Horizon Media Survey Finds Intent To Celebrate Father's Day is Steady; Intent to Give Gifts Wanes

Dads will feel the love this year, but many will get hugs instead of hardware

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Jun 19, 2015, 10:00 ET

NEW YORK, June 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest study from Horizon Media's Finger on the Pulse — the agency's proprietary online research community, comprised of 3,000 people reflective of the U.S. population — Father's Day loses out to in terms of gift giving.

Dads will feel the love this year, but many will get hugs instead of hardware. While intent to celebrate Father's Day holds steady (60% of American adults plan to celebrate Father's Day 2015, the same as in 2014), intent to give gifts is down compared to last year. More than three quarters (78%) said they would give Father's Day gifts in 2014; this year, less than a third (60%) say they will.

Making matters worse for dads, more than six in ten (62%) say the typically spend more on gifts for Mother's Day than for Father's Day. Just over a quarter (26%) say that their number one consideration in choosing where to shop for Father's Day gifts is "low prices," making it the number one choice among gift givers this year. (In 2014, "low price" was the fourth most important consideration.) Shopping at the gift recipient's favorite store was least important; just over one in ten (12%) say shopping at his favorite store is a top priority this year.

This year's survey found that getting dad something truly special is no more important this year than it was last year. Instead, practical everyday kinds of gifts are the most popular. Gift cards are once again the #1 choice with 39% intending to give one for Father's Day. Clothing and accessories moved up to #2 this year with 30% saying they'll get him something to wear. Consistent with last year, food and drink gifts hold the #3 spot with 29% saying they'll get him something delicious. A passion or hobby related gift dropped to from #2 to #4 in 2015, with just 20% saying they want to get their dad something that feeds his personal interests. Men's personal care products climbed to the #5 spot with 18% saying they will give things like razors and shaving cream. Home improvement gifts dropped from the #4 spot to the #6 spot – just 14% say they'll go the tools and hardware route; Technology related gifts tied for #6 with 14% saying tech is their gift of choice.

"With the focus on practical, everyday gifts and controlling spending, pushing technology, power tools and other big ticket items may be an uphill battle," said Kirk Olson, VP of Trendsights, at Horizon Media. "Instead, retailers should focus the final marketing push on quick hit gift ideas like a bottle of something he'll like, clothing, or personal accessories."

While more men are giving gifts to their own dads, women are the key to unlocking last minute sales potential. Compared to men, fewer women are giving gifts to their dads (55%); however, in addition to the 55% of women who are giving gifts to their dads, 61% of women are giving gifts to their spouses.

"All of this suggests to retailers that the final messaging push for Father's Day should definitely be targeted at women and communicate easy gift ideas, low prices and last minute deals," said Rich Simms, EVP, Managing Partner at Horizon Media. "They want to celebrate and give, but this year in particular they want retailers to make it easy."

For marketers, communicating online, in-store and fostering word of mouth are the best ways to unzip wallets. The most consulted and trusted resource for Father's Day gift ideas this year are online shopping sites; almost half (47%) will go online to browse or shop. Almost four in ten (39%) get gift ideas by walking around stores to see what is available until they find the right gift, and 36% say recommendations and word of mouth will inspire them and give them gift ideas.

About Horizon Media

Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world's ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry's leading trade association.

The company's mission is "To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere." By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.2 billion and over 1,100 employees.

The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

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Horizon Media
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SOURCE Horizon Media