Smart businesses need to market to these new Dad's and the new breed of family making themselves the norm in the modern world.

Fatherhood Today: A New, and Sometimes Tricky, Balancing Act

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Today's dads are seeking to find a new balance as they strive to fulfill some relatively new expectations of fatherhood, while still grappling with many the issues their own fathers faced.

A new survey by Sullivan Higdon & Sink, an integrated brand experience firm, asked 320 dads across the country about a variety of topics including fatherhood, media and advertising, and planned Father's Day celebrations. The results reveal men who are actively seeking to master the art of fatherhood.

1. Being a great dad is of great importance. 87 percent of fathers agree that being a good father is an important part of who they are. 86 percent of respondents said that they are good dads.

2. This isn't your father's father. 63 percent believe they spend more time with their kids than their own fathers did with them. Even so, most dads still crave more time with their kids.

3. Dad's daily grind holds him back. Dads listed "work" and "financial" responsibilities as the "biggest obstacles to being a good father." You can't work late every night and on Saturday and still be at all the soccer games, dance recitals and parent/teacher conferences. Today's dads are seeking a new balance.

4. Things are different now. 49 percent believe that fatherhood is more difficult for them than it was for their own dads. On the other hand, 40 percent believe fatherhood is more rewarding for them than it was their own fathers.

5. Advertisers just don't understand. 75 percent of dads surveyed could not think of an ad that was applicable to them as a father. Only one in three dads believes that advertising portrays him in a realistic way.

Among those fathers surveyed, protecting family, fulfilling family obligations and having more time to spend with the family are among the most important aspects of life. Having time to spend with the family and knowing that they are safe is what makes dad happy this Father's Day.

"Marketers need to know they aren't talking to the detached Ward Clever stereotype father," said SHS senior vice president, executive creative director John January. "They are talking to a generation of dads who see themselves as more deeply involved with their children than their own fathers were with them."

To learn more about dads and to see the white paper on this survey, visit: Sullivan Higdon & Sink