2020 @MARTHASHAPPILYEVERAFTER - SEEN Connects
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2020
@MARTHASHAPPILYEVERAFTER
1
INTRODUCTION
@DADDYOFLITTLELADIES @DADDYOFLITTLELADIES
The digital revolution has had a The parenting influencer space has grown
particularly rapidly in recent years and there are
huge impact on the world of few areas in which they’ve created such an
parenting. It’s brought both new established role in such a short space of time. Ten
solutions and fresh challenges, years ago, few mums and dads would view social
which have inevitably made a influencers as a key part of their parenting journey,
but nowadays finding mums and dads who don’t
difference to the way parents think, follow other parents for inspiration or advice would
feel, communicate and behave. be a challenge! @JEMKNOWLES @JEMKNOWLES
According to a Nielsen 2018 study, 49% of people
rely on influencers for their purchasing decisions.
As the impact of parenting influencers has 49% of people rely on
increased, naturally so has interest from brands.
Marketeers who want to reach parents are
influencers for their
realising that if influencer marketing doesn’t form
part of their strategy, they’re missing a trick – but
purchasing decisions.
they want to get the most out of it.
So, we took a look at some of the overarching
trends that will be impacting the world of
parenting influencers to help brands understand
Nielsen study 2018
the best way to navigate the challenges and
opportunities of this exciting space in 2020
and beyond.
01. 03.
Parenting challenges Cultural changes
CONTENTS in the social age
+ Family formations – the new
+ Insta vs reality ‘normal’
+ The advice overload + The gender question
+ Parent self-care + Parenting styles
+ Online privacy + The feeding debate and
parental stigma
02. 04.
The impact of Parenting challenges
technical innovation in the social age
+ Tech driven purchase developments + 5 dos and don’ts for working
+ Smart appliances and the home of with parenting influencers
the future
+ Tech ‘solutions’ for age old problems
01.
PARENTING CHALLENGES
IN A SOCIAL AGE
Being a parent has always had its Social media has always been about connection.
The parenting community is no different –
challenges as well as its joys. Some according to Baby Centre Brand Labs, new
of those challenges have been parents spend an average of 8hrs per day online –
helped by the social revolution and the need for support and advice can lead to
(feeling like you’re not alone/buying very close social media connections and tight
communities. While this can be incredibly positive,
random stuff to keep you awake
during the 3am feed, anyone?), but
it can also lead to some divisive conversations and
challenges, and it’s important brands give time
New parents spend an
it’s also true that some have been and attention to navigating these. average of 8hrs per day
exacerbated. online.
Here, we’ve explored some of the key areas that
are on parents’ and parenting influencers’ minds
at the moment, and that will be key topics of
discussion for 2020.
Baby Centre Brand Labs
‘Instagram vs reality’ has been a hot topic A Wired article highlighted the ways in On the flip side, influencers that emerged
in recent times, with some parenting which the Insta visions of new motherhood as a backlash against the ‘cult of
influencers (Clemmie Hooper in particular don’t bear any resemblance perfection’ – such as The Scummy
@Mother_Of_Daughters, Sam Faiers to reality: “The part where your body is Mummies @scummymummies, The
@SamanthaFaiers) being accused of broken, your clothes still don’t fit, but your Unmumsy Mum @unmumsymum and
projecting an image of perfection that maternity clothes don’t work either, your Hurrah For Gin @hurrahforgin – have come
‘real’ parents can’t hope to achieve. baby is hungry more than he’s not, you under attack for celebrating ‘bad
haven’t slept more than two hours in parenting skills’. Some commentators, like
weeks, doesn’t exist on Instagram”. Alexis Barad-Cutler writing for Motherly, say
that they don’t actually want influencers
to get too real. “The truth is, we WANT
them to look perfect. We follow their
perfect feeds. We like their perfect posts.
Instagram would probably die if it was just
used for posting relatable, if not sometimes
depressing, pictures of real life.”
So, if audiences want their influencers to
be aspirational but take them down on
gossip sites for being just that, where does
that leave us?
