A new way to approach the next generation parents

Abstract

To stay relevant to its consumers, Philips Avent should meet the needs and values when innovating. These consumers are the next generation parents, generation Z born between 1995 and 2010. Research has been conducted into the needs and values of Generation Z and Parents within the field of pregnancy. The research draws on internal desk research, trend research, interviews, and a survey. The challenge for this project was that the majority of Generation Z are not parents themselves yet, which makes it difficult to predict their future desires. This led to the research question:How to create a new value proposition for Philips Avent that corresponds to the future needs, values, and behaviour of the next generation parents, Generation Z, while the majority of this generation is not yet in this phase of their life? The internal analysis, consisting of strategy, product portfolio and target audience analyses, revealed the potential value of the app in the way Philips Avent approaches their target group. Furthermore, Philips Avent wants to become more present for parents in the pregnancy stage. At the moment, Philips Avent only focuses its portfolio on specific childcare routines leaving the partner or other relatives out. Philips’ strategy shows that Philips is moving towards a connected healthcare system, which means that connected products and services ensure that data can be converted into better healthcare for their consumers. Trend and desk research, consisting of global, parenthood en generation Z trends revealed that omnichannel as a retail strategy, personalised experiences, consumers’ health and wellbeing, doing things from home online and inclusivity are becoming more important to people in life. Furthermore, in parenthood, the parent’s own life, equal parenting, their health, and parenting apps are important aspects during this stage of life. Lastly, Generation Z shows that they are health-conscious, they find transparency and responsibility important in companies, they rely on multiple sources when it comes to their health and buying products, experiences are more important than products, they are influenced by social media and are targeted the best through digital storytelling. After determining pregnancy as a scope, interviews and a survey with Generation Z and expecting mothers have been conducted and were validated through a questionnaire amongst mothers of all generations. The insights showed that Generation Z can feel insecure about the future when it comes to climate change and the corona crisis, their purchasing behaviour is mainly influenced by social media and Philips as a company did not stand out to them. Pregnant women can feel insecure when it comes to being prepared for parenthood, combining normal life with pregnancy and the feeling of not knowing what is normal during their pregnancy. A three horizon strategy is proposed, including advertisements showing real pregnancy situations, a personalised omnichannel experience and new products and services that fit the whole pregnancy experience building up to a future vision. This strategy is based on the findings from the research and a creative session with people from Philips and the target group.