Parents are becoming more skeptical of brands, study finds

The five brands rated in the study as the most helpful to parents—Pampers, Johnson & Johnson (the study specified Kenvue, which was spun-off as a consumer health company earlier this year), Lego, Nestlé and Huggies—seemed to have a commonality in that they are perceived as helpful and humble. Tuma-Weldon said that parents don’t want to feel like a brand’s messaging is making them second-guess their own instincts.

“At the end of the day, a parent is going to know instinctively what they need to do, and we found that it doesn't sit well when a brand is telling them, ‘This is what you should be doing with your child’ or ‘This is how you should be feeling,’” said Tuma-Weldon.

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In addition to being helpful and humble, being a good-humored brand also was appreciated by all families, according to the study.

“Some of the most successful brands have done a good job like bringing some levity and joy into the parenting conversation because it can be heavy and weighty and complicated,” said Laura Simpson, McCann’s chief intelligence officer. 

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She said the brands that resonated with parents in the study also offered parents an experience with their children rather than just a product. “Experiences are important to everyone, but they're really, really important to parents, because parenting is not a passive pursuit,” Simpson said. “It is an active, hands-on, intense experience, and I think brands that understand that and help to wrap you in an experience and support you as a parent are so important.”

Simpson cited Lego as an example. “If your kid loves Legos, you can take them to Legoland, you can take them to see the Lego Movie, you can buy these amazing, immersive worlds.”

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