Behind-the-scenes content is becoming increasingly
popular as influencers seek to dispel those
perfection myths. Brands are starting to get in on the
act, with campaigns that actively highlight reality vs
perfection, with Wren Kitchens’ ‘A Kitchen Lived In –
Perception Vs Reality’ social campaign being one
of the first.
Many influencers are also trying to strike
a balance between the two – neither totally
rejecting the ‘Instagram aesthetic’, nor taking
a warts and all approach. Take, for example,
Canadian Danielle Bevans @daniellerbevens,
who peppers her (admittedly very attractive!)
feed with funny letterboards, designed to
bring humour to the reality of parenting.
CONNECTS CLUE
A Kitchen Lived In –
For brands, the important thing is not just to look Perception Vs Reality’
for the influencers with the biggest following. Find
the people that have a natural and genuine fit with Wren Kitchens
your brand, both aesthetically and attitudinally.
The internet can undoubtedly be a A popular meme brings this feeling to life:
lifesaver for parents looking for advice on
how to raise their kids, but with so many “How to be a parent today – make sure
varied views on how best to parent, it can your children’s academic, emotional,
feel overwhelming. psychological, mental, spiritual, physical,
nutritional and social needs are met while
Many high-profile baby experts offer being careful not to overstimulate, under-
conflicting advice, for example, while stimulate, improperly medicate or neglect
Gina Ford warns against too many them in a screen-free, processed-foods-
cuddles, Dr Sears promotes baby wearing. free, plastic-free, body positive, socially
With so much contradictory information conscious, egalitarian but also
flying around, it can be hard for parents to authoritative, pesticide-free, multilingual
choose which path is right for their family, home.” @THIS_FATHER_LIFE
@MARTHASHAPPILYEVERAFTER
causing many to become anxious that
they’re not doing the best for their So can the modern parent ever feel totally
children. up to the job? And how can they find a
path through the never-ending stream of
advice out there?
7
@GABRIEL_SEY @MARTHASHAPPILYEVERAFTER
The answer could be an idea first coined The best parenting influencers are as
by the psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott: focused on creating a community to
share experiences and advice as they are
"the good-enough parent". His approach about platforming their own views. At a
focuses on being non-judgemental, recent Connects Verified Views event,
believing that good-enough parenting is Martha Lewis (@marthashappilyeverafter)
simply providing a secure environment said, “[My followers are] a fountain of
sympathetic to the child's needs and knowledge. I asked about potty training
capacities. “It’s not about how to raise the other day and I got so many replies
your child's intelligence or how to have a giving me tips and advice – we’ve got
baby that never cries,” he says. four children, and I’m still no expert – and
then I shared back all my answers. So I’ve
been helped, and hopefully I’m helping
CONNECTS VERIFIED VIEWS EVENT
back, but it’s not just my opinion. I’ve got
the opinions of loads of others to share
with people.”
CONNECTS CLUE
SEARCH
“VERIFIED
Look for influencers who create a VIEWS”
sense of community and have a two
way relationship with their followers.
This will foster genuine engagement.
We’ve all heard the “Put on your oxygen So, self-care strategies are important and are
mask first, before putting on your child’s” definitely becoming part of mainstream
message, right? But this isn’t just an parenting thinking, with the view that taking
aeroplane safety warning; it can also be time for you and your needs will help you be
an important way to think about parental there for your kids, both physically and
wellbeing and the importance of self-care. mentally.
In striving to protect their children from In her book The Happiest Mommy You
harm and set them up for success, parents Know: Why Putting Your Kids First Is The Last
can forget to prioritise their own needs. Thing You Should Do, Genevieve Shaw
This can be detrimental not only for them, Brown says,
but also for their children.
