Changes in Modern Family Structure

Modern Family Structure Changes in Advertising

What is a nuclear or traditional family? Nuclear families contain “a mother, a father, and a set of siblings” (Babin & Harris, 2015). Based on this definition, it must be recognized that times have changed, and the traditional family is no longer the norm. There are many marketers that are primarily focusing on traditional family and are failing to reach other family structures. In this paper, several advertisements are analyzed and discussed to determine whether the advertisements are depicting appropriate pictures of various family types. The family types included in the analysis are blended families, same-sex households, and single parent households.

Blended Families

According to Babin and Harris (2015), “blended families consist of previously married spouses and their children” (Babin & Harris, 2015). Both spouses may have had children with their previous spouses or one only one spouse may have had children with their previous spouse. As divorce rates have been on the rise, blended families are becoming increasingly popular. Although blended families account for nearly 40 percent of the family structures in the United States, it is fairly uncommon to see this family structure shown in advertisements. Honey Maid sought to change that with their “This is Wholesome” campaign. Their advertisement shows a young boy by the name of Isaac who says he has two moms and two dads. The advertisement sends a clear message that just because a family ends in divorce, it does not mean the family is “broken” (Hillin, 2014). Honey Maid has undoubtedly demonstrated they embrace the changes from the nuclear family to other family structures, such as the blended family.

As common as blended families are today, they are simply not portrayed as often as traditional family structures. In advertisements, the traditional family structure is used majority of the time. Many vehicle manufacturers seem to target...