Mum, dad and two kids is so yesterday...
Images of the ‘nuclear family’ don’t fit the picture of modern society
THE importance of family for marketers and brand managers is undisputed. They are our bread and butter; from the life policy that leaves a lasting legacy for loved ones to the frozen vegetables we want to put on their dinner tables.
But, has our concept of family kept pace with the changes that have shaped society, so the propositions we develop and the communication we send out to market have maintained their relevance?
The dictionary definition of family is a “group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit”.
Yup, that’s a little outdated to say the least. In fact, today’s dynamics are far more complicated and – in a world where hyper relevance trumps all – marketers have to take note and act.
Consider the following figures and statistics (Source: Eighty20; Fact-A-Day; AMPS):
In South Africa, 33 percent of black households with children are single-parent families. For coloured households it is 22 percent, 13 percent for white and 8 percent for Indian.
There are an estimated 3.7 million orphaned children in South Africa, with the number having increased by 11 percent a year since 2002.
Twenty-one percent of single (never married) men say they have young or unmarried children of their own. For single women this proportion is 51 percent.
Fifty-four percent of children (aged 0-17 years) say their father is not part of their household.
Forty-one percent of South African migrant workers retur n home at six-monthly or yearly intervals.
The figures paint a vivid picture of the varied and “unconventional” family landscape, which suggests marketers would do well to ditch the model dictionary definition in favour of relevance.
Yet doing so is incredibly tricky as the truth is a difficult pill to swallow. It’s less complicated for us to depict the happy nuclear family eating sandwiches together around a table than the glum scenario of children living with their grandmother because their parents have died of Aids-related illness.
Brands can, however, get the balance right by being brave, being mindful and being authentic.
Sometimes we just need to take a chance and showcase that “elephant in the room”. Consider the recent Kellogg’s #FamilyMornings campaign for example. In this campaign, actor and single dad Hlomla Dandala acknowledges how breakfast with his family has changed over the past few years. Not only is the idea relevant, but its execution is aspirational and positive.
The diverse nature of South African family dynamics together with our constitution’s progressive attitude towards human rights means that we as marketers (and people in business) simply cannot afford to make assumptions, let alone “hard code” our consumer view.
Consider how your brand experience should be geared for the changing family dynamic.
For example, a few years ago, a gay colleague struggled to complete an application for a financial product when his long-term partner’s identity number couldn’t be entered into the “spouse” field because this was reserved for someone of the opposite sex.
Those responsible for designing the customer experience must appreciate the different types of consumers and allow their systems to provide for these – be they single moms, granny-headed households, sibling/parent roles, absent parent families, gay parents, mixed-race families, adopted and foster families and other “family typologies”.
Without this understanding, we’re setting ourselves up for market irrelevance.
An example of a brand that’s being mindful of family dynamics is the insurance company, Assupol. Understanding that many South Africans are expected to provide beyond their immediate family, Assupol gives its clients the option of adding cover for members of the extended family.
The facts may show the “nuclear family” should not be a default vision for marketers. However, trying too hard to be “real” isn’t the answer either – as shown by a recent communication for a restaurant chain that featured a smiling, “happy-clappy” mixed-race family. This felt forced, too politically correct, contrived and inauthentic, despite depicting a real-life South African scenario.
Simply checking the boxes for adequate representation is not enough – the power lies in the execution. South Africans have a great knack for sniffing out things that are inauthentic, and steer clear of anything that’s not up to a promise of “genuine”.
In conclusion, tapping into the family unit is a powerful tool for marketers. However, the evidence presented shows that the use of family in marketing and branding communications is not clear-cut. To unlock the power of the “family”, marketers need to understand the dynamics of families inside-out, and to bring this understanding to life in every customer touchpoint.
Shapiro is associate director of Added Value South Africa.