Let’s face it – parenting can be absolutely You can’t just think, ‘Someday soon I’m
exhausting. According to a Pew Research going to take a day for myself’. We have Parents find time with their
report, parents find time with their kids
more rewarding than paid work but also
to prioritize ourselves the same as we
would prioritize things for our kids. We’d
kids more rewarding than
find parenting more exhausting. When we never miss an appointment for our kids, paid work, but also find
feel exhausted, we get stressed more because they are important. Equally
easily; when we’re stressed, we’re more important is prioritizing yourself and your parenting more exhausting.
likely to experience mental health own needs.”
challenges such as anxiety.
So parents today are increasingly looking
for a way to incorporate real self-care into Pew Research
their lives, and influencers are leading the
charge.
9
Getting the balance right Jeff Brazier (@jeffbrazier) told us: I’ve been a life coach for six years, and a lot of [It’s finding] the right balance between your my mum clients drill into themselves that they role as a parent and giving to yourself. That's have to be present at all times. They can't go when you've cracked parenting. But I don't anywhere or do anything outside a certain think anyone manages to do that the whole quota [of time off]. And putting that pressure on way through. You usually get to a point where yourself then means that actually, when the your instincts tell you you’ve got to get a bit of children grow up, they’re lost because they a balance.” didn't maintain who they were and what their interests were.
Megan Rose Lane @megan_rose_lane’s
post-partum-body celebration
Megan wanted to end the stigma around
post-partum bodies. She asked her
followers to send her pics of their
stomachs post-partum. She then posted
10 in a carousel to highlight how
incredible the human body is, and how it’s
unrealistic to expect bodies to ‘bounce CONNECTS CLUE
back’ after birth. She was fighting the lack
It’s important for baby and child
of representation of real bodies and how
brands to think about the support they
so many women struggle to see the
can give to the parent themselves, as
beauty in their changed bodies after
well as the solution they can provide
becoming mothers. The posts evidently
for their children. Brands could consider
resonated, with c600 comments and 17.5k
ways to promote self-care as part of
likes.
their overall messaging.In 2018, locking down an Instagram Stacey Steinberg, of the University of Florida’s
handle for your baby before they were College of Law, has weighed the effects of
even born was all the rage, but as time silencing parents against the rights of children
moves on, parents have become and says that it’s important to give children
increasingly concerned about whether it’s
ethical, or indeed safe, to share so much the right to say no to posts about them.
of their child’s life online.
Steinberg’s not trying to convince parents to
The UK children’s commissioner recently maintain complete radio silence about their
families but to give more thought to what they
By the time a child is 13,
released a report entitled ‘Who Knows
What About Me?’ which illuminated the post, eliminate unnecessary layers of their parents will have
information like geotagging, and talk to their
ways in which we share children’s data
and how that might put them at risk in the kids as soon as they’re able to about what posted roughly 1300 photos
future. It is estimated that by the time a they’re posting. This approach will not only
improve a child’s sense of autonomy, but alert
and videos of them online
child is 13, their parents will have posted
roughly 1300 photos and videos of them them early on to the potential dangers of
online(which might even seem like a oversharing, giving them a good sense of
conservative figure!). Children’s what is meant to be public and private.
Who Knows What About Me?
advocates are now questioning the
practice of ‘sharenting’ and trying to
Children’s Commissioner
educate parents to think harder about
posting content about their children
online.
12Many parents are now opting to be more intimate (and targeted) with their photo updates and child-related online content. They’ll have private accounts with a tightly limited audience or use modern family album apps like Tiny Beans, which allows parents to add specific people and post one picture a day (with a caption) into a calendar-like grid. Parenting influencers are also giving a lot of consideration to how to feature their children in their feeds without compromising privacy; with some declining to show their little one’s faces (such as Hannah Gale, @hannahfgale) while others, like Sally Fazeli ,@sallyfazeli, are happy to include their children in their social media, but make sure never to show identifying features like school uniforms.
02.
THE IMPACT OF
TECHNICAL INNOVATION
Parents can often be early adopters Some of the technologies for which they show a
much greater degree of excitement than non-
of technology and are particularly parents include smartphones (91% excited vs. 76% of
keen to embrace technological non-parents); smart-home technology (74% vs. 55%)
advances that can help make life and wearables (64% vs. 49%). Dads are particularly
enthusiastic about artificial intelligence, with 64%
that bit easier. A recent Marketing saying it excites them compared to 38% of
Charts survey found that over 50% of
parents agree that they’re ‘excited’
respondents overall.
