I am currently knee deep in Christmas present buying for my two kids. They still believe in Father Christmas – even my 10 year old son, who screams with mirth at the incredulous idea of the Tooth Fairy, but has never questioned the existence of an old man who manages to get around the globe in one night with the help of six reindeer and a luminous nose.

Looking at their carefully penned letters to Santa, almost all requests are branded – as you would expect from today’s brand savvy tweens. The usual suspects are there – Barbie, Nintendo, Haribo, and so on – what you might expect to be traditional ‘family’ brands – but there are some surprises too. Since our trip to Paris, my son has decided to get into photography. On his list: ‘a NIKON camera.’

My daughter has plumped for ‘A Hotel Chocolat Giant Slab’ (yes, really.)

But it got me thinking.

When I began my job at 1000heads, my role was to develop our business with family brands. I assumed these to be brands who by the nature of the product itself, or the chosen strategy, were targeting parents: snack foods, leisure brands, toiletries, games, retailers. Four months down the line, and I now see my role completely differently, and that’s been driven by starting not with the brands – but with the conversation.

There are 17 million families in the UK, with an average of 2.4 people in each. That’s nearly 41m of every age (not even including grandparents) who are opinion sharing or making purchase decisions about absolutely everything, and doing it within the context of a powerfully emotional and influential environment.

Is Aston Martin a family brand? It is if the father asks his sons if they like it.

Is Selfridges a family brand? It is if the teenage daughter wants to visit the new shoe hall.

Is Sony a family brand? It is if a grandfather recommends a Handycam when their first baby is born.

Of course a brand needs to be single-minded with its proposition, and its target market may not be identified by their familial role, but many will have a partner and kids who may sway that purchase decision. We believe that brands who listen to the family conversation, understand the dynamics, and put in place strategies to help shape that conversation will always have the edge – however niche they are.

Now, more pressingly – do you think I can get away with a Vivitar V5015 and a Cadbury’s stocking?

Tags: christmas, family brands, mommy bloggers, social media, word of mouth