Guest post by Alex E.
So, four months ago I became a dad for the first time. And let’s be clear – it’s awesome. I love it.
But why should you care about that? Well, mostly, you shouldn’t. But indulge me and keep reading for a moment because one thing that might be of interest, even if you haven’t got kids, is the whole new world that parenthood has opened up to me.
And I’m not talking about a world where sleep comes in hourly rather than nightly chunks, or where watching The Killing on a Friday night instead of Would I Lie to You? is considered pushing the boat out. I’m not even talking about the weird and wonderful world of mummy and daddy blogging. Not entirely, anyway.
What I’m talking about is a world where empathy is the key currency. Where trust is defined by experience. It’s why I’ll be watching with interest when the Edelman Trust Barometer is officially unveiled later this month. Because when it comes to parenthood, I’m beginning to realise that the rule is simple: if you’ve done it, people believe you when you talk about it.
Let me give you an example.
My son has recently decided that 3am is a fun time for a conversation. It’s not. Well, not unless you’ve got a bellyful of lager and are munching on a Doner kebab (see my earlier comment about Would I Lie to You? for why this isn’t the case for me).
But here’s the interesting [sic] part.
When my wife started looking online for a reason why our boy may have come to this conclusion or for help with convincing him that 3am is a time for sleep not extended vowel sounds – it’s amazing how loud a-goo can sound in the middle of the night – she didn’t bother with the so-called experts.
She went straight to her fellow mums. And she got her answer.
So at the risk of speaking for all parents (another annoying trait that I’ve noticed in a certain section of mums and dads recently), it seems fair to say that we live in a world where the opinion of Jane from Croydon who has two kids far outweighs the view of Dr Paul Sachs from the University of Liverpool.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that if my son breaks his leg my wife and I will visit Yahoo! Answers and ask a parent in Exeter to help us. We’d go to the doctor. Of course we would. Probably in a blind, teary panic.
But the point is, on the everyday things, the normal stuff like waking up in the middle of the night, we wanted to talk to someone who’d been through it too. Someone’s who’d suffered in the same way we were. Someone who was drawing on experience. Someone who wasn’t quoting a theory or a textbook to answer.
Someone who could empathise.
So what does this mean for PR types like ourselves? Probably nothing that most of you don’t know already but it’s worth re-iterating anyway.
So here goes.
When we’re considering talking to parents about a brand or an idea or a product launch, we first need to give serious thought to who they actually listen to. Who they believe. Who they trust. That way we can speak to them on their own terms and in the right way.
And if you do that, the chances are that, you’ll land on a campaign not built around Gordon Ramsey or Lady Gaga, but around someone who is, well, just like the people with whom you are trying to talk.
A fellow parent.
The kind of person who has also got up at 5 in the morning and Googled “how can something only 60cm long unleash so much poo”.
It sounds simple but it’s worth remembering. Especially the next time your client asks you to ‘tap into the mummy audience’ or ‘activate dads’.
Plus, in its own way, it’s a pretty exciting prospect too. Particularly for parents themselves.
People who call a trip to Mothercare a day out and go to bed at a sensible time.
People like me.
Oh, and by the way, Dylan’s sleeping through again now.
Thanks Jane.