51% of parents believe AI
about emerging technologies,
Part of parents’ excitement about AI relates to
relieving them of some of their daily tasks: 51%
will increase their quality
compared to 45% of respondents believe it will increase their quality of life by
of life
without children. enhancing and automating everyday tasks versus
38% of non-parents, and parents already have
above-average adoption of voice assistants, smart-
home devices and voice-activated remote controls.
This all means that for tech marketers, parents are Marketing Charts survey
definitely a key group to keep an eye on. And if
you’re not a tech brand? You should still be aware of
the ways in which parents engage with technology
and how they can consider tech innovations in the
context of their campaigns.The Pitney Bowes’ 2018 Global SOCIAL SHOPPING
eCommerce Study found that 46% of Discovery is what makes social shopping fun,
households with children shopped online and there’s a powerful opportunity to translate
at least once a week, compared to 23% of that excitement into purchases on Instagram
childless households. But how are these and Pinterest. With social platforms finally
purchases being made? evolving their experiences to be more
conducive to shopping behaviour, social
VOICE commerce is hitting its stride. The convenience
When parents have to master the art of of seeing something you like on an influencer’s
holding a baby with one arm and cooking feed and clicking straight through to purchase
dinner with the other, Alexa can easily is very appealing to time-poor parents.
become their best friend. It’s been
predicted that by 2020, 50% of
all searches will be conducted via voice
SUBSCRIPTION It’s been predicted that
Subscription buying is certainly nothing new,
and now not only are smart speakers but it’s making a digitally driven resurgence by 2020, 50% off all
common, but voice search also exists on
watches, headphones, washers, dryers,
with more brands driving automatic repeat
purchases as a key part of their sales offering.
searches will be voice
ovens, toys, cars and more. So as a brand,
it’s really important to consider whether
This trend is now working its way into the searches
parenting sphere; from baby food to toy
you’re voice ready, as it will be key to sharing, nappies to postpartum recovery kits,
future success with a parenting audience. and so on. As children grow, their needs and
those of their parents will change quickly, so
it’s important that brands looking to launch Nielson 2018
subscription services have thought about how
their offering can adapt accordingly.
15Alexa, how will you affect my kids’
manners?
A Childwise report in 2018 warned that
kids growing up with the likes of Google
Home and Amazon Alexa may be
learning bad manners and poor
communication skills as a result of ‘barking
orders’ at their smart speakers with no @JEMKNOWLES
consequences. It suggested saying please
and thank you to your devices as you
would to another human, in order that
your children don’t think it’s OK to speak 46% of households with
to people like they’re robots.
children shop online at
CONNECTS CLUE
least once a week
When using influencers to directly drive
sales, it’s important to fully assess the
consumer purchase journey to ensure it’s Pitney Bowes study
friction-free. Make it as easy as possible for
influencers to direct consumers down a
streamlined purchase route to minimise
drop off and maximise sales.“Social robots will become family Beyond smart speakers, fridges, dishwashers,
members in the homes of the future.” washing machines, coffee machines and so
That’s the prediction of Cynthia Breazeal, on are making life easier and helping people
Director of the Personal Robots Group at to shop more efficiently. As smart-home
the MIT Media Lab. technology becomes increasingly more
popular, the benefits of it are becoming less of
While that may seem a long way off, a a luxury and more of a necessity – especially
recent PWC survey indicates that £10.8bn for parents who want to ease their
will be spent on smart home devices in considerable workload.
2019 and research from YouGov reveals
that close to a quarter of Brits (23%) own
one or more smart home devices
(excluding smart meters). The report also
shows that once someone buys one smart
£10.8bn will be spent
home device, they’re more inclined to Social robots will become on smart home devices
purchase another, with one in 10 owning family members in the homes in 2019
two or more.
of the future.”
