Marketing to parents has changed remarkably over the years. Brands are overhauling old strategies to stand out and speak more authentically to a wider demographic of parents. There is an increasing demand for a higher and more inclusive level of creativity from marketers.

This is because of how dynamic the target group is. There are single parents, LGBTQ+ parents, dual-income homes, heterosexual parents, foster/adopted parents, Godparents, step-parents, etc. Trying to target each unique group with a one-size-fits-all strategy can waste resources and  yields little to no results.

Some interesting figures:

These numbers show how unique every family setting is in the US, and considering them will help you target parents more effectively. Parents are more likely to patronize brands that showcase their unique situations and make them feel seen instead of brands that take the easy way out.

Want to learn how to market to parents in 2022? Here are five brands that are doing it right!

The Wonderful Company is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the United States. They are a customer-focused company and are always looking for deeper and more meaningful ways to connect with its audience.

One of the biggest missions in their marketing and communications is to improve the way parents eat to help their children make healthier choices.

The Wonderful Company understands that parents are constantly concerned about what snacks their kids are eating and how healthy they are. The brand launched "The-Checks-All-The-Boxes-Box" campaign in 2019 in partnership with The Holderness Family to encourage parents to always choose healthy snacks for their kids when worried about snack duty.

The imagery in the campaign video featured a single mother stressed out about snack day, and it hit the mark. This campaign was successful because it targeted how stressful snack duty can be and how parents are often judged by the kinds of snacks they take to their kids' games.

They also launched a point-of-sale display ad in over 10,000 stores in the country, which  promoted healthy eating in families. The Wonderful Company continues to use conscious imagery in its campaigns to highlight the issues faced by parents and present its products as the apparent solution.

Crayola focuses its marketing strategies on creating interactive moments between parents and their kids. Every parent knows that when kids are entertained, they can take a break or catch up on other activities. Crayola keeps parents engaged by showing different ways to keep their kids active using their products.

This May, Crayola launched a "Colors of Kindness" crayon box aimed at helping parents and guardians keep creativity alive in their kids. This campaign and product focus on amplifying all the traits that parents want to be instilled in their kids. The special edition crayon box also served as a helpful, creative outlet for kids to showcase their talent.

Crayola also consistently engages LGBTQ+ parents through different campaigns that directly appeal to them.

Lego has an excellent online presence that equally speaks to parents and kids. Their website is divided into two regions; one for parents to browse and shop, and the other is for kids to play different online games and learn different ways to put legos together. Lego has dominated the toy industry for decades and has successfully cemented its position as a toy brand for parents and kids.

They also have magazines and blogs for parents and kids of different ages. This ensures both audiences are getting the most out of their products and services. Their brand messaging on social media even goes beyond marketing as a brand that makes kids' toys to one that creates interactive experiences through fun toys that everyone can enjoy.

Lego carries  parents along throughout their journey as a toy brand and beyond. Many similar brands can adopt this strategy and create something for everyone even without the huge budget that Lego probably has. You can start with a fun online interactive scavenger hunt to get the parents involved. Remember to become more conscious of your imagery in marketing and ensure you are representing your target audience properly.

Goya has become a household name across communities. They continue to motivate parents to try both traditional and non-traditional recipes in their homes in the bid to expand their kids' taste palate and make them more open to other flavors. Goya does all this while still maintaining the value of cultural diversity and traditions.

In 2018, they launched a campaign called "Growing up with more than one flavor," targeted at helping Hispanic and Lantinx parents teach their kids about their cultural roots through the local cuisines. They also encouraged other non-Hispanic parents to join in, learn and teach their kids about all the different cultures around them.

Horizon Organic often uses child imagery to showcase how good their products are for kids and backs up these claims with statistics. This immediately piques the parent's interest because they all want healthy products for their children.

The brand continues to share well-researched information relevant to their industry with hard statistics that parents can use to do their own research. To expand the Growing Years milk, they partnered with paediatricians to create more options for parents to give their kids all the vital nutrients.

They also highlighted how switching from breast milk or formula to dairy milk can be hard on parents. Their product promises to make this transition a lot easier for both moms and babies.

You can adopt this strategy when trying to market to parents because they are less likely to buy a product that isn't backed by science or research of some sort.

The best way to market to parents is to remain conscious of the everyday struggles they face and lead with empathy when offering your products or services as a solution. The brands discussed here are doing it right, and you can emulate their strategies and see how they play out.

Remember to be unique and creative. Take your time to think out of the box, and don't just use generic imagery and voice. Understand the dynamics of your target market and their tone and strategize to communicate directly with them. Lastly, always be on the lookout for inspiration and creative ideas to drive your strategies home!