be laughed at for doing "women's work" or scorned for trying to "do a man's job". I think that's the biggest problem with the advertisement - it belittles the ability of a man to do the traditional (from the 1950's) "woman's job", and forgets that the best chefs in the world are men.
October 31st, 2007 at 8:52 am
What is even more amazing is that MOST not all but most of the best chefs in the world are men...
b
October 31st, 2007 at 8:54 am
hawa Says:
October 24th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
^^^ ^^^ ^^^
Thanks you very much for your support and understanding...
b
October 31st, 2007 at 9:01 am
I saw this commercial some time ago and figured it would make it here... I wish I had a way... I do not right now… to digitally record these for Glenn and put them on line for him...
By the way if any one can record the orbits commercial for Glenn he would like it… it is usually on CNN Headline News between 0710 and 0720...
Thanks
b
October 31st, 2007 at 9:18 am
Laura Says:
October 31st, 2007 at 12:17 am
^^^ ^^^ ^^^
Sorry did not read your until now, Thank you too...