Cynthia Breazeal, MIT Media Lab
PWC estimate
17A smarter kitchen
Kitchen innovations have arrived thick LG’s refrigerator even lets you knock on
and fast in recent years, from appliances the door to see inside – useful if you’ve got
a baby on your hip and a bottle in your
that can be operated via smartphone to
hand. Some washing machines will also
new solutions for simple tasks. Samsung’s integrate with Amazon’s Dash
refrigerators have a camera inside them replenishment system, automatically
that can show parents the shelves of their ordering more detergent when needed.
fridge, without needing to open the door
and waste energy. Other smart CONNECTS CLUE
appliances allow parents to see when
food is expiring and can suggest meals or Smart technology is no longer just for
recipes that make use of what's in the the tech savvy or wealthy households,
fridge, as well as recommending other it’s accessible and affordable for many
ingredients to buy next time they shop. and is only going to grow in popularity
so brands need to consider how they
can claim their place in the home of
the futureHands-Free Pumping
For the extremely busy parents of today,
hands-free tech is a must – especially
when it comes to feeding. The Pinterest
parenting report revealed that searches
for wireless breast pumps are up 114% yoy,
with the likes of the Willow Breast Pump,
the Elvie and the Freemie showing
@CLEMMIE_TELFORD
significant growth. These technological
wonders slip underneath a bra and don’t
need to be hooked up to
an outlet, meaning mums can Searches for wireless
theoretically multitask while pumping.
breast pumps are up
114% on last year
Pinterest parenting report
19Audio Story Time Audiobooks and storytelling devices give
children and their parents the chance to use
Pinterest also found that searches for technology in a more active way, putting their
’audio storytellers’ were up 126% in 2018 creativity to use during story time. The Lunii
and that trend has continued in 2019. With Fabulous Storyteller enables users to choose
kids spending more time than ever in front from 48 stories with hundreds more available
of screens, parents may take heart in the for download, and kids get to customise
rise in popularity of a new device that various elements of the stories, like a modern
leaves more to the imagination. "Choose Your Own Adventure." The Echo Dot
Kids' Edition makes use of a similar concept,
with access to ‘over 300’ Audible children’s
audiobooks. Alexa will also offer kids
interactive tales they can build by answering
questions, playing a character, or directing
the action. Some might say that nothing beats
the tradition of parents reading a story to their
children, but for those times when that might
not be possible, it seems technology is here to
step in.Smart Sleeping
Welcoming a newborn baby into your lives Several brands have also launched blindfolds
causes seismic shifts to parents’ sleeping with technology which, according to their
patterns. It doesn’t take much for sleep claims, can get you to sleep nearly
deprivation to turn into a serious lack of immediately, meaning no more tossing and
lucidity, so what can parents do to get a turning for parents in between night feeds.
good (or even just OK) night’s sleep? A
CONNECTS CLUE
range of connected smart pillows, beds
and even blindfolds are now available, There’s currently huge growth around
potentially helping sleep deprived parents wellness topics, with the once-fringe
get a few more Zs. ASMR hitting mainstream news and
apps like Calm and Headspace
Sleep Number beds integrate with an app consistently high in the charts. Be
and machine, learning to automatically where your audience are, and
adjust to the perfect position and firmness embrace the tactics they’re using
level for your personal sleep patterns. A to improve their quality of life.
smart pillow from Zeeq, which syncs with
your Amazon Alexa or Google Home, will
track your sleep cycles, turn music off
when you fall asleep and wake you up at @LETSTALKMOMMY
the optimal point in your sleep cycle
(crying baby permitting!).
2103.
CULTURAL CHANGES
It’s not just the rise of digital and The modern family looks very different and
technological innovation driving change vastly more varied than it used to and views
in the world of parenting – significant on traditional parenting roles have changed
cultural and societal changes have been dramatically. The way that we treat children in
taking place which continue to impact on terms of gender is also undergoing significant
the way that families operate. change, with stereotypes being questioned or
actively challenged.
