Family 3.0 - The Changing Family Structure - Jerry Shereshewsky - MediaBizBloggers

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In case you hadn't noticed, the very nature of the American family is changing right before our eyes. The causal element, of course, is the maturing of the post-war baby boom. This enormous demographic cohort now represents 1 in 3 adults. So whatever they are doing (or not doing) has a major and visible impact on our society as a whole. This generation changed a whole lot of things, including attitude towards government, towards sex and towards each other. Now today they are changing the very shape of the American family unit.

A Pew Research Center poll in May found that 24% of young adults (18-29) "have moved back in with their parents." And those parents are, increasingly, also living with their parents. In the same house. 23 million Americans now live in households with two adult generations! And many of those younger adults are bringing their significant other and progeny with them.


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Think about this for a minute. A quarter of young adults are again living with their parents (plus, of course, those who never moved out in the first place). 23 million adults in 2 adult-generation households. This is the beginning of a dramatic and meaningful restructuring of the classic American family unit. And this is old becoming new again.

It was really only over the last 50 years or so that the generational passing of the torch involved one of the generations moving out from under the same roof as the other. Often it was the 'kids' who married and got their own place. Sometimes it was the parents who took off for Florida, the cabin at the lake or an RV. The older generation 'didn't want to be a burden' and the younger wanted their own space. And both could afford it.

This enormous shift isn't just a result of economic hard times, however. Immigration plays a real role too. Our two biggest sources for immigrants are Latin America and SE Asia; both cultures have ancient traditions of multi-generational households. Just as their taste in food has impacted the rest of America, so too will their 3 and even 4 generational household structures. And that, as Martha Stewart might say, is a very good thing.

First of all, multi-gen households are cost effective. Spreading the fixed overhead among more people is always a better deal. (My mother always told me that "two can eat as cheaply as one" while urging me towards dating and marriage.) Additionally, having older generations in the same house (or very close by) can help make extraordinary childcare a reality for lots of middle and lower income working women. It also relieves cost (and guilt) burdens in caring for the oldest of our family members. And, by the way, a significant percentage of our older generations (boomers and 'greatests'), own their own homes and carry no mortgages. These often larger houses provide perfect residences for these new, larger and multi-generational, families.

Secondly, multi-generational households are exceptionally good for their youngest members. Beyond childcare they also benefit from the unqualified love that only a grandparent can give (parental love being part of an ongoing negotiation). They get, at no extra cost, wisdom, experience and family lore and traditions.

Thirdly, and perhaps most interestingly, this new family structure, Family 3.0, will provide a new and totally fascinating battleground for marketers. The pure size of the average market basket for these households will be axiomatically larger. That means that becoming a favorite or 'used-most-often- brand' in a Family 3.0 household is worth at least twice much as in its 2.0 predecessor. It also means that things like historical brand preference gets potentially erased. Everyone goes back to the starting gate in terms of owning the hearts, minds and pocketbooks of these householders. And, while we're at it, who, in a Family 3.0 household, does the shopping? Makes the brand purchase decisions? Sets up trial opportunities? Do the youngest members introduce the oldest to new products hitherto unknown? You get the idea.

Family 3.0 is a direct result of the changing baby boomer world. They're getting older (now 45-65) but many still have their parents alive (and often well). They have children. Their older children are well past 30 themselves (and even 40) and their youngest are nearing the end of high school. The younger of their children are the group most impacted by the recession (the unemployment rate among 18-24's is as bad as in any rust belt city). The economy, changing cultural values, real estate realities and a demographic pig in the python are the causative factors. So, say hello to Family 3.0

Jerry Shereshewsky has formed a new marketing consultant firm, GrownUpMarketing, to help agencies and marketing companies strategically understand the 45+ market and the relevance to their particular brands. Jerry can be reached at jerry@grownupmarketing.com

Read all Jerry’s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Rants & Raves from the Heart of Advertising - MediaBizBloggers.

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