Marketing to the Modern Family

The past holiday “face time” with family has reminded several of us at Edelman that the face of kinship and clans is an always changing affair and now more than ever resembles the antics of the popular NBC sitcom. Happily for marketers, our agency has developed a special report on “Marketing to the Modern Family” that offers research with actionable insights on how evolving family dynamics will affect how companies market their brands.

Developed in partnership with research firm StrategyOne, the report focuses on family influences – from the economy to demographic shifts, technology to health & wellness. Findings reveal that the essence of parenting hasn’t changed; but all of these factors have caused a shift and Parenthood today looks very different as a result. Key findings include:

• The Motherload Gets Heavier: Mom is taking on binary roles - in charge at work and in charge in the home. Also, 41% of moms say they are the sole decision maker for their family purchases.

• Universal Parent – The Era of Gender Surrender: Economic pressures and blended family models have redefined individual roles within the family and skill sets have replaced gender. Research shows that 62% of moms and 54% of dads feel that parenting roles will be redefined away from the traditional “mom and dad” roles of the past, while 33% of dads say they currently take on the role of traditional mom.

• Democratization of the Family: The power of the purse is equally divided among its publics. Research shows 68% of parents say that children have influence on family purchasing decisions, while 67% of grandmothers with involvement in taking care of their grandchildren say they have influence on family purchases.

• Dad Demands to be Involved: Dads are demanding work-life balance - and doing much more at home. Dads report their responsibility for taking care of kids has more than doubled since their childhood.

• Traditional Becomes Traditionall: Families headed by multicultural, GLBT and single parents become the new traditional family….and wield a mighty influence. About 20% of moms and dads say their children will not identify with the same ethnic group as they do and 66 % of gay dads are more likely to buy products that have ads reflecting their sexual orientation.

For more information, findings and an analysis of what this means for brands: contact us at modernfamily@edelman.com. Or maybe the findings will just validate what you’ve always known—family dynamics are always in flux and sometimes you gotta go with the flow . . .