In their report on the 21st century family,
media agency Mindshare says, “Families However, some of the cultural hot topics in the
are becoming increasingly fragmented parenting sphere seem to have been around
and diverse. Our rapidly evolving world is forever; the ongoing debate surrounding
affecting our domestic lives and, as a breast or bottle feeding, for instance, or why
result, there have been shifts in the family only working mums (and not dads) get
structure, how its members interact and questions about how they manage a job and
how we think of family.” looking after children.
Brands need to be aware of (and sensitive to)
both cultural developments and persistent
challenges faced my parents, if they want to
engage effectively.The traditional nuclear family, with mum According to the Office for National Statistics' Brands can still identify and appeal to the
doing the childcare and dad going out to Trends in Families and Households report, the universal, unifying experiences of parenthood,
work, just isn’t representative of the way number of cohabiting-couple families which apply whether you’re married or single,
the world works at the dawn of the 2020s. continues to grow faster than married-couple straight or LGBTQ+. Mindshare’s 21st century
and lone-parent families, with an increase of family report suggests that, “Brands need to
25.8% over the decade 2008 to 2018. The embrace family diversity by creating a
number of same-sex couple families has grown coherent message and meaningful
by more than 50% since 2015 too, with more connection. The key is to [have] a point of
than four times as many same-sex married- view, embracing and driving the reality of our
couple families in the UK by 2018. eclectic and vibrant family ecosystem.”
It’s clear that modern families come in every
size, shape and colour, and while that variety
and diversity can be slow to make its way
through into traditional advertising, it’s
definitely coming through in the influencer
space. An increase in diversity doesn’t
necessarily mean that these different family
structures need to be ‘othered’, though.Platonic parenting
As traditional notions of family continue to be
redefined, some people are even choosing to
raise children as platonic partners. Platonic
parenting, sometimes referred to as ‘co-
parenting’, is a term used to define people who
are not romantically involved with each other
who decide to raise a child together. Reasons to
@UNLIKELYDAD
become platonic parents vary. Sometimes,
LGBTQ+ people decide to get together and form
a family that departs from the traditional
heterosexual household, while in others, co- The number of same-sex
parenting arrangements come from long-time
friends who decide to raise a child together.
couple families has
grown by more than
50% since 2015
CONNECTS CLUE
Smart technology is no longer just for the tech savvy or wealthy
households, it’s accessible and affordable for many and is only
Office of National Statistics
going to grow in popularity so brands need to consider how they
can claim their place in the home of the futureAs traditional family structures change, so It seems like every few months a brand do traditional gender roles, with more apologises for gender stereotyping children’s women becoming the main domestic clothing, toys or activities. Mainstream brands breadwinner and more men becoming the from Boden to H&M and Mothercare have all primary care-givers. There’s also a move made mistakes, but when brands such as John towards a greater variety of gender Lewis have gone the other way and sought to representation being accepted within remove specific gender labelling from society as a whole. children’s clothes, they also faced criticism. Some families are now choosing to raise So are brands damned if they do and their children without revealing their damned if they don’t when it comes to genders, in a bid to “mitigate the gender gendered children’s products? It certainly bias that society places on children” (The seems brands need to both be aware of Guardian). Most aren’t going as far as society’s changing views towards gender and fully-fledged gender-neutral parenting, make sure they are sensitive to parents’ views. but would simply prefer to see a world where more children’s products are unisex and children have more freedom from the traditional gender tropes.
One study in the Journal of Adolescent
Health found that children subject to strict
gender expectations are at an increased
risk of mental and physical health
problems. A separate study published in
the Journal of Experimental Child
Psychology found that kids enrolled in
Sweden's gender-neutral kindergarten
system had access to more opportunities,
and predicted this would equate to more CONNECTS CLUE
success as adults.
Influencer networks can be used for
A BBC documentary ‘No More Boys and much more than content curation.
