Some marketers may be pushing “real” products without knowing who their “real” customers are. That’s the gist of a new marketing white paper on female consumers and an Advertising Age warning on the use of the adjective “real” in ads and commercials.
Wendy’s, Hellmann’s, Alpo. Caribou, Canada Dry and other marketers like to describe their products as “real” because the buzz word matches a consumer yearning. Supporters even referred to the U.S. Senate health reform bill as a “real” reform.
Today's consumer "wants things that are natural, and in a way that translates into homemade," Chicago marketing executive Darren Tristano told Advertising Age.
Real May be Risky in Advertising
But Emily York of Advertising Age warns that the federal government might have some questions about how real some products really are and the word may be as risky as the word “natural.”
In a December 21, 2009 article, she reminded marketers that the Obama Administration is likely to be more aggressive in protecting consumers from false or misleading advertising. "What really is 'real' could eventually be for the government to determine," York wrote.
At the same time the women in today’s marketplace are changing and may also be more aggressive in judging advertising.
Real Moms Replacing Supermoms
“The Rise of the Real Mom,” a white paper prepared by J. Walter Thompson and Advertising Age, gives marketers still another group of marketplace women to understand and target. The paper, written by Marissa Miley and Ann Mack, says recent years have “brought a backlash against the mythical Supermom - that hyperactive Type A personality who whips up perfect cookies and perfect children.”
They say Supermoms are being replaced by a “likable, more relatable real mom who doesn’t obsess over the little things.”
According to Miley and Mack, “real moms understand that tradeoffs are implicit in motherhood; they just don’t see things as black and white.”
Supermoms in Commercials
The white paper confirms a 2007 Suite101 report that housewives were getting tired of commercials that depicted perfect women. Even then, an “imperfection” movement was being launched with a website titled “shut up about your perfect kid.” It is still active.
According to the white paper:
- The trend from perfection to pragmatism is expected to continue in the next decade.
- Women control 73% of household spending.
- Marketers “need to make real moms feel confident and in charge.”
Miley and Mack say marketers should help empower women to delegate responsibilities to spouses, children and even brands so that they will have “more time to be who they want to be.”
Actually, marketers have been helping women delegate work to products, services and brands for decades. But delegating work to husbands and children may be a new and controversial challenge for advertisers.
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