Are Brands Finally Getting the Meaning of Family?
Over the last two years, there have been several brands that have not only celebrated the family as a central part of their marketing message, but they have also challenged media’s notion of family. I’ve been really impressed with these brands because they are changing the conversation on what it means to be a family. They are finally recognizing that family is as diverse as the people living in America. Brands are tapping into a real insight about family - that they come in all shapes and sizes.
When the advertising campaign for Honey Maid came out last year, I could only stand up and applaud their efforts to celebrate the modern family - families they considered to be ‘wholesome.’ The advertisement featured what would likely be considered untraditional families by Madison Avenue standards. The ad featured real-life parents including a tattoo-clad rocker dad and his family, a mixed race military family, a single dad, and gay men raising a family.
Honey Maid also posted YouTube documentaries of these families to share their stories. This year, Honey Maid continued the campaign by featuring a kid that is being raised by two families as a result of a divorce. Honey Maid is capitalizing on 40% of families that are blended. The brand contends that these families are not ‘broken,’ and instead celebrates the strength and love needed to make parenting work in the wake of an unfortunate event like divorce.
Tylenol this year launched a campaign called “How We Family,” which celebrates different types of American families. Somewhat reminiscent of the Honey Maid campaign, they feature same sex parents, mixed race families, families with adopted children, multi-generational families and multi-cultural families. Tylenol first asks, “When were you first considered a family?” And then asks, “When did you first fight to be a family?” Its message is: Family is not about who you love, but how you love. Because Tylenol has cared for families for over 60 years, this message makes sense coming from the brand.
Tylenol also documented the stories of families around the United States – powerful and moving stories of those who epitomize the modern-day family. Featured are the stories of immigrant families, like the Ekehs (Nigerian-American) and the Has (Chinese-Americans). There are stories of same sex parents like the Stigliano-Wait and Thompson families. There are blended families like the Wade Unions, military families like the Butlers, and a family with a stay at home dad like the McKennas. The films are wide and varied and will give you a slice of Americana that is rarely depicted by brands.
The families featured in the Tylenol documentaries summed up the definition of family. “Family means love and care and hope for the future,” says a member of the Ekeh Family. The Ha family matriarch says, “Family is where you share your joy and support each other.” One gentleman from the Redwood-O’Hare Family summed up what is noteworthy about the How We Family campaign: “Show me what normal is. Show me what the average family is. Show me what you think family should look like. It doesn’t exist. Throughout history, throughout time, family comes in all shapes and sizes – all configurations.” That's the consumer insight that underlies the brand campaign and it is one that is resonating with consumers. Tylenol's holiday advertisement based on the campaign has already had close to 1.6 million views on YouTube.
There are other brands that are more accurately depicting families. Ikea celebrates diverse families in its “Meet the Food Families” advertisement, which celebrates foodie families. The ads feature a large Hispanic family and a lesbian couple, along with a traditional White family. USAA commercials feature current and former military families and represent diverse families around the country. One of Hallmark's holiday ads features a perfectionist white mom and an Asian dad with their Hapa kids (half Asian-Pacific) who decorate the Christmas tree with ornaments 'by themselves.' Another Hallmark ad features a vegan family celebrating the holidays with a vegan meal along with a disgruntled grandfather waiting for his ham. There are many more examples - some sentimental and some funny, but all celebrating the diversity of family .
But wait. Here’s my real life anecdote about my own family. When my daughter was 6 months old, my friend, who is a casting agent, asked me if I wanted to bring Ella to a casting call for a baby product company. They were doing a print campaign and needed babies and moms. When I went to the call, I signed Ella in to do a test shot, but I was ineligible to participate because they were only looking for women under the age of 35. Ella was picked to participate in the ad campaign, and on the day of the shoot, I watched her being photographed with a young, beautiful Asian woman. Having been on the Client side of casting calls, I understand the desire to pick the most appropriate image for your brand. But moms are diverse too. They are not all young, thin and beautiful. I, for one, would find it refreshing to see advertisements that feature more realistic moms.
At least we’ve made strides in some areas of advertising. The current depictions of families feel more authentic than those featured in bygone years. We can no longer think of American families like the ones that graced the airwaves in the late 1900s and early 2000s - such as the Keatons, the Huxtables, the Taylors or the Wilkersons. Kudos to the marketing and advertising world for trying to be a little more real when it comes to depicting families. We are doing great, and we can do better.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that some of the brands I mentioned above have gotten hate mail because of their efforts to more accurately depict families. Here’s one way that Honey Maid decided to deal with the attacks:
Bravo Honey Maid!