Girls: Can Our Kids Go Gender Free?’ Why not use your ambassadors as
followed a class of seven-year-olds and sounding boards and ask their
observed that girls called themselves opinions on ever-developing cultural
pretty, but had lower self-esteem than the considerations?
boys, while boys had a limited vocabulary
when describing their emotions.Are you a Tiger, Free-Range, a Helicopter, a Lawnmower or a Lighthouse?
Since the 1960s, psychologist Diana Baumrind’s famous findings on parenting styles have remained largely unchanged. But with the rise of societal scrutiny on the
way we parent, it seems a new crop of parenting styles pops up every year. These are some of the more recent buzzwords when it comes to types of parents, which
might be useful for brands to bear in mind in order to achieve balance when creating content aimed at parents.
Tiger Free-Range Helicopter Lawnmower Lighthouse
Often displaying rigid and harsh Allowing their children the If you’re an overprotective parent Instead of preparing children for One of the more balanced
characteristics, tiger parents are independence and self-reliance who feels the need to control challenges, this type mows methods of parenting, the
described by iflscience.com as of being less-supervised or most aspects of your child’s life, obstacles down so kids won’t lighthouse approach was coined
expecting “first-time obedience, unsupervised in public. For a long you likely fit the bill of a helicopter experience them in the first place, by pediatrician and author Dr.
excellence in every endeavour time, parents who practice this parent. Thebump.com notes the weareteachers.com explains. Kenneth Ginsburg who said in his
and a child who never talks style were considered neglectful, characteristics of a helicopter Lawnmower parents (also known book, Raising Kids to Thrive, "We
back.” This term gained endangering their children due to mum or dad as someone who, as snowplow or bulldozer parents) should be like lighthouses for our
mainstream attention due to Amy lack of supervision – some even “Constantly intervenes to prevent are willing to drop everything to children. Stable beacons of light
Chua’s book Battle Hymn Of The faced trouble with the law after failures, overlooks kids’ fulfill all their child’s wants, no on the shoreline from which they
Tiger Mother, in which she allowing their young children weaknesses and hovers closely.” matter how small. These parents’ can measure themselves
describes tiger parenting as an independence. But, more These risk-assessing tendencies good intentions, motivated by not against.” This type strives to find
authoritarian method commonly recently, the hands-off parenting are often driven by fear and wanting their children to the perfect balance between
used in Chinese culture. style has been seen as instilling anxiety, and can hinder a child’s experience struggle, can actually protecting their children and
Iflscience.com notes that while strong qualities like self-sufficiency ability to learn integral life skills, strengthen a child’s fear of failure. nurturing resilience.
tiger parents can raise children to and resilience. confidence and self-sufficiency.
be more productive, motivated
and responsible, children can also
experience anxiety, poor social
skills and difficulty functioning in a
day-to-day setting due to their CONNECTS CLUE
parent’s high demands
When selecting influencers for your campaign, remember parents aren’t a homogenous group
but as diverse as any other audience segment. By identifying the archetypes that align with
your brand, you can work with a variety of people and appeal to different audiences.To breastfeed or bottle feed remains one The RCPCH believes more must be done to
of the most hotly contested topics support women to continue breastfeeding
surrounding parenthood. It just won’t go beyond the first few weeks and to continue
away. doing it for “as long as they wish”, but
president Professor Neena Modi said,
According to the Royal College of “Regrettably the attitudes of a large part of
Paediatrics and Child Health, the number society mean breastfeeding is not always
of UK mums choosing to breastfeed is encouraged.” She went on to say, “Some
currently among the lowest in the world mothers cannot, or choose not to, breastfeed @MEGAN_ROSE_LANE
and shows “little sign” of improving. 40% of and this also needs to be respected.”
