Reaching and Engaging with Modern Family Audiences
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In today’s digital age, reaching and engaging with family audiences is crucial for businesses across various sectors, especially in leisure and retail. Marketing to families requires a thoughtful and strategic approach, especially in the digital age where regulations are evolving, and consumer expectations are high. With the rise of Generation Z and millennials becoming parents, brands have a unique opportunity to engage with a new generation born in the 2010s. However, traditional methods of tracking and targeting audience demographics, such as third-party cookies, are diminishing in effectiveness. Connecting with these audiences can significantly boost sales and footfall. However, understanding how to effectively produce and share digital content tailored to family audiences can be challenging. In this article, we will provide you with valuable pointers and strategies to successfully connect with family audiences in the digital age, as well as explore best practices for developing brand-safe and family-friendly marketing strategies that resonate with today’s diverse and tech-savvy families.
Know Your Audiences: Understanding the Digital Habits of Modern Families
To effectively target family audiences, it is essential to go beyond basic demographics and gain a deeper understanding of what makes them tick. This involves knowing how they interact digitally and what interests them. By understanding which platforms they use the most and what prompts them to engage online, you can create successful digital content. In fact, leisure retailers have seen an 11 times increase in ROI when incorporating remarketing and carefully targeted ads in their campaigns. Utilize social analytics data to gain insights into your audience’s digital habits and preferences.
Digital marketers must prioritize the safety and appropriateness of their content when targeting families. While concerns about marketing to children have existed across various mediums, digital technologies have introduced new challenges. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) in the United States requires parental consent for collecting personal data from children online. However, with the phasing out of cookies and the introduction of state laws, brands must go beyond legal requirements and proactively set their own policies to protect children from inappropriate marketing.
“It is incumbent on each brand itself to institute policies that defend against inappropriate marketing toward children, rather than relying on meeting the bare minimum of local and federal laws.” – Kazuki Ohta, CEO and cofounder, Treasure Data
To execute family-friendly marketing campaigns, brands need to invest in the right technologies and protocols. Several capabilities are essential for consumer-facing brands targeting families, including age verification, consent management, content review, and audience targeting. Customer data and data management platforms provide the necessary infrastructure to ensure compliance with privacy and data protection laws while delivering personalized and relevant experiences to the target audience. By incorporating these critical functions into their marketing plans, brands can reach their target audience ethically and responsibly.
Key capabilities to consider:
- Audience segmentation: Avoid serving ads to children under the age of 13.
- Consent management: Collect parental consent for marketing to minors.
- Basic data privacy: Ensure compliance with state privacy and data protection laws.
In an increasingly complex and opaque programmatic media supply chain, it is crucial for brands to have reporting and analytics capabilities to monitor and measure the effectiveness of their family-friendly marketing efforts. These tools not only help identify any violations of family-friendly marketing principles but also provide insights into the performance of successful campaigns. Customer data and data management platforms, such as CDPs, enable digital marketers to analyze ad impressions, clicks, and conversions, providing valuable data to optimize marketing strategies and drive engagement.
“Metrics can be indicative of a successful campaign or, conversely, family-friendly content that for whatever reason is not hitting the mark.” – Kazuki Ohta, CEO and cofounder, Treasure Data
While marketing to children requires special considerations, it doesn’t mean brands should shy away from creating content that delights and inspires. Advances in personalized marketing offer opportunities to transform advertising for the better, keeping legal and regulatory compliance in mind. Marketers can leverage public events and cultural milestones to develop strategies that resonate with both children and adults, whether they belong to Generation Z, millennials, or older generations. By understanding the rules and striking the right balance, marketers can create engaging and family-friendly campaigns that leave a lasting impact.
Marketing to children and families comes with a responsibility to ensure age-appropriate and safe experiences. Brands must take into account the social and cultural implications of their marketing strategies, as children are a vulnerable audience easily influenced by the content they consume. While traditional mediums like TV, print, and radio have always faced scrutiny, digital technologies have introduced new complexities. The COPPA law in the United States mandates parental consent for collecting personal data from children online, but brands need to go beyond legal requirements and establish their own policies to protect children from inappropriate marketing.
