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- Canada Marketing to Parents Market Report 2024
Parents are three times as likely to want help keeping their house clean as they are the want help supervising their children; they’re twice as likely to want help with the laundry as they are with driving their children around. Parents lead hectic lives, but it’s not always directly connected to their kids. They enjoy spending time with their kids, meaning brands that can help cross the other stuff off of their task lists – like cooking and cleaning – will be providing the most valuable support.
This is a challenging target audience, though. Parents’ lives evolve quickly as their kids get older, making it difficult for brands to establish lasting loyalty. Meanwhile, market trends – like a declining fertility rate, people waiting longer to start a family and adult children staying at home longer than in the past – are making for an even more dynamic consumer group with disparate needs. It’s imperative for brands to have a clear target and a defined strategy to connect with those parents rather than overgeneralizing parents or underestimating how quickly their day-to-day lives change.
This report looks at the following areas:
- An overview of the modern Canadian family and how it has changed
- The types of media that parents consume
- How parents split responsibilities at home
- Where parents want support and who supports them with child care
- A look at how families spend time together – including meal times and shared activities
- How parents use modern digital innovations in their families
- The impact of nostalgia on parenting
- Brand launch activities and marketing initiatives to connect with parents
Being a parent isn't just a consumer group, it's an identity. Canadian families are evolving, but parents will always appreciate brands that help make life easier.
Scott Stewart, Associate Director, Lifestyles & Retail
Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel defines parents as:
- Parents of children under 18 in the household
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Executive summary
- What you need to know
- Consumer trends: key takeaways
- Market predictions
- Opportunities
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Target Audience Overview
- Parents by the numbers
- Families account for a large part of the Canadian market
- Canadian families are diverse
- Graph 1: number of families by type of family, 2021
- Graph 2: distribution of families by type of family, 2021
- Families are different than they were in past generations
- The fertility rate in Canada is declining
- Graph 3: total fertility rate per female, 1992-2022
- Mothers are gradually getting older
- Graph 4: mean age of mother at time of delivery, 1992-2022
- Fewer couples have kids
- Graph 5: % of couples that have children at home, 1981-2021
- More families have adult children at home
- Graph 6: percentage of census families with at least one child aged 18 years and over, 2002-21
- Market context
- Parents' financial situations vary greatly
- Graph 7: median employment income, by earners and number of children, 2021
- Most young families have dual earners
- Graph 8: employment situation in families with children younger than 6, 1991-2021
- Dads are taking on more household tasks than dads of past generations
- Graph 9: fathers' participation rate in household tasks, 1986-2015
- But gender differences still exist in parental employment
- Graph 10: labour market characteristics of non-working parents, among couple families, 2021
- Race and background also correlate with different employment situations
- Graph 11: employment situation in families with children younger than 6, by mother's place of birth and race, 2021
- Parents face inflation in some child-specific categories
- Graph 12: consumer price index – education and books, 2013-23
- Graph 13: consumer price index – child care, clothing/footwear and toys/games, 2013-23
- The pros and cons of cheaper child care
- Quebec has been subsidizing daycare for decades
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Consumer fast facts (continued)
- Parents' media consumption and marketing channels
- Prioritize Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to reach parents daily
- Graph 14: sites visited daily, parents by gender vs overall, 2024
- Evolve social media strategies to reach the next generation of parents
- Graph 15: sites visited daily, parents by age, 2024
- Assume parents are scrolling on their phones
- Graph 16: devices used for 5+ hours per day, by parental status, 2023
- Take advantage of new ad-based streaming tiers
- Graph 17: [no title]
- Connect with parents during the morning rush
- Graph 18: listen to AM/FM radio by time of day on weekdays, by parental status, 2023
- Capture dads' attention throughout the day with podcast ad-reads
- Graph 19: listen to podcasts by time of day on weekdays, moms vs dads, 2023
- Identify and target distinct parenting segments who have fragmented media habits
- Division of parenting responsibilities in the home
- Most parents perceive a "fair share" of tasks
- Solutions for at-home tasks should focus on making moms' lives easier
- Graph 20: household responsibilities – mostly me, parents by gender, 2024
- Keep employment in mind when considering the roles of moms and dads
- Graph 21: employment status, parents by gender, 2024
- Support for moms can also include the tasks they share
- Graph 22: household responsibilities, moms, 2024
- Grocery shopping highlights how perceptions of responsibility differ
- Graph 23: household responsibilities – making the grocery list, parents by gender, 2024
- Graph 24: household responsibilities – grocery shopping, parents by gender, 2024
- Respect the perceptions of moms and dads
- Brands should focus on offering productive solutions
- Services are valuable to families, too
- How to market around parents' responsibilities
- Where parents want support
- A lot of parents struggle to find time for themselves
- Help parents keep their houses clean
- Graph 25: tasks that parents want help with most, 2024
- Cleaning is a constant battle
- Make moms the key target for cleaning solutions
- Graph 26: tasks that parents want help with most, by parent gender, 2024
- Specifically, onsite working moms could use a hand
- Graph 27: tasks that parents want help with most – keeping my house clean, by parent gender and working situation, 2024
