HOW TO EFFECTIVELY CONNECT WITH FULL-TIME WORKING PARENTS DURING A CRISIS
Coronavirus has had a major impact on the lives of all U.S. consumers across the country. Full-time working parents, however, have a whole other set of circumstances to deal with as states begin to devise plans for schools reopening in the fall. As school districts and families alike grapple with the idea of in-person school or online learning, one thing is certain: this back-to-school season will be unlike any other.
How can your brand communicate effectively with full-time working parents who have school-aged children? They’re likely dealing with financial uncertainty on top of figuring out how to deal with childcare or keeping their kids entertained or focused on school. With parents under so much stress right now, it’s critical for brands to show empathy towards them. A deeper understanding of their values, motivations, preferences and behaviors will allow your brand to effectively reach them. In today’s ever-changing environment, it’s important for you to keep your finger on the pulse of consumers’ shifting preferences and behaviors. Your data from two weeks ago is no longer accurate.
Resonate’s proprietary data is updated nightly, allowing you to have the most accurate and comprehensive understanding of the U.S. consumer in a given moment. So, how are these full-time parents feeling right now?
WHO ARE THEY?
This segment of 52.6 million U.S. adults is mostly made up of married men with 2-3 children and an annual household income between $100 – 150K. Their top personal values are being in charge and directing people, safety in oneself and family and maintaining traditions. These values reflect the amount of emphasis parents are placing on trying to maintain a somewhat normal routine, while still ensuring their family stays safe and healthy. Their daily routine includes valuing athletic accomplishments, valuing work beyond income and keeping work and life separate. Clearly this group is focused on living a well-balanced life.
Images: Resonate Ignite Platform 2020
WHAT IS THEIR SENTIMENT SURROUNDING COVID-19?
In today’s landscape, it’s important to understand how your target audience feels about COVID-19 and the way it has affected their day-to-day lives. Resonate has insights from the largest National Consumer Study™ on the impact of COVID-19 so you have access to a deep understanding of how your customers and prospects feel right now.
41% of these full-time working parents are concerned with that coronavirus situation to a large extent and they’re 18% more likely than the average U.S. consumer to worry that a family member has coronavirus. They’re 75% more likely to be required to work from home, making the idea of their kids potentially having online-only school in the fall a daunting one. As of late June 2020, 37% of this group believes it’ll be another 4-6 months before life returns to normal.
How have they adjusted their lifestyle and what precautions are they taking to slow the spread of the virus? They are 22% more likely to be quarantined in their home to a moderate extent and 11% more likely to be disinfecting hard surfaces to a large extent. They’re 72% more likely to have increased their at-home alcohol consumption (can you blame them?) and 11% more likely to take on a DIY project.
What exactly are these parents drinking? According to the Resonate Ignite Platform, the top three beers they’re most likely to have consumers in the last month are Tecate, Coors Banquet and Busch. As for liquor, they’re 51% more likely to have consumer whiskey in the last month and 21% more likely to have consumer tequila or vodka. As for wine, this segment prefers imported white and sparkling.
WHAT ARE THEIR PRODUCT PREFERENCES AND SHOPPING BEHAVIORS?
This segment is 31% more likely than the average U.S. consumer to prefer products that are family-friendly, 27% more likely to prefer products that are innovative and 23% more likely to value products that are luxurious.
Consider highlighting your latest family-friendly products in an email newsletter, as 84% of this group prefers receiving marketing messages that way. How do these consumers prefer to interact with their brands? They’re 14% more likely to download a brand or retailer’s app, so you might want to send push notifications with new product alerts or loyalty program information, as a brand’s loyalty program is one of their key factors when deciding where to shop. When this group does shop, they are 45% more likely to browse in the store but buy online. Since strolling in physical stores is a high-risk activity right now, this group may be struggling to make the full transition to online shopping. Make the process a smooth one by making any improvements or enhancements to your site to improve the user experience. These customers are used to being able to hold, touch and feel an item before buying it, so make sure your website is optimized so that prospects and customers can get a full understanding of what they’re buying.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND THEM?
Full-time working parents are 19% more likely to spend 40+ hours a week online. You can target them across multiple digital channels. Their top TV networks are ESPN, Bravo and MTV. Their top streaming services are ESPN+, Disney+ (which we can assume they’re watching with their kids) and YouTube TV. Their top weekend TV time is between 9:00 – 10:30 p.m. and their top weekday TV time is between 6:00 – 7:00 a.m., so consider running ads during these highly engaged times. The social media channels they spend the most time on LinkedIn, Pinterest and Snapchat. They’re 22% more likely to listen to podcasts, and their favorite genres are advice, sports and technology. Consider running an ad for your product or service on a podcast that fits one of the above categories. Where are they located geographically? According to our proprietary DMA® data, these parents are 31% more likely to live in Houston, 18% more likely to live in Chicago and 17% more likely to live in Atlanta. Consider running ads targeting parents in these cities.
CONNECTING WITH EMPATHY IS KEY
It’s no secret that full-time working parents with school-aged children are facing a variety of challenges. They’re trying to maintain some kind of normal routine while also making decisions for the health and wellness of their family, all while juggling a full-time job. It’s never been more important to connect with your customers and prospects. Resonate’s up-to-the-moment proprietary insights on their motivations, values and preferences will give you a deeper, comprehensive understanding of who they are and how to most effectively reach them. Keeping your finger on the pulse of your target audience during an ever-changing environment will help your business grow, even during a crisis.
For more insights on consumer sentiment surrounding COVID-19, read our latest report Marketing in the New Normal: Critical Data You Need to Know.