In the digital age, brands face unique challenges when it comes to targeting families. With the phasing out of third-party cookies and the introduction of new state laws, brands find themselves interacting with new audiences without the historical context and data needed to provide relevancy, personalization, and privacy. To navigate these challenges, brands must invest in the right technologies and protocols. Age verification, consent management, content review, and audience targeting are crucial capabilities for executing effective family-friendly marketing campaigns. Customer data and data management platforms provide the infrastructure to deliver personalized and relevant experiences while ensuring compliance with privacy and data protection laws.
The programmatic media supply chain can be chaotic and opaque, making it challenging to identify specific inventory or assets that violate family-friendly marketing principles. Reporting and analytics capabilities are essential for tracking and monitoring content to ensure compliance. These tools not only help identify violations but also provide insights into the performance of family-friendly marketing efforts. Customer data and data management platforms with built-in reporting and analytics capabilities can analyze ad impressions, clicks, and conversions, helping digital marketers measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and optimize their strategies.
While safety and appropriateness are paramount when marketing to children, brands should not shy away from creating content that delights and inspires. Advances in personalized marketing present opportunities to transform advertising for the better. By understanding the rules and regulations and striking the right balance, marketers can develop creative and engaging campaigns that resonate with children and adults alike. Public events and cultural milestones can serve as catalysts for developing strategies that capture the imagination of different generations. By embracing creativity and innovation, marketers can create memorable and family-friendly experiences that leave a positive impact.
Developing effective family-friendly marketing strategies in the digital age requires a comprehensive approach that prioritizes safety, compliance, and creativity. By establishing rules for age-appropriate marketing, building robust marketing plans with the right technologies, and leveraging reporting and analytics capabilities, brands can navigate the complexities of targeting families. Balancing safety and creativity is essential to create engaging and inspiring content that resonates with children and adults. As marketing continues to evolve, brands must embrace innovation and adaptability while upholding legal and regulatory compliance to successfully connect with today’s diverse and tech-savvy families.
Example Audiences: The Digital Mummy and the Kids
Two key segments within family audiences are the “digital mummy” and the kids. It is important to tailor your marketing strategies to appeal to both segments effectively.
The Digital Mummy
The “digital mummy” audience refers to digitally savvy mothers who actively seek support, advice, and entertainment online. It is crucial to optimize your content for mobile viewing, as 54% of mums between the ages of 25-54 use mobile devices to access the online world. Personalization is highly valued among this audience, with almost half of users on Mumsnet, a leading online community for mothers, seeing it as the future. Tailor your ads and content to their ages and online behaviors. Here are a few ways to target the digital mummy audience:
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Utilize targeted ads to reach mothers effectively.
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Connect and collaborate with relevant bloggers who cater to this audience.
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Organize online competitions to engage and attract attention.
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Create school-holiday content and seasonal promotions.
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Implement newsletters to keep mothers informed and engaged.
Facebook is a primary platform for targeting mums, as 60% of them check it first thing in the morning. Additionally, 68% of this group uses social media to find brand recommendations. Leverage Facebook’s audience targeting capabilities to ensure your content reaches the right audience without overwhelming other segments of your online profiles.
The Kids
While parents are often the primary decision-makers, kids also play a significant role in influencing family purchasing decisions. Understanding and engaging with kids is essential for successful marketing to family audiences. Here are a few strategies to target the digital kids audience effectively:
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Establish an active presence on their preferred channels, such as YouTube.
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Create video and visual content that appeals to kids.
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Develop gamification-friendly content, such as quizzes and polls.
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Make experiences giftable, such as packages and season tickets.
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Collaborate with relevant influencers and other brands to expand reach.
It’s crucial to remember that kids today are highly tech-savvy, with significant exposure to technologies like smartphones, online games, and social media. Incorporate these elements into your marketing strategies to capture their attention and build brand loyalty.
Brand Successes: Examples of Effective Marketing to Family Audiences
To gain inspiration for your own marketing strategies, let’s take a look at some successful brand examples that have effectively targeted British families online.
Hotel Tonight’s Humorous Campaign: Visit, Don’t Stay
Hotel Tonight, a hotel and accommodation booking site, tapped into the parent audience with their Visit, Don’t Stay campaign. With comical imagery and captions, they played on the idea that families don’t always want to spend extended time with their relatives. This tactic allowed Hotel Tonight to create relatable content that engaged their audience on familiar issues.
