How to talk to the modern millennial family

With 40% of millennials identifying as parents, the millennial cohort has not only grown up, but merged with the traditionally separate family audience, creating a new challenge for travel marketers.

By implementing the right digital strategy and shifting your preconceptions, you can target this lucrative crossover audience with a smart, new approach. Here’s how to speak the language of the modern millennial family and get your travel marketing on point.

Understand they are more than just a parent 

Whether they’re working on baby number three or embracing the life of a first-time parent, millennials differ from their Generation X counterparts by refusing to drop their personal passions by the wayside. In fact, 75% of millennial parents have continued to pursue their hobbies and interests, incorporating the kids into their favourite activities as well as making time for themselves. Ensure your travel marketing avoids reducing millennials to a one-dimensional parent role by showcasing more than the benefits of your attraction for the children in the family. Appeal to the different sides of the multi-faceted millennial parent’s personality with enriching, additional experiences they might enjoy, both with children in tow and without. Parents are still people at the end of the day.

Mum’s not the word

Steer clear of stereotyping gender roles and assuming you’re only talking to mum. Modern millennial families are proud to share the parenting duties with fathers just as likely to take responsibility for the weekly shop or packing the kids’ lunches as teaching them to ride a bike or kick a ball in the park. A recent report on millennial dads found that 87% describe themselves as actively involved in day-to-day family duties while 82% of millennial parents believed advertisements need to do a better job of messaging mothers and fathers equally. Include dads in the conversation by using fathers in your visuals, not only taking part in roles like cooking and cleaning but also having sensitive, loving, playful moments with their kids. By adjusting your message to suit the new reality of millennial families, you’ll appeal to the modern dad and revamp outdated depictions of fatherhood in one fell swoop. 

Cut the baby talk

Millennials tackle parenting differently to previous generations, favouring a more intimate, less hierarchical approach based on open, honest dialogue. As a result, 74% of millennial parents involve their children in household decisions while nearly 8 out of 10 in agreement that their child is one of their best friends. Tailor your millennial marketing to appeal to children without patronising them with baby talk — they may well have a say in the next big family adventure and influence their parents’ decisions. Of course, it is important to remain aware that children aren’t the ones with the purchasing power, but if you can hit the sweet spot of welcoming children into the discussion without infantilising your marketing, you could reap lucrative rewards. 

Embrace the diversity

What does it mean to be a millennial parent? Considering the sheer diversity of the millennial family cohort, it’s impossible to deliver a simple answer. From the 38-year-old father of a ten-year-old to the twenty-something first-time mum, from the same-sex couple’s family to the single parent dynamic, you need to consider the range of experiences and variety of kid’s ages your millennial marketing needs to target. However, it’s important to bear in mind that not only is there no one-size-fits all approach, but there’s also a huge risk of over-generalising in a misguided effort to appeal to everyone. Instead, think strategically about who you are trying to attract and consider how you can authentically relate to specific segments of the group. Reach out with tailored content and cross-channel marketing that hits the diverse touchpoints this social media savvy cohort prefers, and use a killer digital strategy to make the millennial family an offer they can’t refuse.  

As the face of the modern family changes and diversifies, you might want to ask yourself if your travel marketing is imaginative, authentic, and interactive enough to resonate emotionally across multiple generations. For assistance with targeting the new millennial audience and perfecting an effective digital strategy, email us at info@digitalvisitor.com