Parents pressure themselves to be perfect almost every day, but the stress is especially high over the holiday season – which is why Kraft's #FamilyGreatly campaign wants moms and dads to take credit where it's due. We discover the insights behind why what's imperfect to some can be just right for those who love them.
In a holiday video campaign by Leo Burnett, exhausted parents describe all the ways they think they're not doing enough for their kids. "I always feel he deserves more than I can give him," says one tearful mum of her son. Unbeknownst to them, their kids were being interviewed as well, this time about their parents' strongest points. The resulting reveal – that their kids love them, in spite of (or because of) their imperfections – is a touching one. "Eight out of ten parents feel the pressure to be 'perfect'. It's an impossible standard to live up to," the spot insists. "What if there's something better than being perfect?"
Kraft’s campaign comes on the heels of ads that rethink the ‘perfect’ household, including IKEA’s Clio Award-winning portrayal of life post-divorce, as the nuclear family remains firmly in decline. As 35% of people say that brands usually portray customers' lives as unrealistic, Kraft's decision to cast and interview real parents, as opposed to actors, encourages its audience to reconsider their own self-criticism. After all, according to research from the Council on Contemporary Families, it's not the act of parenting itself that can put stress on families, but a work-life situation that's ill-suited to parenting; 56% of working American moms and dads say it's difficult to balance their jobs and their family life.
"The negative effects of parenthood on happiness were entirely explained by the absence of social policies allowing parents to better combine paid work with family obligations," write Jennifer Glass, Robin Simon, and Matthew Andersson in a paper on social policies, parenthood, and happiness. By demonstrating how parents’ best efforts don’t go unnoticed by their children, #FamilyGreatly demonstrates how familial bonds remain stronger than ever.
Alex Quicho is the Americas editor at Canvas8, which specialises in behavioural insights and consumer research. Born in Boston and raised in Manila, she graduated from the Royal College of Art with a Master’s degree in critical writing. She loves to read and write about art, power, and the future.