- Organization makes tidying easier
- Moms are far less likely to get "me time"
- Families are constantly on the go
- Home meal replacement is a time-saving indulgence
- How to help parents with these responsibilities
- Turning dads' skills into a point of pride and support
- Show dads how their tools can help around the house
- Overall, parents want help with their kids
- Child supervision is more relevant for parents of younger kids
- Graph 28: tasks that parents want help with most – child-related tasks, by age of children, 2024
- Parents want to spend time parenting their kids, but would appreciate it being easier
- Hyundai promotes the style and driving experience of the Santa Fe
- Cineplex offers family value on weekends
- DIY classes at Home Depot keep kids entertained
- Where parents turn for support with child care
- Child care support can be hard to find
- Even those in daycare feel stressed by the situation
- It takes a village…
- Graph 29: help with in-person child care at least once a week, 2024
- Child care needs evolve quickly as kids age
- Graph 30: help with in-person child care at least once a week, by age of children in home, 2024
- When targeting caregivers, keep Baby Boomers in mind
- Smart home technology has made it easier to leave older kids on their own
- Support from grandparents is a privilege some parents don't have
- Graph 31: help with in-person child care at least once a week, newer vs established Canadians, 2024
- Create more child care options for those who need it
- Paid child care is a major expense that some can't afford
- Graph 32: help with in-person child care at least once a week – paid child care facility, by household income and number of incomes, 2024
- How companies can support parents (and grandparents) with child care
- Meal time as a family
- Most families eat together
- Graph 33: In my household, the adults and children mostly eat…, 2024
- Graph 34: In my household, the adults and children mostly eat…, 2024
- Family meal times are aspirational for some
- Picky eaters make it more difficult to eat family meals together
- Graph 35: "My kids are picky eaters" – agree, by age of children in household, 2024
- Younger families are the most likely to deal with this meal time challenge
- Graph 36: In my household, the adults and children mostly eat…, by age of children, 2024
- Graph 37: In my household, the adults and children mostly eat…, by age of parent, 2024
- Kid-friendly brands can show parents how to work with picky eaters…
- …or brands that kids avoid can reformat their current offerings
- Sharing meals is about more than convenience
- Offer modest changes to make a big healthy difference
- Newer Canadians have picky eaters at home
- Masala fries fuse a local dish with an international flavour
- Segmenting family meal time solutions
- How parents spend time with their kids
- "Mom" and "Dad" is who they are
- Families find moments throughout their days to connect
- Graph 38: activities with kids in a typical week, 2024
- Anticipate that parents' activities with kids will evolve over time
- Graph 39: activities with kids in a typical week, by age of children in household, 2024
- The days are long but the years are short
- Marketers also need to talk to moms and dads differently sometimes
- Graph 40: activities with kids in a typical week, by parent gender, 2024
- Children's gender also impacts family activities
- Graph 41: activities with kids in a typical week, by gender of children, 2024
- Nintendo seeks out white space opportunity with moms
- Family food prep as a teaching moment
- Meal kits aren't just about food, they're an activity
- Parent ages can create different family dynamics
- Graph 42: activities with kids in a typical week, parents of kids under 12 by age of parent, 2024
- How to navigate this complex market
- Digital technology and parenting
- Many parents worry about digital tech's effect on their kids
- Parents of teens are less concerned about tech
- Graph 43: "I struggle with how 'digital' to let my kids be" – agree, by age of children, 2024
- Parents IM with their older kids
- Parental tracking also declines among parents of older kids
- Graph 44: "I use (or plan to use) parent control apps on my kids' phone" – agree, by age of children, 2024
- Fear of the unknown
- Parental control is simpler than ever
- Dedicated services offer even more features
- There are cultural differences in app usage
- Graph 45: "I use (or plan to use) parent control apps on my kids' phone", by time in Canada and language spoken at home, 2024
- Targeted demographic strategies for parental control services
- Mintel Trend Drivers and Pillars: Nostalgia
- Help parents share their childhood experiences with their kids
- Media companies have a particularly good opportunity to leverage nostalgia
- Retro packaging can catch parents' eyes on a store shelf
- Parents are conflicted about modern childhoods
- Graph 46: attitudes towards today's childhoods – agree, 2024
- Breaking down that dichotomy
- Parents see both the good and the bad of modern childhoods
- Tough financial situations correlate with stronger nostalgia
- Graph 47: "It was better growing up during my childhood than it is for kids today" – agree, by current financial situation, 2024
- How companies can provide nostalgia in a way that parents want
- Nintendo re-releases N64 games
- Little Spoon speaks directly to nostalgic parents
- Hasbro offers a nostalgia-laden family game night
- A new shake is an opportunity for McDonald's nostalgia
- Help parents share their childhoods with their kids
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Competitive strategies
- Launch activity and innovation
- Encouraging parents to repurpose kids' snacks
- Helping parents create a healthier diet for kids
- Fitbit launches a kids smartwatch that promotes health and safety
- Marketing and advertising
- Nickelodeon rebrands in pursuit of nostalgia
- Once Upon a Child helps "clear the clutter"
- Using different approaches to drive restaurant traffic
- Building off of parents' love for video games
- Opportunities
- Brands are finding ways to help parents
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Appendix
- Market definition
- Consumer research methodology
- Consumer qualitative research
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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