Marketing Food Products to Millennial Parents, From Convenience to Nostalgia

I know what you’re thinking: Millennials, the center of attention in the marketing world. Isn’t it time to move on?

Sorry, but no. Not even close. Especially when this cohort is parenting half of the world’s children.

Not surprisingly, millennials are a priority audience for most food brands. As parents, and as the generation making up the largest share of the U.S. population (21.9%).

Millennial parents are superheroes. While millennial parents have their own wants and needs to fulfill when it comes to personal food choices, they’re also responsible for feeding and protecting their families. Whether it’s sucking up hours of their day commuting to the office and still managing to get dinner on the table or juggling the “work-from-home life” with taking care of their kids, this generation has a lot on their plate.

It’s crucial, as food brands develop marketing messaging, to understand millennial parents’ hustle and bustle lifestyles, and what they prioritize when making food purchasing decisions for their families. Factors like convenience, nutrition, affordability … and nostalgia.

Take it from our team of food marketers – many of whom are millennial parents, too. We’re here to help you understand where to find them (us), what influences their (our) food purchasing decisions and share marketing strategies to stretch your thinking.

Where to Reach Millennial Parents

With 73% of millennials working more than 40 hours per week, parenting, and pursuing their passions, millennial parents lead busy, on-the-go lifestyles. Many of their kids are in their early years – which means taking care of little ones or coordinating their after-school activities.

This fast-paced way of life means your brand should prioritize a mobile-first mindset – especially given 42% of millennials complete online shopping transactions on their smartphones. Even while at home, they find it more convenient to quickly whip out their phone rather than pulling out that bulky laptop.

ASK YOURSELF:

• Is your website optimized for mobile?
• Have your email marketing communications been tested across major email clients on mobile?
• Are your product information and recipes readily available on social media platforms like Pinterest? 

What Influences Millennial Parents’ Food Purchases?

The Convenience Factor:

Fifty-five (55%) of millennials say convenience is a top factor when deciding what food to buy, and 91% prefer to shop online. It’s a faster alternative to taking a trip to the grocery store when time is of the essence. If your products aren’t readily available through direct-to-consumer (D2C) models or online retailers, and your website isn’t mobile-optimized, start there. 

Millennials also crave convenience when it comes to cooking for the family. Food needs to be quick and easy to prepare without sacrificing nutritional “goodness.” We’ve already seen brands like HelloFresh maximize this opportunity through perfectly portioned meal delivery kits for families small and large. In addition, Instacart usage increased 1,500% when searching for “meal kit” and 2,900% year-over-year online growth in 2021 for snack kits.

“Traditional” Ingredient Alternatives:

The plant-based movement isn’t leaving us anytime soon. Sixty percent (60%) of households with kids are buying plant-based food alternatives and nearly all of those households feed plant-based products to their kids. Non-dairy milk and yogurt alternatives are currently the most common plant-based food type given to kids.

Millennials are also prioritizing unprocessed foods, scanning marketing messages and product packaging for “clean” words like “healthy,” ”fresh,” and “organic.” Brands are also recreating iconic ”junk foods” from millennials’ childhoods with healthier, more wholesome ingredients, and alternatives for dairy-free, vegan and gluten-free consumers.

Socially and Environmentally Responsible Brands:

Millennials are a socially conscious group of consumers and are willing to pay more for sustainable products and products aligned with their values.

In a world where earning consumer loyalty is becoming extra challenging, 72% of millennial parents are more likely to become loyal to a brand if it’s transparent about its ethical business practices. If your food brand doesn’t have a sustainability communications strategy, it’s time to create one! Aligning your corporate social responsibility approach with millennial parent values can keep them dedicated to your brand, long term.

BONUS LEARNING: Uncover proven sustainability messaging tactics that help brands honestly and effectively communicate their practices in this blog post.

Nostalgia:

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many food brands decided to roll out nostalgic, “feel-good” products and packaging to bring consumers a sense of comfort amidst the uncertainty. Younger millennials heavily indulged in these options to bring an old feeling of normalcy back. Post Consumer Brands^® recently reintroduced fan-favorite Waffle Crisp^® cereal – with the same ingredients and packaging millennial children at heart remember and love.

Food brands continue to hop on the nostalgia bandwagon today, giving parents the opportunity to pass their warm and fuzzy childhood memories down to their own kids.

Tasteful Food Marketing Strategies for Millennial Parents

1. Video Marketing and “How-To” Tutorials:

Video stirs a lot of discussion amongst marketers for a reason. If done right, it works – especially for millennial parents. Sixty-eight (68%) of millennial moms watch how-to videos while cooking and 89% of millennial dads turn to YouTube for parenting topics, such as preparing meals.

While primarily stereotyped as a Gen Z phenomenon, 39% of millennials use TikTok and 59% use Instagram, including reels – quick and digestible video content. Both social media platforms are commonly used for step-by-step recipe content and product recommendations. In fact, millennials are 54% more likely than other generations to purchase a product recommended by a social media influencer.

Looking for high-quality inspiration for your social media video strategy? We love everything about Dunkin’s TikTok strategy – they’re continually growing their fan base through famous influencer partnerships to promote products and share recipes, a commercial casting call campaign and more.

2. Rewards Programs and Incentives:

If you haven’t rolled out a rewards program yet, make it a priority! Eighty-one percent (81%) of millennial consumers say being a member of a loyalty program encourages them to spend more money with that brand. They like to be rewarded by shopping with special promotions, giveaways, and other unique gamified experiences.

In 2021, Post Consumer Brands^® rolled out their MOM Cereal Crew program for Malt-O-Meal^® cereals, rewarding moms for all they do with free swag giveaways, coupons and more.

3. Parents Support Parents – Social Media Groups and Communities:

When it comes to product recommendations and questions, parents trust other parents. Seventy-nine percent (79%) of millennials turn to online reviews and testimonials before making a purchase.

What better place to tap into those conversations than communities within Facebook groups and online forums like Reddit? Consider investing in paid advertising on these platforms or engaging in parent conversations using your brand’s social media channels.

While marketing food products to millennial parents isn’t a piece of cake, understanding their priorities when making food purchasing decisions and the strategies they’re receptive to, are both key ingredients in the marketing mix.

Whether your brand is repositioning an existing food product or looking to launch a new food product targeted toward millennial parents, the MorganMyers team is here to support you. We are so much more than marketers. We come with decades of food industry knowledge (from the farm to your dinner table) and a unique millennial parent perspective. Let us know how we can help.