Parents are time-constrained, cash-strapped and trying-to-do-it-all, and are one of the most highly sought after group by a variety of brands. Brands ranging from diapers to food products to cars to financial institutions, target parents with family-filled advertising images and benefit propositions aimed at making their life just a little easier. With all the demands facing parents today, do they really even notice?
Surprisingly, Communicus has consistently found that parents are just as likely as other consumers to take note of advertising – including TV, digital and print ads. Between soccer games, late night feedings and other demands of family life, parents are noticing advertising at the same rates as non-parents. However, parents are significantly more likely than their non-parent counterparts to notice FSI and point-of-sale efforts. These platforms, which often provide monetary incentives and/or solutions for everyday concerns –like what to make for dinner tonight – are particularly effective in reaching parents.
Simply getting parents to engage with ads is merely the first step towards driving purchase intent – they must also register the brand. The good news for advertisers is that parents are actually significantly more likely to recall the brand being advertised across mediums (TV, digital, print, FSI and POS) than are non-parents. While the differences are strongest for FSI and POS elements with which they are highly engaged, correct brand linkage tends to be 20-30% higher across other mediums as well.
What might explain these differences in engagement and brand linkage across consumer targets, you ask? It appears that despite being busy and having significant demands on their attention, parents are looking to brands and products to provide solutions, inspiration and to help them be better parents. This intersection of consumers hungry for brand-driven solutions who also yield substantial purchasing power poses great opportunities for brand marketers.
To capitalize on these dynamics there are a few simple things advertisers can do to successfully reach and persuade parents:
- Leverage FSI/POS elements widely and ensure they are creatively tied to other campaign elements so that they function as both an immediate incentive to purchase and also remind the consumer of the brand’s key benefits. In this way, they can help to fulfill both short and long-term brand building goals.
- Make it easy for parents by providing them with solution and/or inspiration driven messages rooted in your brand’s key point-of-difference.
- Find them in multiple places – parents are looking for solutions across mediums so having a robust multi-media approach is key in generating both strong engagement and in generating the strong branding dynamics that will further your brand’s objectives.
Are parents a key target for your brand? If so, how do you target them differently than non-parents?
