Marketing Gimmicks

Ragu’s New Ad Campaign Makes America’s Dads Angry

'Simpsons' fans will get the reference.
’Simpsons’ fans will get the reference. Photo: Fox

So, Ragu has a new “Mom’s the Word” ad campaign that portrays dads as hapless cooks who resort to cheap tricks like “breakfast for dinner” and “grilling” when left to their own devices. Those sassy moms, meanwhile, have no choice but to retreat to the couch with a stiff cocktail, a warm laptop, and a superiority complex when dad tries to “help” by feeding little Timmy a very special version of tuna surprise. But now it’s Ragu to the rescue, with recipes easy enough for even a Neanderthal to master! Too bad a bunch of dads are getting a little heated about the sauce campaign.

C.C. Chapman is slick behind a stove and he happens to work in marketing. He was tweeted the clip (he says many dads were “spammed” via Twitter by Ragu), and he’s angry. He blogs: “Ragu, you failed. You tried to be clever and you blew it. Whoever your agency is that told you this was a good idea should be fired because they are doing things for you that snake oil salesman are selling companies on every day and you’ve written the check for it. You should have known better. They should have served you better. … I’m sure Ragu doesn’t really hate dads, but after this video I can firmly say that there are plenty of dads who will hate Ragu. I certainly now do.”

Ragu Hates Dads [C.C. Chapman]

Ragu’s New Ad Campaign Makes America’s Dads Angry