Edelman’s “Marketing to the Modern Family” offers research with actionable insights on how evolving family dynamics will affect how companies market their brands. Background: In partnership research firm StrategyOne, Edelman took a close look at the influences on families today – from the economy to demographic shifts, technology to health & wellness. We found that the essence of parenting hasn’t changed; but all of these factors have caused a shift. It’s Brady Bunch to Modern Family. Happily Married to Happily Not Married. Family of Four to Multi-Generational Home.

And Parenthood today looks very different as a result. Methodology: “Marketing to the Modern Family” is informed by a US study and influenced by a diverse expert panel comprised of single and GLBT parents, working moms, multicultural heads of household and grandparents with a range of knowledge in technology, finance, pop culture and health & wellness. The study was fielded to 2,400+ members of the “Modern Family,” with an oversample for GLBT and multicultural populations. The Time is Right:

Only 4% of today’s families fall into the Census definition of “traditional” – SAH mom, working dad with kids under 18

Minorities make up nearly half the children born in the U.S.

African-American households headed by women now exceed African-American households with married couples

40% of all children are born to single moms in the U.S. today

2 MM children are being raised by GLBT parents *Source, US Census 2010, Family Equality Council 2011

Key Findings:

o The Motherload Gets Heavier: Mom is taking on binary roles as in charge at work and in charge in the home. 41% of moms say they are the sole decision maker for their family purchases Plus, they are taking on more than they did in the past Managing family finances (70% to 86%) Earning money (61% to 75%) Buying technology oriented items (57% to 78%) Buying a car (57% to 84%)

Universal Parent – The Era of Gender Surrender: Economic pressures and blended family models have redefined individual roles within the family and skill sets have replaced gender o 62% of moms and 54% of dads feel that parenting roles will be redefined away from the

traditional “mom and dad” roles of the past o 33% of dads say they take on role of traditional mom

Democratization of the Family: The power of the purse is equally divided among its publics. o 68% of parents say that children have influence on family purchasing decisions o 67% of grandmothers with involvement in taking care of their grandchildren say they have

influence on family purchases o More than a third of mothers and fathers say that it’s likely their children will live at home

after college

Dad Demands to be Involved: Dads are demanding work-life balance – and doing much more at home. o Dads report their responsibility for taking care of kids has more than doubled since their

childhood o Past…dads were in charge of financial security (93%), purchasing consumer goods (76%) and

discipline of children (84%) o Present…all this and more Taking care of children (44% to 84%) Buying groceries (32% to 70%) Cooking (22% to 67%) Cleaning (18% to 70%) and doing laundry (11% to 64%)

Traditional Becomes Traditionall: Families headed by multicultural, GLBT and single parents become the new traditional family….and wield a mighty influence. o About 20% of moms and dads say their children will not identify with the same ethnic group

as they do o Mixed race marriages have jumped 20% since 2000 to 4.5 MM (or 8% of the total – US Census) o 66 percent of gay dads are more likely to buy products that have ads reflecting their sexual

orientation o There is a growing number of women who choose to have a baby alone

For more information, findings and an analysis of what this means for brands: contact us at modernfamily@edelman.com.

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