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What New Parents Want From Brands
Learn why parents in the US grow less likely throughout early parenthood to believe brands understand them, and find out what marketers can do to address their needs.
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INHALTE
Ads aimed at new parents often feature a blissed-out mom cradling an angelic infant, or a proud dad tossing a giggling baby in the air. But for each air-brushed parent pictured, there may be far more real-life parents who also want ads that focus on price, highlight product performance and acknowledge day-to-day challenges.
When parents in the US welcome a new baby, their perception that brands understand what it means to be a parent drops, a Facebook IQ survey found. But brands might be able to reboot or save relationships with new parents by accounting for their evolving experiences, priorities and preferences.
To get the details on what new parents want from brands immediately before and after having a baby, Facebook IQ commissioned interviews with 10 expecting and new parent couples and a survey of 1,620 expecting and new parents ages 18 and older.1 The survey included adoptive and single parents, and participants spanned four stages of early parenthood: early pregnancy,2 mid-pregnancy,3 newborn4 and baby.5
The survey revealed that people grow more cost conscious and focused on product effectiveness throughout early #parentlife, and our interviews indicated that parents value ad content that depicts family life in a realistic, empathetic way. The survey also showed that while moms and dads each often consider themselves the primary decision-maker when shopping online in categories ranging from Finance to Fashion, dads care more about certain factors than moms, and vice versa.
Brand loyalty and perception decline after the baby arrives.
When parents welcome a new baby, both brand loyalty and the belief that brands understand what it means to be a parent decline, our survey showed. Across six vertical categories (Auto, Consumer Electronics, CPG, Entertainment, Fashion and and Finance), newly expecting parents were more likely than parents of babies to strongly agree that brands understand what it means to be a parent. And when we asked parents about Consumer Electronics, CPG and Fashion categories, newly expecting parents were more likely than parents of babies surveyed to say they mostly buy the same brand.6
After parents welcome a new baby, positive brand perception and loyalty dip.
Parents surveyed in the US who strongly agree that brands understand what it means to be a parent.7
Parents surveyed in the US who mostly buy the same brand.8
New parents naturally try new brands as they enter new buying categories—for nursing bras, for instance, or baby monitors. But parents may also become more likely to experiment with different brands because, over time, price and product effectiveness rise in importance, and parents want to find products that fit their evolving budgets and work well for their families. Once their baby arrives, parents also become more aware of the gap between their own lives and those depicted on screens. They start to crave ad content that reflects their reality and addresses the challenges of being a parent.
Price and product effectiveness become paramount.
Parents of babies are more price conscious than newly expecting parents, the survey showed. When the babies arrive, so do big bills for everything from health care to a stroller. This means new parents are on the lookout for deals and open to trying new brands.
Price becomes a bigger factor after a baby arrives.
Parents surveyed in the US who don't mind price when it comes to the items they want.9
39% Newly expecting
36% Mid-to-late expecting
27% Parents of newborns
25% Parents of babies
Parents we interviewed emphasized that they want brands to reflect their challenges as a parent. Faced with sleepless nights and crying newborns, new parents prioritize product effectiveness. They want leak-proof diapers, carriers that fit and bottles that work.
“
I don’t need special $17 bottles of laundry detergent because I feel like once you get a clear detergent that doesn’t have a fragrance... I think you’re fine, you know?
—Varessa, 30, NY
“
It’s nice to be cute and trendy, but at the same time, when your baby is having colic and is crying for two hours from 1 to 3 in the morning, you really just need something that will work right away.
—Diane, 34, NY
Often, they turn to online communities to learn what other parents recommend. In fact, nearly 3 in 4 surveyed parents of babies visit Facebook to get family and friend recommendations for products and services. One mom we interviewed told us she posted a request for sippy cup recommendations on Facebook and received more than 100 replies.
We noted that even second-time parents surveyed become less brand loyal throughout the early stages of parenthood. This could be because what works for baby #1 may not for baby #2—and because parents’ desire for deals over brand names remains unchanged.
Parents want brands to keep it real and relevant.
Parents we interviewed emphasized that they want brands to reflect their challenges as a parent. This might look like an auto brand showing a harried family stuck in traffic with crying children versus a happy family playing Bingo on a road trip, one dad we interviewed suggested.
It could also look like brands acknowledging and addressing parents’ concerns about safety or annoyances that arise with new child behaviors. For instance, one mom we spoke with mentioned seeing a bib with a string for a pacifier that would prevent a baby from tossing the pacifier on the ground.
“
Be real. Show the good, and the bad and ugly.
—Brittany, 31, MI
“
I think advertisers can really show empathy... That’s how you really get the consumer to listen and pay attention, because you’re connecting with them and understanding how they are on a day-to-day basis.
—Liz, 29, CA
Moms and dads both see themselves as the decision-maker.
To reach new parents effectively, marketers must understand who is making shopping decisions. And according to our study, it's often both moms and dads. In fact, across the five categories we studied, more than half of moms and dads who had made a purchase online in the previous three months claimed to be the primary shopping decision-maker. Moms were more likely than dads to call themselves the primary shopper (at a statistically significant level) only for two categories: Fashion and CPG.
Moms and dads each see themselves as the primary decision-maker across specific categories.10
That said, dads care more about certain factors than moms, and vice versa. While a substantial number of both moms and dads surveyed indicated they care about owning exclusive items, dads were 1.3x more likely than moms to say they like to own or show off items that others don't have. Dads are also more likely to say it is important to keep up with the latest trends.
Both moms and dads care about appearances and trends—but dads care more.11
More than half of parents surveyed said online videos help them learn about parenting-related topics and products. However, men were 1.2x more likely than women surveyed to find online video “extremely impactful” for learning about parenting-related topics and products. One dad we interviewed talked about watching online video to find out how to ease his pregnant wife's nausea and to learn about the week-by-week development of their baby.
What it means for marketers
Build loyalty and acquire new customers with more empathetic messaging.
New parents want to see content that reflects their day-to-day challenges and acknowledges their need for effective, affordable products and services. Consider these as you create your next campaign. For inspiration, see how Chatbooks chose to represent parent life in a realistic way in ads.
Appeal to trendsetters.
Both moms and dads—but especially dads—care about owning exclusive, on-trend items. Play up what makes your product unique and special.
Address both moms and dads.
Both men and women often consider themselves the primary decision-maker across shopping categories—so make sure your messaging is inclusive of both moms and dads.
Invest in video.
People are increasingly watching mobile video, and parents are no exception. If you're looking to reach dads, a video strategy might prove particularly effective: Our study found that dads are even more likely than moms to welcome parenting information conveyed via moving pictures. Keep in mind that mobile videos are most effective when they capture attention within the first few seconds, show the brand or product early and include captions. Learn more about how to optimize video creative on mobile.
Source unless otherwise specified: “Facebook Parents 2018” by Ignite 360 (Facebook-commissioned survey of 1,620 expecting or new parents ages 18 and older in the US and interviews with 10 expecting or new parent couples in the US), Jul 2017.
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