Luxury Family Hotels’ Targeted Blog
Luxury Family Hotels has a prime example of a targeted blog tailored perfectly to their family audience. Their blog covers a wide range of topics, from the best holidays with toddlers to the best family cookbooks. A continuously updated blog not only helps new customers find the brand on Google but also opens up opportunities for collaborations with influencers and other brands.
Madame Tussaud’s Snapchat Campaign
Madame Tussaud’s Blackpool successfully captured their family audience using Snapchat and a custom filter. By creating a playful and interactive experience, they generated 10.5K swipes, 206 uses, and 9.1K views. This campaign demonstrated the power of interactive digital content in engaging family audiences.
Top Tips for Successful Family-Friendly Marketing
To ensure your marketing efforts effectively target family audiences, keep these top tips in mind:
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Gain a deep understanding of your family audience(s) to tailor your strategies accordingly.
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Collaborate with relevant bloggers and influencers who cater to your target audience.
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Utilize “things to do” site listings to increase visibility and attract families.
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Offer relevant discounts and promotions to incentivize purchases.
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Conduct thorough keyword research and optimization to improve search rankings.
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Invest time and effort in placing guest posts to expand your reach.
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Engage and interact with your audiences through social media and other channels.
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Don’t forget to focus on the kids’ perspective and incorporate elements that resonate with them.
By implementing these tips and strategies, you can effectively reach and engage with modern family audiences, ultimately driving sales and boosting brand loyalty. Remember, successful marketing to families requires a deep understanding of their digital habits, preferences, and desires. Stay updated on the latest trends and continuously adapt your strategies to meet the evolving needs of family audiences in the digital age.
Q&A Section:
Q: What is family-friendly marketing?
A: Family-friendly marketing refers to the practice of developing marketing strategies and campaigns that are appropriate and appealing to families. It involves prioritizing the safety, age-appropriateness, and relevance of content when targeting children and their parents or caregivers.
Q: Why is family-friendly marketing important?
A: Family-friendly marketing is important because children are a vulnerable audience that can be easily influenced. By ensuring that marketing content is age-appropriate, brands can protect children and create positive experiences for families. Additionally, family-friendly marketing can help brands build trust and loyalty among parents and caregivers.
Q: What are some key considerations for family-friendly marketing?
A: Some key considerations for family-friendly marketing include obtaining parental consent for marketing to minors, implementing age verification processes, reviewing content for appropriateness, and complying with privacy and data protection laws. Brands should also focus on delivering personalized and relevant experiences while upholding ethical and responsible marketing practices.
Q: How can brands measure the effectiveness of family-friendly marketing campaigns?
A: Brands can measure the effectiveness of family-friendly marketing campaigns by leveraging reporting and analytics capabilities. By analyzing ad impressions, clicks, conversions, and other relevant metrics, brands can gain insights into campaign performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize their strategies.
Q: Can brands be creative when marketing to children?
A: Yes, brands can be creative when marketing to children. While safety and appropriateness are crucial, creativity plays a significant role in capturing the attention and imagination of children. By understanding the rules and regulations and striking the right balance, brands can develop engaging and inspiring content that resonates with young audiences.
Q: Why is reaching and engaging with family audiences crucial for businesses, particularly in leisure and retail?
A: Reaching family audiences is crucial for businesses in leisure and retail as it significantly boosts sales and footfall. Families represent a diverse and tech-savvy demographic, and connecting with them in the digital age is essential for sustained success.
Q: How has the rise of Generation Z and millennials becoming parents created a unique opportunity for brands?
A: The rise of Generation Z and millennials becoming parents provides brands with a unique opportunity to engage with a new generation born in the 2010s. These parents are digitally savvy, and effectively targeting them can lead to long-term brand loyalty.
Q: Why are traditional methods of tracking and targeting audience demographics, such as third-party cookies, diminishing in effectiveness?
A: Traditional methods like third-party cookies are diminishing in effectiveness due to evolving regulations and privacy concerns. The phasing out of cookies and the introduction of state laws pose challenges, requiring brands to adopt new technologies and strategies for effective audience targeting.
Q: How can understanding the digital habits of modern families contribute to successful digital content creation?
