Acknowledge Effort with Caregiving Items

When directly taking care of those they care about, people place high importance on verifying their own efforts. Outcomes matter. So does the ability to reduce efforts which the caregiver perceives as jeopardizing their ability to protect their child, elderly parent, sick friend, or others who are beloved and in need. Marketers should feature those benefits in advertising items for caregiving. But researchers at Texas A&M University, Northeastern University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Harvard University argue for the appeals clearly acknowledging the caregivers’ efforts necessary to use the product or service.
     Some of the researchers’ evidence for this came from their studies showing how caregivers who did caregiving on their own felt better about themselves than those who depended on an effort-reducing product. Other evidence came from an analysis of online comments about the SNOO bassinette, a product advertised as lulling a baby into sleep by gently rocking along with playing white noise. Among the comments specifically noting how the SNOO reduced caregiving effort, 76% were criticisms, such as, “This seems so detached. Hold your child. Yes, your arms ache. Yes, your back hurts.”
     Supporting the researchers’ advice about the tenor of ads, the tag line, “You give the XOXOs, SNOO gives the ZZZs,” generated substantially more consumer interest than, “With SNOO, get ZZZs with ease.”
     The effort in itself signals love. In another exploration of this, researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison considered parents outsourcing planning of their child’s birthday party. In structured interviews with study samples, the researchers identified pivotal shopper questions the parents will probably ask. Here’s my version of those questions along with my suggestions for profitable retailer responses: 

• “Will I feel I’ve carried out my parental responsibilities?” Reserve control for the parent. Because they have come to you to save time, take care not to overload with details. Have a set of three to five overall party packages to consider, and allow for customization of each package. 
• “Will my family and friends give me credit for carrying out my responsibilities as a parent?” This question is similar to the first one, but it’s different. It’s the difference between psychological risk—“What will I think of myself?”—and social risk—“What will others think of me?” Go beyond reserving control for the parent in the party planning. Also reserve ample opportunities for the parent to be the focus of attention during the celebration itself.

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