Understanding today’s families – and how to market to them

Tools used
- Blended research approach
- Video testimonials
- Quantitative survey
- Qualitative exercises
Research company The Family Room knew families had changed. But what does that mean about how they buy – and how marketers should talk to them? We stepped in with the tech to help.
The challenge
Measuring how families are changing the way they buy
The Family Room was on a mission to understand how consumers are changing as people – and to show brands how to stay relevant. They wanted to understand what the modern family looks like, how Millennials differ from Gen X – and how they decide what to buy.
To get the insight they were after, the company joined forced with online panel provider Lightspeed GMI – and brought us on board to give them the research tools they needed.
“When we set out to do this study, we wanted to provide entire families with the tools to tell us how they think, feel and act in the moment. With the Forsta platform, we were able to engage multiple family members in their own environment.”
George Carey
Founder and CEO of The Family Room

Our solution
Blending qual + quant techniques to get to know families
The task of understanding families needed a multi-layered approach the way parents and children interact when they’re buying products is complex. So our blend of quantitative and qualitative solutions was ideally placed to help.
Drawing on a rigorous sample from Lightspeed GMI, our survey software platform kicked off the project with a 10-minute survey. This worked as a recruiting ground for phase two. The chosen participants then took part in a qualitative phase via exercises like video testimonials, letter writing and photo uploads.
The results
Uncovering intriguing insights into today’s families
The results unveiled fascinating insights into the everyday lives of modern families. For example, rather than a top-down hierarchy where mom makes decisions for her kids, 54% of millennial parents see their child as their best friend, suggesting a peer-to-peer relationship.
All the statistics were united in one common theme: that Millennial families will force a change in the way marketers talk to consumers.

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