The traditional family is no more. Today is the age of “tradition-all” families.
What does that mean when it comes to advertising? A lot. Companies may find it a tough sell to just target their campaigns to the traditional working dad, stay-at-home mom, and two kids. Today’s households are made up of nontraditional families including:
- Same-sex couples
- Same-sex couples with kids
- Stay-at-home dads
- Single parents
- Co-habiting parents
- Grandparents acting as parents
A recent Pew Research study shows that the number of dads staying home with the kids has doubled since 1989.
The once-common “mommy roles” and “daddy roles” seem to be going to the wayside. More dads staying at home means more dads cleaning the house and shopping. A recent report from Advertising Age suggests that these dads are becoming huge influencers when it comes to marketing, but brands aren’t taking notice.
Several recent campaigns, including one from Ragu, have come across as condescending to this growing demographic.
AdAge notes:
Marketers are also finding dads have feelings too.
Dads aren’t the only changing demographic when it comes to families. AdWeek reports non-traditional households are among the fastest-growing family segments, and are more likely to look to media for product information than traditional families are. However, the report says:
Despite their growth and financial clout, many of these newer types of families feel ignored and discriminated against by the ad messages they see.
Avoiding messaging mistakes
According to a study by the PR firm Edelman, families headed by gay, lesbian and single parents are the new traditional family. Edelman suggests marketers need to look at everything from imagery to language and ensure they are communicating to a full spectrum of audiences.
Some companies have caught on, and it shows in their marketing campaigns. However, not everyone is so accepting of this new family. Back in March, Honey Maid launched a new “This is Wholesome” commercial featuring some of these new traditional families.
The company received a lot of feedback — some good, some not so good — for this ad. In response, it launched its Love commercial responding to all the naysayers, which was embraced by the new nontraditional families.
Target audiences will change with time, and this new “tradition-all” family is no different. It might take some time for audiences and companies to embrace the idea, but demographic trends reveal a growing number of these changing households.