Rally Round the Family

Who knew that one of the best venues for marketing to families was a mud-splattered arena filled with over-sized, ear-splitting trucks driven by guys with nicknames like “Skeeter”?

Yes, we’re referring to Clear Channel Entertainment’s Monster Jam truck series. When the events started in the 1980s, they were the exclusive domains of blue-collar males (as evidenced by the sponsors of the time such as Budweiser, Coors, and Red Man chewing tobacco). Over the years, however, Monster Jam has undergone an unlikely transformation and become a family destination: Between 30 and 35 percent of the average annual 3.5 million Monster Jam arena attendance today is comprised of children 12 and under.

Sponsors have followed suit. “We used to be all beer and tobacco,” says Clear Channel vp-marketing Ken Hudgens. “Today, our sponsors are family brands like Ford and Mattel.”

Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, MI, teamed with Monster Jam in 2001 as presenting sponsor, hosting the “Pit Party,” a two-hour event before the show starts that invites attendees down onto the track to see the trucks up close. “You get high concentrations of ‘truck people’ and you get them when they’re fired up at the events,” says truck advertising manager Lew Echlin.

Family marketing is no longer the domain of overly earnest consumer packaged goods brands or cutesy cartoon characters. Families are hip again. The WB is one of just two TV networks to actually gain viewers over the past year, thanks in part to the success of family dramas such as 7th Heaven, Everwood, and Gilmore Girls. And 10 years ago, who would have believed there would be a Toys ‘R’ Us flagship store in Times Square?

As the family dynamic changes, so has the marketing. U.S. households generate $4 trillion in annual buying power, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Consumer Expenditure Survey. With numbers like that, even brands not normally associated with family marketing are getting into the act and putting more of an emphasis on Mom and Dad. Inspired by the reaction to its Total Rewards Treasure Hunt (August 2002 PROMO), Las Vegas-based Harrah’s Entertainment will roll out an effort later this year focused exclusively on married couples.

In recent years, Nickelodeon, New York City, has made a push for marketing partners that aren’t kid-focused — interesting because all Nickelodeon promotional partners are required to run advertising on the network as well. In 2001, Nickelodeon laid the groundwork with a $30 million marketing alliance with The Islands of the Bahamas, the first agreement between a kids’ TV network and a government tourism agency (July PROMO). Despite the fact that the tourism board’s post-Sept. 11 budget woes scuttled the deal, Nickelodeon is still seeking partners that appeal to Mom and Dad, as well as Junior. “We’re looking at any non-traditional partner,” says Nickelodeon vp-promotions Laura Nowatka.

Embassy Suites is entering the final year in its three-year, $20 million marketing deal with Nickelodeon. During the summer season, the hotel chain offers kids activity packs based on Nickelodeon characters, such as Rugrats and Jimmy Neutron. This month, the partners expand the program by targeting parents for Embassy’s “Sweet Retreat” weekend getaway through a media campaign featuring characters from Nickelodeon’s show The Fairly Odd Parents in print ads and a billboard in Times Square.

Who’s in Charge?

It’s trendy to focus on how much influence kids have on family purchase decisions — after all, kids influence $146 billion worth of expenditures each year, according to New York City-based MarketResearch.com. But Mom and Dad still wield the ultimate power. “The pendulum of influence is swinging again,” says Tom Wong, senior VP of strategic insights at Irvine, CA-based agency Strottman International. “So much emphasis has been placed on the kids’ perspective in the last few years that we realized the pendulum had swung too far. It was time to go back to the gatekeepers who have final say on purchase decisions.”

Based on the success of Strottman’s Kid Engineers program, which recruits children to serve as marketing advisors (November 2002 PROMO), the agency has expanded to include the parent perspective with a multi-tiered program called Gatekeepers. Fifty parents (35 moms and 15 dads, at presstime) sit on a panel divided into sub-categories such as business professionals and soccer moms. Strottman started by asking some parents of its Kid Engineers to participate, then recruited their friends. “When it’s appropriate, we’ll ask parents and kids to give their opinions on the same product, but independent of each other,” says Wong.

Another aspect of the program is Moms in the Market, which asks 20 moms from around the country to keep a monthly journal on family activities.

A third component is Teachers After School, a quarterly discussion with 35 teachers in Irvine and Atlanta (where Strottman has a satellite office) that include 12 elementary, 11 middle school, and 12 high school teachers. Teachers often spend more time with the kids on a daily basis than the parents. “[Teachers] can be the leading edge,” says Wong. “They see things that the parents don’t see.” That includes new fashion trends (such as low-slung jeans going out of style) or social statements (apparently having one pant leg rolled up means a young couple is going steady these days).

When Fort Lauderdale, FL-based Arby’s wanted to redo its premium program, it turned to Strottman. With Arby’s seen as the parent-friendly alternative to other QSRs, mom was the primary target for the program. “The approach was, ‘What is it that makes you go to Arby’s over the possible objections from your kids?” explains Wong. The research helped generate a partnership with Discovery Channel for the Arby’s Discovery Kids Adventure Meal.

When Hayward, CA-based Shasta Beverages wanted to cover all the angles for a new product rollout last year, it tapped the Gatekeepers. “We needed to get insight. We’d already gone through the kid portion but were uncertain how moms would react, especially to the price point,” says Bob Halsey, brand manager for Shasta. “We were able to reach a breakthrough with the group.”

Schwan’s Consumer Brands, Marshall, MN, and its Red Baron frozen pizza line traditionally focused on reaching out to kids. Last year, Red Baron began catering to Mom as well. The brand conducted a Gallup survey of family concerns that found 72 percent of mothers think they’re over-scheduled. Red Baron produced the Family Time Guide, a 29-page booklet offering time management tips. More than 30,000 booklets were distributed through an 800 number and the Red Baron Web site. “Marketers need to understand the stresses of family life today,” says Darci Eckermann, Schwan’s director of marketing services. “We have to be compelling and empathetic without being too commercial.”

That’s something Mom and Dad are sure to appreciate.