Dad Is Clearly #2 to Mom: Only 45% of Canadians Plan to Buy a Father's Day Gift

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 10, 2015) - While 57% of Canadians say Father's Day is important, less than half (45%) plan to buy their Dad a Father's Day gift according to a new IPG Mediabrands study. That's 10% less than those who indicated that they were planning to buy a gift for Mom on Mother's Day.

Not only are fewer of us planning to buy Dad a gift, Canadians are spending less on him compared to Mom. Total spend nationally on Dad is projected to be $311 million, or $20 per person. By comparison, total spend nationally on Mom was projected to be $492 million, or $27 per person.

"We need to show our Dads more love, whether it's in marking the occasion with a gift or spending time with them on their special day," says Loraine Cordery, Insights Manager at IPG Mediabrands. "Similar to Mom, Dad would actually like to spend more quality time with his family. He's certainly not interested in getting a bad tie for a gift or in many cases a gift of any kind."

WHAT DOES DAD REALLY WANT?

• 44% Spending time with my immediate family (my partner and children)
• 12% Spending time with my extended family (my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews)
• 8% A 'me-day' where I can do whatever I want
• 5% Getting recognition for the hard work I put in as a Dad
• 3% A 'day-off' - other people looking after the cooking and cleaning
• 3% Getting gifts and treats
• 21% Father's Day is just another day, not expecting anything

WE TURN TO GIFT CARDS MOST

One in three (34%) of Dads surveyed said they don't want a gift at all and for those who do, they're not necessarily getting what they want. The most popular gift being bought for dad is a, pretty uncreative, gift card.

A graph is available at the following address: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1011730_Graph_1.jpg

GETTING IN TOUCH

A graph is available at the following address: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1011730_Graph_2.jpg

"Mom wins the day over Dad too when we compared how people communicate with their parents," adds Cordery. "The bottom line, however, is that most Dads have a soft spot too. Like Mom, they simply want to spend more time with the people they love most."

The online survey conducted by IPG Mediabrands was conducted with over a 1,000 nationally representative Canadians from coast to coast.

About IPG Mediabrands

IPG Mediabrands was founded by Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG) in 2007 to manage all of its global media-related assets. Today that means we manage and invest $37 billion in global media on the behalf of our clients, employ over 7,500 diverse and daring marketing communication specialists worldwide and operate our company businesses in more than 127 countries.

A proven entity in helping clients maximize business results through integrated, intelligence-driven marketing strategies, IPG Mediabrands is committed to driving automated buying, pay-for-performance and digital innovation solutions. In Canada, IPG Mediabrands is represented by Cadreon, Initiative, m2, Reprise, and UM.