UK babies are still breastfed at 6-8 weeks
of age compared to countries like
Norway, where 70% of babies are still
In April 2019, the National Childbirth Trust’s
president Seána Talbot resigned partly
Among formula-feeding
breastfed at six months. The RCPCH because the organisation is publicly mothers, 67% reported
believes the UK rate remains low due to supporting parents who use formula. This
social stigma and women getting mixed sparked a slew of commentary about the feeling guilty and 68% felt
messages. ‘war’ between breast and bottle-feeding
parents.
stigmatised
Liverpool universityAs Hadley Freeman said in an article in
The Guardian, framing it as a ‘war’ is not
just unhelpful, but untrue, as many
mothers will try both. She says,
Motherhood is messy and resists staying
within the lines of one’s own expectations,
let alone broader ideological debates, @LETSTALKMOMMY
and it’s one of life’s more unfortunate
ironies that it is when a woman is at her
most exhausted and vulnerable that these At 6-8 weeks of age,
arguments will rage around her most
loudly. No doubt, formula companies
40% of UK babies are
have used questionable marketing breastfed
methods, but breastfeeding campaigners
can also be guilty of exaggeration and
emotional blackmail.
Royal College of Paediatrics
Researchers at Liverpool University studied and Child Health
the experiences of more than 1,600 new
mums in 2016.Among the 890 who formula fed, 67%
reported feeling guilty, 68% felt stigmatised
and 76% felt the need to defend their
feeding choice. Similar emotions were less
common but still present among the
breastfeeding mums, particularly for those
who supplemented breastfeeding with
formula. CONNECTS CLUE
There are so many ways in which parents Parents are looking for brands that
can be made to feel guilty or experience understand and support their individual
stigma because of their choices and parenting choices. Positive influencer
nobody should face criticism for the way relationships that promote choice and
provide non-judgemental support for
that they decide to feed their baby, so
whether it’s properly welcoming different types of feeding journeys can
breastfeeding in public, being fully really help reduce stigma. Brands should
supportive of a decision to use a bottle or take note of these discussion points and
embracing the mix of both, here’s hoping look to create supportive campaigns off
the back of relevant hot topics.
2020 might herald a new dawn of
acceptance and support.
@CLEMMIE_TELFORD04.
PARENTING INFLUENCERS
AND YOUR BRAND
5 dos and don’ts for working with parenting influencers
DO DON’T
1. Think about realness/relatable families and align influencer 1. Only go after celebrities. Yes, that drives immediate
audience demographics to your audience demographics recognition/PR and reach but the audience may not find
(sounds obvious but many brands fail on this). them as relatable.
2. Think long-term when working with parenting influencers – 2. Go for flash-in-the-pan badging exercises or commoditise
build a relationship. influencers. Genuine recommendations have more
weight.
3. Think in an integrated way about influencers, incorporating
them into your broader marketing plans and supporting their 3. Run influencer activity in silo. Always make it part of a
content via paid media/retargeting. symbiotic wider strategy.
4. Really consider your objectives and develop KPIs for 4. Focus purely on vanity metrics like numbers of followers
partnerships accordingly. and likes, which look good on paper but don’t necessarily
pay off in sales conversions.
5. Use the influencer data to determine who’s resonating with
your customers, whether that’s tracked UTM links or owned 5. Don’t gift/pay and hope. You need to ensure the strategy
insight. is correct and you’re thinking of the archetypal alignment
of each person and the goals they deliver.IN CONCLUSION
At Connects, we’re passionate We take a progressive and creative approach to Our desire to further enhance our knowledge of
influencer marketing and a key facet of that the parenting space lead us to explore and share
about harnessing the power approach is our belief in the power of personality. some key trends and noteworthy topics with our
of influencers to drive impact valued existing clients and other parent focused
for brands. We’re passionate about the power of personality; brands that we’d love to work with.
the human experience of influencers creates
genuinely unique content that inspires consumers We hope you’ve found our report interesting and
and drives unrivalled proven impact for brands. This we’d really like to find out more about your brand
enables us to deliver the most authentic, engaging and discuss how influencer marketing can help
and effective campaigns for our clients. drive its success in the future.
If you would like to hear more about working with
influencers and how we could help you and your
brand, we’d love to hear from you.
info@seenconnects.com
@SeenConnects
@SeenConnects
seenconnects.comContact details here Contact details here seenconnects.com 33
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