Advertising to families with children? Build trust and communicate safety!

Families with children are not a uniform group; their needs and media use habits vary according to the phase of life they are in. Finnish parents go for safe and sustainable, so advertising should build trust and offer facts and support. Sanoma ensures all marketing related to children adheres to strict regulations. 

Families with children are not all cut from the same cloth. The versatile group can be divided into smaller segments by, for example, the ages of the children and the life phase the family is currently going through. These factors impact the needs and media use of parents and children alike.

”Overall, families tend to value practicality and time-saving solutions that simplify their everyday life. The quality-price ratio matters, especially today. Peer support is also important to parents, whether they have babies or teenagers,” says Siiri Medina, Client Manager at Sanoma. 

Finns are thorough information seekers. This is highlighted even more where children are concerned, so communicating the safety, sustainability, durability and educational value of the product is a must. 

“Finnish parents need to trust the brand, which is why brand building needs to come before tactical measures. Use facts to help your target audience make informed decisions.” 

From morning cartoons to radio – catch families in their busy day-to-day 

Family life can be hectic, and availability of time often decides parents’ media consumption. Depending on the children’s ages, advertising may reach parents through morning cartoons on the TV, digital news media as they go about their day, or magazines media and lifestyle content that provide a welcome break.

“My family spends a lot of time in the car, where we pay attention to radio ads and even have conversations about the best ones. They are quite effective when the children are older and have hobbies to get to,” Medina shares. 

The parents’ buying decisions are also influenced by trending phenomena and conversations with peers. Consistent brand building is a doorway into the discussions going on in social media groups and by the football field. 

Siiri Medina points out that a reliable news environment can be a safe and effective place to make use of social media trends. 

”Older children come across all the viral ideas. Making your own version of, say, a trending recipe and promoting it on news media can convince parents to try it out using your products. The context makes a difference to the perceived reliability of the message.” 

Families with children through the lens of Sanoma segments

Sanoma has divided Finnish consumers into eight segments. Families with children show up in these three, especially:

1. Busy balance seeker
2. Quality-conscious information seeker
3. Comfort-loving enjoyer

Getting to know the motivations, values and media preferences of your best target audience helps get your message across to the right people in the right context.

Don’t forget the grandparents! Many of them spend money on their grandchildren and may have a say in some of the families’ decisions. Learn more about Sanoma segments

Safety first when advertising to children and families 

There are several safety aspects to consider when targeting advertising to children or displaying it next to content consumed by them. First, both the product and the advertising need to be safe and appropriate for children. The child must not be pressured into influencing the family’s decisions.

In Sanoma’s channels, advertising related to children is highly regulated. In the children’s news outlet Lasten uutiset, for example, the final decisions on advertising are made by the editor-in-chief.

“The parents can rest assured that it’s safe to let the children watch or read the content on their own,” Medina says.

The choice of an advertising environment is also a case of brand safety when your product is aimed for children or their parents. News media not only provides precise targeting and accurate metrics but also beats social media in safety. A trusted news outlet lends some of its credibility to the advertising, too. 

Examples of where and how to encounter families and children:

• Lasten uutiset is loved by primary schoolers in Finnish homes and schools.
• The Finnish Donald Duck reaches 430 000 Finns weekly – with an emphasis on 7- to 54-year-olds.
• Native advertising on news and lifestyle media allows you to showcase your story, sustainability viewpoints and other aspects your target audience values.
• Contextually targeted advertising attaches your message to the topics and site sections your audience best connects with.
• Radio is effective in reaching busy families on the go.
• Total TV: the attention levels of streaming service Ruutu surpass those of YouTube.
• Sanoma’s influencers include several parents with children of different ages – they are valuable partners to brands wanting to reach families.

Now is a great time to start preparing for the end-of-year season. Give us a call!