The first time I saw this commercial for the VW Passat I laughed out loud. The more I see it, the more I appreciate it, and it always makes me smile.
Here are the things I like about this commercial:
There is nothing that suggests this man is somehow less of a man, or a father, because he's not apt at sports. In fact, quite the opposite. He is wearing a nice suit, which means he probably has a pretty good job. He has a nice new car. He has a beautiful house with a big yard in what looks like a great neighborhood. It doesn't imply that you have to be a beer chugging head slamming macho man to be a real man.
Beyond that, this is a scene of a man being a good father. He's not letting work prevent him from spending time with his son. He could be on his way to work, or he could be just getting home from work, but he is taking time to play with his kid and isn't freaking out about getting his good suit dirty, being too tired or not having enough time.
Sure, he may not be helping his kid become a star pitcher, but he is passing on a tradition of being a father and spending time with your children. Best of all, while he may not be able to throw a ball, he's not being presented as a total doofus idiot who can't do anything right, the way dads are often portrayed in commercials.
So, why am I talking about a random commercial? Because I feel like VW got this one right. We spend a lot of time complaining about bad commercials, so I thought it would be nice to talk about one that's actually really good and sends a good message.