Parents & Kids: Category Essentials

Activate Parents & Kids Within Categories

Part of understanding parents and kids is appreciating how decisions are made in specific categories. Explore usage, drivers, and channels for specific categories that are top of mind for parents and kids, as well as additional insights brands need to fully understand parents and how they differ across diverse segments.

May 20, 2022
Natalie Griffith – Director, Product & Content

Collage Group’s Parents and Kids Category research explores dynamics of parents and kids by ethnicity within key categories: food, beverage and QSR, personal care and beauty, infant care, media, toys and games, and travel.

Read on and fill out the form for an excerpt from our
Activate Parents & Kids Within Categories presentation.

Part of understanding parents and kids is appreciating how and who makes decisions in specific categories. It’s also crucial to understand how parenting styles vary based on key characteristics such as race, ethnicity, generation, and gender. In this presentation, we explore usage, drivers, and channels for specific categories that are top of mind for parents and kids, including:

- Food, beverage and QSR
- Personal care and beauty
- Infant care
- Media
- Toys and games
- Travel

Key Finding #1: Consider the multiple factors impacting parenting style and values

Parents today are overwhelmed with information and influence – from competing information sources, to competing parenting styles, it can be hard to make decisions in any category.

Many Factors Impact Parenting Style and Values, but Generation and Race and Ethnicity Have an Oversized Impact

- Race and Ethnicity transmit and proxy for religious and country of origin elements that impact parenting style and values
- Generation transmits the powerful social norms the parent grew up in

Action Step:

Understand the specific factors that drive purchases in your category, as well as how they differ by ethnic segment.

Key Finding #2: Mealtime is an opportunity for familial and cultural connection

Mealtime is an important connection point for families, especially for multicultural parents who seek to introduce their culture to their children through native cuisine.

Multicultural Parents, Especially Hispanic and Asian American Parents, Want Their Children to Enjoy Cultural Foods

% of parents that think it’s very or extremely important their children eat food from their family’s cultural background

Hispanic

53%

Black

46%

Asian

59%

White

30%

Action Step:

Message not just around the importance of mealtime, but around the cultural connection it enables. Also consider providing parents with accessible ways to introduce native foods to their children.

Key Finding #3: Today’s parents give let kids share in family decision making

From mealtime and personal care to travel, parents today are involving their kids in decision making processes, big and small.

Most Parents Have Handed off Decision Making about Personal Care Products by the Time Their Kids Become Teenagers

I let my teenager(s) choose their own personal care products like shampoo, soap, lotion, etc.

Hispanic

71%

Black

68%

Asian

73%

White

76%

Travel Decisions Are a Collaborative Process Between Kids and Parents – Older Parents Who Are More Likely to Have Older Kids Over-Index Seeking Their Children’s Input

How much influence does your child(ren) have on where you go for family vacations?

	Hispanic	Black	Asian	White
A lot - I plan vacations on where my child(ren) says they want to go	28%	27%	22%	24%
Some - I provide my child(ren) with options for where we can go and get their input	56%	56%	63%	58%
None - I plan where we go for vacations without my child(ren)'s input	15%	17%	16%	18%

Action Step:

Recognize that there are two key decision makers when messaging to the families of today, and make sure you are communicating benefits that appeal to both parents and kids.

Key Finding #4: Use media to enable cultural connections

Media is an important cultural connector for families today. Asian and Hispanic parents seek out shows and movies in their native language, and Black parents feel it is important for their kids to see characters that look like them.

Across Multicultural Segments, Parents Are Making an Effort to Ensure Their Children See Themselves in the Characters They Watch

I make an effort to have my child(ren) watch shows that have main characters that are:

	Black	Hispanic	Asian	White
Black	41%	77% ▲	36% ▼	46%
Hispanic	63% ▲	36%	34%	43%
Asian	35%	33%	61% ▲	42%

Almost Half of Hispanic and a Third of Asian American Parents Think It’s Important Their Children Watch Shows and Movies in Their Family’s Language

0 %

of Hispanic parents say it's important that their children watch shows and movies in Spanish

0 %

of Asian parents say it's important that their children watch shows and movies in their family's native language

Action Step:

Provide representation in ways that are culturally specific, and enable the learning experiences parents hope to provide – whether that is through language or representation.

Contact us at the form below to learn more about how you can gain access to these diverse consumer insights and much more in our Cultural Intelligence Platform.

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Natalie Griffith
Director, Product & Content

Natalie has over 10 years of experience in consumer insights and brand strategy, including 3+ years as lead researcher in Gartner Iconoculture’s Gen Z practice. Natalie has managed research projects across industries, including extensive work in financial services, media, technology, and food and beverage. Natalie holds a B.S. in Psychology from Tulane University.

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