Preview: Post-family Marketing

Brands are increasingly recognising that idealised visions of family and marriage are no longer effective marketing tools.

• Single people comprised the majority of the US adult population for the first time in 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Brands that create products traditionally associated with marriage are moving to reposition their business

New research shows that messaging that celebrates an idealised vision of marriage risks alienating consumers, especially young adults. The number of marriages is declining across almost all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries.

The Diamond Producers Association’s Real is Rare campaign created by advertising agency Mother New York aims to make the act of gift-giving feel more relevant in this new landscape. Two ads depict heterosexual couples as they give candid insights into their relationships and acknowledge that they may not last for ever.

According to a study by Mother New York and research firm The Sound, Millennials associate diamonds with a ‘fairytale love story that isn’t relevant to them’. ‘We needed to bring this powerful symbol into the modern world by acknowledging that perfection is no longer the goal for a great relationship,’ explains Thomas Henry, senior strategist at Mother New York.