A: Understanding digital habits involves knowing which platforms families use the most and what prompts them to engage online. Utilizing social analytics data provides insights that help create successful digital content, contributing to an 11 times increase in ROI for leisure retailers incorporating remarketing and targeted ads.
Q: What challenges do brands face in terms of marketing to families in the digital age, and how can they overcome them?
A: Brands face challenges with the phasing out of third-party cookies and the introduction of new state laws. Overcoming these challenges requires investing in the right technologies, such as age verification, consent management, content review, and audience targeting, to ensure compliance with privacy laws and deliver personalized experiences.
Q: How does the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) impact digital marketing to children, and how can brands navigate these regulations?
A: COPPA mandates parental consent for collecting personal data from children online. Brands must go beyond legal requirements, implementing age verification, consent management, and content review to create family-friendly marketing campaigns that comply with privacy and data protection laws.
Q: Why is it crucial for brands to establish their own policies for protecting children from inappropriate marketing, in addition to complying with local and federal laws?
A: Establishing policies beyond legal requirements is crucial to defend against inappropriate marketing toward children. Brands must proactively set guidelines for age-appropriate marketing, ensuring a responsible and ethical approach to engaging with vulnerable audiences.
Q: What key capabilities are essential for consumer-facing brands targeting families in their marketing campaigns?
A: Essential capabilities for consumer-facing brands targeting families include audience segmentation to avoid serving ads to children under 13, consent management for marketing to minors, and basic data privacy compliance with state privacy and data protection laws.
Q: Why is reporting and analytics crucial for brands engaging in family-friendly marketing efforts?
A: Reporting and analytics are crucial for monitoring and measuring the effectiveness of family-friendly marketing efforts. These tools help identify violations, provide insights into successful campaigns, and enable digital marketers to optimize strategies based on ad impressions, clicks, and conversions.
Q: How can brands effectively balance safety and creativity when marketing to children and families in the digital age?
A: Brands can balance safety and creativity by understanding the rules and regulations, leveraging personalized marketing opportunities, and using public events and cultural milestones to develop strategies that resonate with both children and adults. Advances in personalized marketing offer opportunities to create engaging and family-friendly campaigns.
Q: How can brands tailor their marketing strategies to the “digital mummy” audience effectively?
A: Brands can tailor their marketing strategies to the “digital mummy” audience by optimizing content for mobile viewing, utilizing targeted ads, collaborating with relevant bloggers, organizing online competitions, creating school-holiday content, and implementing newsletters. Leveraging platforms like Facebook, where 60% of mothers check first thing in the morning, is essential.
Q: What strategies can brands employ to effectively target the digital kids audience?
A: Brands can effectively target the digital kids audience by establishing an active presence on preferred channels like YouTube, creating video and visual content appealing to kids, developing gamification-friendly content, making experiences giftable, and collaborating with relevant influencers and brands to expand reach.
Q: How can brands use public events and cultural milestones to develop strategies that capture the imagination of different generations within families?
A: Brands can leverage public events and cultural milestones to develop strategies by understanding the rules and striking the right balance. By embracing creativity and innovation, marketers can create memorable and family-friendly experiences that resonate with both children and adults, fostering positive engagement.
Q: What are some examples of successful marketing to family audiences by brands, and what can businesses learn from these examples?
A: Examples include Hotel Tonight’s humorous “Visit, Don’t Stay” campaign, Luxury Family Hotels’ targeted blog, and Madame Tussaud’s Snapchat campaign. Businesses can learn from these examples by creating relatable content, utilizing targeted blogs, and engaging audiences through interactive experiences.
Q: What are the top tips for successful family-friendly marketing in the digital age?
A: Top tips include gaining a deep understanding of family audiences, collaborating with relevant bloggers and influencers, utilizing “things to do” site listings, offering relevant discounts, conducting thorough keyword research, investing in guest posts, and engaging audiences through social media channels. Balancing safety and creativity is crucial for effective marketing.
Q: How can brands stay updated on the latest trends and continuously adapt their strategies to meet the evolving needs of family audiences in the digital age?
A: Brands can stay updated by actively monitoring reporting and analytics, participating in industry forums, attending conferences, and engaging with their target audience through social media channels. Continuous adaptation involves embracing innovation while upholding legal and regulatory compliance.
First reported by Forbes.
