What Family-Supportive Marketing Is Not!
The term Family-Supportive Marketing may bring to mind many different thoughts and ideas. An earlier posting described a bit about Family-Supportive Marketing, and through other postings you are probably getting a sense for what it involves. To put some possible misconceptions to rest, this posting will discuss what Family-Supportive Marketing is not.
Family-Supportive Marketing is not limited to companies that are targeting families in their marketing. Tue, it’s not for every company, but Family-Supportive Marketing is a strategic approach that a company takes to intentionally support healthy relationships and families. It’s another filter companies use when evaluating their creative campaigns and when determining their media schedules. While it may strengthen the position of companies that are targeting families, it may also have a similar effect for companies targeting other consumers. For example, if a company is targeting young single adults it may want edgy advertising and placement of ads where that audience can be reached. In this case, a company initiating Family-Supportive Marketing would still look for an edgy ad, but one that doesn’t show disrespectful behavior, sexual content or violence. It may take more thought and there may be less “shock effect,” but it can be done. As for ad placement, this company would look for media that still reaches the target audience, but would focus on those places where the content is more neutral. Spending may be reallocated to a higher frequency in those media than the ones with more intense content. In the end, Family-Supportive Marketing guides decision-making, but it still has to make business sense.
Family-Supportive Marketing is not a morals and values initiative. As the author of this blog, I have a heart for keeping families together and it stems from seeing the consequences from my personal experience of not doing that. And, yes, there is probably an underlying motive for me relating to values. However, the reasons for a company taking a Family-Supportive Marketing approach are varied. In some cases, it is because a company is family-oriented or places family in high regard. It may be because a company wants to strengthen its connection with family customers. It may be that a company wants to portray a stronger family image. Or, a company may want to do something that is socially good, but that can also help generate revenues. A company may see financial benefits from the approach by building a stronger relationship with a key consumer segment. It may be to show family advocacy organizations that the company places a high value on family and wants to demonstrate that. And, yes, there are some companies that will do it because it aligns with their corporate or personal values, but it is unlikely that a company will initiate Family-Supportive Marketing unless it will benefit the company in some way.
Family-Supportive Marketing is not just a feel good approach. It’s been said that 50% of advertising is wasted, but we just don’t know which 50%. Well, there are studies that confirm that the context where advertising is placed does affect advertising effectiveness (potentially, by upwards of 70%). So, at least some of the waste is occurring because of media placement. Plus, if a significant segment of the audience is offended by the ad or by the program an advertiser is sponsoring through its advertising dollars, there is a cost either in negative association or personal boycott. There’s also a cost to businesses if exposure to negative behavior in the media is affecting behavior in the workplace when they cause interpersonal conflict or rude behavior to customers. Or, if media is contributing to behavior that leads to failing relationships and marriages, businesses shoulder costs in terms of absenteeism, decreased productivity and increased health insurance costs due to higher utilization. While these employee-related costs may be a little harder to grasp, they still impact the business.
If you have other perceptions of Family-Supportive Marketing, please share them and let’s engage in a dialogue! It’s better to talk about them than to let them simmer.
