Babies R Us, Kraft Mac & Cheese and Yoplait are going for realism.
Brands are shifting away from aspirational messages with an idealized vision of family and instead infusing campaigns with moments of realism—showing moms who curse, a dad who accidentally destroys a bouncy castle, parents who forget things—because that’s exactly what Millennials want to see from brands. According to exclusive research from BabyCenter, 66 percent of millennial moms say it’s important for brands to realistically portray parenting
According to Meredith Hirt, insights writer for youth research firm Cassandra, “Rather than striving to be the perfect parent, at least half of Generation Y parents in the U.S. [55 percent] and U.K. [50 percent] say they are open about their parenting mishaps and challenges. More than four in 10 in both the U.S. and U.K. say they feel better about themselves as a parent when other parents admit to their own parenting mishaps and challenges. Thus, they want brands to provide honest marketing campaigns with relatable portrayals of the challenges of parenting, as well as moments that show more performative parenting to provide humor.”
Allen Adamson, a longtime brand consultant and the founder of Brand Simple Consulting, also believes the demands for brands to come up with honest, realistic messaging are more intense now. There is no one size fits all anymore. You live in a unique world where everyone has a unique story, and Millennials expect you to talk to them, not some abstract representation of their parents.”
Kristina Monllos is a senior editor for Adweek.
Kristina Monllos. Ads Are Shifting from Aspirational to Honest in Their Portrayal of Parenting. Adweek.
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