Audiences Uncovered: Millennial Parents
Good morning from the J3 Audience Engine! We welcome you to Audiences Uncovered, the newsletter formerly known as The Moment. We'll be sliding into your inbox every month to bring you a briefing on our audience du jour. This edition of Audiences Uncovered is all about Millennial Parents and is 1,546 words, approximately a 5 minute read...
In 2018, 88% of newborns in the US were to millennial moms. A generation that has captured the hearts and minds of marketers now find themselves easing into parenthood. A shift that will mean in order to strike relevance with your millennial audience, you’ll have to win with their children too. Ready? Let's get started!
Quick Facts
73 million: millennials in the US as of 2019, nearly a quarter of the US population
22 million: millennial parents in the US
2044: the year Census Bureau statisticians project the US population to be majority-minority
$233,610: estimated cost of raising a child from birth to 18
26 years old: average age of new mothers today up from 21 in 1970
4 in 10: moms are the primary breadwinner in their household
2.5 million: Gen Alphas (Millennial’s children) are born globally every week
2010: the year the first Gen Alpha’s were born (coincides with the launch of Instagram and iPad)
56: percent of the children millennials are anticipated to have are already here
$162,000: Amount stay-at-home parents would get paid if it were a profession.
<3: hours per week the average dad spent child caring in 1965—today, it's 7 hours amounting to about half the time mom spends
Something to show off in your next meeting:
Matrescence and Patrescence are what anthropologists call the process of becoming a mother or a father.
Dive deeper: Check out this Ted Talk with reproductive psychiatrist Dr. Alexandra Sacks!
Family Matters
You’ve probably heard that the American nuclear family is on the decline. But is it? Nothing has changed about family being at the core of society, but the way that core looks has changed. American family structures have entered into a period of transformation reshaping the way we understand “nuclear” families.
The NYT has this say: Families are more ethnically, racially, religiously and stylistically diverse than half a generation ago —even half a year ago
Fun Fact! 1 in 6 children today live in a blended household.
To Have and to Hold
According to the 2016 Census report, just over six in ten families with children under 18 were married whereas that figure in prior generations would have been over nine in ten. Millennials are taking more time before venturing into marriage and parenthood.
Why? While adults today are more educated, more informed and savvier than any cohort in history, they have less money. Beyoncé famously said, “If you like it, put a ring on it” but it turns out millennials either don’t like it, or more likely, can’t afford it. With a strong correlation to affluence, marriage, especially a successful one, can seem out of reach for many young American adults.
Did you know the average cost of a wedding is $44,000?
So they’re not interested in having kids either, right? Not necessarily. Millennial couples are rearranging the age-old mantra “love, marriage, baby carriage" and opting to wait a bit longer before starting their families—after all, many are still working through their first baby: student loans. Surprisingly, they may be the most optimistic and excited parents yet placing a higher emphasis on excelling at parenting over partnership.
52% of millennial adults report ‘being a good parent’ as their most important life goal over having a successful marriage 30%
57% of millennial parents say that they are doing a very good job as a parent. Compared to Gen x (48%), Boomer (41%).
They say that parenting is rewarding (58%) and enjoyable (52%) all the time
One thing Millennials aren’t ruining? The toy industry.
Cars, canned tuna and casual dining are just a few of the industries on which millennials shopping behaviors are said to be wreaking havoc. In toys however, millennials are reshaping the industry. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Smart Toys are seeing a boom as millennial parents go crazy for the IoT: Internet of Toys.
Remember those “Your Baby Can Read” commercials in the early 2000s? Well, despite Dr. Robert Titzer and friends swindling parents out of hundreds of dollars with false claims, he picked up on an important insight: In a highly competitive landscape, many parents hedge their bets on rearing erudite children. Millennial parents, invest heavily in their children’s learning development with assistance from digitally connected or smart toys.
Micro MOMents
Millennial moms are very much plugged in and online spending ample amounts of their free time on their smartphones to satisfy a multitude of needs throughout the day. From leisure and entertainment to shopping, product research and social networking, her mobile device is crucial in allowing her to make the most out of those intermittent bursts of uninterrupted time.
