The latest campaign from Stellantis Middle East’s Dodge puts a spin on the stereotype that fatherhood is a trade-off for the end of freedom and fun.
Made in collaboration with Publicis Middle East, Dodge has flipped the narrative with ‘Cool Dads’, a campaign built around the bold, unapologetic spirit of its Dodge Durango.
According to Dodge, the Durango isn’t an average family SUV. Sure, it seats seven. But the SRT Hellcat edition unleashes up to 710 horsepower, proving that being a dad and being a thrill-seeker isn’t mutually exclusive.
The campaign taps into a truth rarely addressed in car advertising: as family responsibilities mount, people become less open to new experiences. Self-expression takes a backseat, and personalities become more reserved.
“For us it wasn’t enough to just say ‘Cool Dads exist.’ We wanted to show the attitude and grip dads bring to the wheel and to life,” said Tuki Ghiassi, Executive Creative Director at Publicis Middle East.
The campaign makes a rallying cry to remind fathers in the region that they still have their bold spirit and that Dodge has the ride that suits them best. Because fatherhood isn’t the end of cool. It’s the start of a new kind.
“Like Dodge itself, it’s not about appearances. It’s about confidence and belonging. Being bold, unapologetic, and built with purpose. Cool dads live for the moments that matter, whether it’s cruising in the city or spending time with the family,” Ghiassi added.
The campaign launched with a series of social-first films featuring a Dodge-driving dad sharing parenting advice with a twist. His wisdom wasn’t soft or sentimental. It was gritty, mechanical, and hands-on.
“We wanted to translate fatherhood into the language Dodge fans already speak. Torque, timing, control. If you’re used to fine-tuning an engine, then handling a toddler at 2am isn’t that different.” said Nihar Anand, Head of Marketing Communications at Stellantis Middle East.
The campaign rolled out across social, digital, outdoor, and showrooms, all powered by bold headlines, striking visuals, and a tone that said: this is not your typical family SUV car campaign.
Melhem Najm, CMO of Stellantis MEA, said: “It’s time to reframe what it means to drive a dad car. The Durango lets fathers show up as their complete selves: capable and present as both a man and a caregiver. This campaign doesn’t just sell an SUV. It sells confidence.”
The campaign’s design and scripting aimed to carry through Dodge’s muscle-car DNA to audiences. The point being: fatherhood doesn’t have to look like khakis and carpools.
Credits:
Stellantis Middle East
- Melhem Najm – Chief Marketing Officer
- Nihar Anand – Head of Brand Marketing Communications Dodge Middle East
- Ziad Sunna – Head of Social & Content Creation
- Viral Patel – Head of Media
- Zhankar Gandhani – Assistant Manager Dodge Middle East
- Sunny Vaswani – Digital & Product CX Lead
- Alina Makhani – Product Manager Dodge Middle East
- Reham Eldidi – Head of Corporate Communications
- Karim Sobh – Corporate Communications Executive
Publicis Groupe – Middle East:
- Tuki Ghiassi: Executive Creative Director
- Anton Marais: Senior Creative Director
- Yousra Elharouny: Senior Agency Producer
- Oussama Founi: Associate Creative Director
- Pablo Tesio: Associate Creative Director
- Kamel Zeitouny: Senior Copywriter – Arabic
- Louis Borniche: Motion Designer
- Abdullah Samir: Art Director
- Randy Balbon: Art Director
- Hamdan Muhsen: Senior Designer
- Joanny Chamorro: Senior Content Creator
- Osama Ali – Intern Copywriter
- Jean Traboulsi: Business Lead
- Stuart Randall: Business Director
- Annouska Ruparell: Senior Account Manager
- Khalil Amin: Senior Account Manager
- Naba Kadri: Senior Account Executive
- Ryan Haddad: Account Executive
- Mazen Haddad: Business Director – Media
- Harshayu Desai: Senior Manager – Media & Performance Marketing
- Alma Pais: Manager – Media
- Zakaria El Fassi – Senior Executive – Media
- Diana Palacios: Manager – Customer Experience
- Maryam Alshahed: Senior Manager – Content
- Karim Farage: Senior Executive – Content
- Saad Al Rass: Senior Associate – Digital
- Zain Naeem – Project Manager – Digital
- Pradeep Kumar – Principal Engineer – Digital
Production House – Rush:
- Alain Abi Khalil – Executive Producer
- Krissy Toubia – Producer
- Adham Obeid – Director
- Mila Shamraeva – Director of Photography
- Maia El Khoury – Art Director
- Haala Kastoun – Wardrobe Stylist
- Joanne Ghosn – Post Producer
- Nicolas Toubia – Editor
- Amix Studios – Sound Design
- Yulia Kovshova – Colourist
- Hedgehog Post-Production – Post House
- Mubark Almaharfi – Actor