41% of new moms cite waking up before everyone else and going to sleep after everyone else as a ‘life hack’
71% of a new mother’s media time is spent on the internet while time spent on other forms is reduced by half
73% access the internet mostly via mobile
Pint-sized Persuaders
There are a myriad of things that impact the purchases decisions of a person once they become a parent and one of these influences is their children. According to a study by Viacom, three in four parents say that their children influence the family’s purchase decisions. In single-child urban households with two full time working parents, influence sky rockets. In certain product categories, we can expect influence to weigh heavier, vacations are one example.
Expert Opinion: Stephanie Wissink, director of consumer research at Jefferies, says what makes the younger generations so influential is that they are “infovores that show a willingness to explore and discover, to consume information/media exponentially more than products, and to insert themselves into the consumption conversation – in their households, online and among digital social circles.” The innate curiosity shared among this cohort will make for compelling arguers when trying to convince their millennial parents why they should or should not buy a brand.
73% of 4 year olds often, or almost always, ask their parents for specific brands
60% of children today are aware of the household’s budget
43% of households make travel decisions based on young children’s input
How do you get the kids talking? Cheetos figured it out. #DangerouslyGenius
What do you see?
picture key: a giraffe, a seagull, a seahorse
Dads have jokes, but they’re serious about parenting
Dads need love too. Fathers play a much larger role today than they did 50 years ago and the number of stay-at-home dads has increased 70% since 1989 to 7%. In dual parent households women still take the lion's share of responsibility for household chores and child care, but fathers today don’t show any less of a desire to engage with their children, pointing to a unique set of barriers (lack of confidence, pressure to provide, etc.) perpetuated by social and gender norms that could be holding them back.
52% of dads believe it is very/somewhat difficult to balance the demands of work and family.
63% of men feel that they spend too little time with their children
Just 39% of Dads believe that they are doing a “very good job” as a parent
79% of fathers in the US strongly agree that they “will do whatever it takes to be very involved in the early stages of caring for a new born or adopted child”.
Something to take with you: This quote from a millennial "Demi-dad" on putting his kids first.
“There’s times when I’ve thought, ‘Wow, because having kids is more important to me, some of my roles have suffered’. There’s definitely a couple of films I could’ve put way more energy into but I was like, ‘No, I’d rather be with my kids’.”
– Chris Hemsworth
Connection loading…
Millennial moms are the gatekeepers of their households' purchase decisions. It is dampening to know that brands are often missing the mark when attempting to connect with moms.
What’s the deal? Many millennial women feel pressured to be the perfect parent, but what they want are authentic representations of motherhood, not the Disney-fied edition. They would prefer to see ads with regular women doing regular things and facing real-life challenges. They are okay with taking a break from 'amazing' to see someone else tending to the tedium of an over-packed schedule, work pressures, and familial obligations. Interestingly, millennial dads show a greater response to ads of regular men doing amazing things.
What do we do? See personhood in addition to parenthood knowing that today’s parents are hungry to see themselves reflected in media. Avoid lumping mothers into one of two camps: working mom or stay-at-home mom. Instead, identify a red thread that connects all moms. For Dads, create space for dad to be a dad. Reinforce positive cues and help redefine the norms that are holding them back.
42% of millennial moms believe that “most advertising is not geared towards someone like me”
67% of moms continue to pursue their personal passions after having kids
58% of millennial moms agree that brands who understand what matters to them as a parent are very important
Looking for great examples? UK baby brand Tommee Tippee nails it with their Advice Wipes and Mattel wants parents to Imagine the Possibilities with Barbie.
One last thing! (Because we love charts…)
Extra Credit Reading
The Complete Guide To Generation Alpha, The Children Of Millennials (Forbes)
Millennials are all grown up (CMI)
In a first, 2020 census to count same-sex couples (NBC)
What’s New With Moms (CMI)
Fatherhood can be a stressful and isolating experience – but maintaining close friendships can help (IPSOS)
The American family today (Pew Research)
What Makes Them Buy: Millennial Parents & Gen Alpha Kids (The Shelf)
The Gen Z Effect: NCS and Snapchat Quantify Gen Z’s Influence on Household CPG Purchases (Business WIre)
Finally, some appropriately autumnal humor
Spend a few minutes in the Things My Kid Said Subreddit if you're in need of a laugh today.