Self-care marketing—3 ways brands can reduce stress and improve mental health

America has learned to care for itself. If there’s one lesson Americans have retained from the teeth of pandemic life, it is the importance of self-care. The sudden shutdown, followed by years of moving back toward normalcy in fits and starts, sent stress through the roof, made people re-evaluate and reprioritize and centered the importance of mental health for everyone. The pandemic has receded, but Americans are not letting self-care’s importance fade with it, according to a recent Harris Poll survey. It furnishes an opportunity for the self-care industry—if it can leverage its newfound place of privilege in American life. Three trends emerge from the data which can help the industry communicate its offerings. A fourth development may be the most striking, however: the uniformity with which the country embraces self-care, with 95% of respondents describing it as important, including 68% who say it is “very important.” That overwhelming majority holds across all major demographic groups, whether by sex, age or region. America has become a self-care nation, with more than 4 in 5 Americans engaging in self-care at least once a week. Despite macroeconomic headwinds, 85% described the practice of self-care as “a necessity, not a luxury.” Nor is it broadly viewed as an excuse to act recklessly. Demonstrating the profound ongoing effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our traditionally puritanical society, only 3 in 10 (29%) agree with the statement that people use self-care as an excuse to make poor decisions. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs How can self-care marketers leverage America’s new self-embrace? Three trends bear monitoring. Who wants what and why How do we take care of ourselves? Passively and cheaply. The most popular activities, all named by about two-thirds of those who engage in self-care, were listening to music, watching content (such as a TV show or a movie), spending time with loved ones and spending time alone without them. Physical exercise (57%), spending time outdoors (52%) and reading (50%) all also got majority support. And we’re engaging in self-care for fairly obvious reasons: to improve mental health (69%), to improve physical health (63%) and to reduce stress. More naturally expensive pursuits end up at the bottom of the list: Therapy was the least-cited of the 18 activities we tested, narrowly behind getting professional spa treatments such as massages. That doesn’t mean that we Americans aren’t willing to spend money on ourselves and our care, however. While 55% said that inflation has forced them to cut back on their self-care spending, nearly three-quarters (74%) indicated a willingness to splurge on self-care needs. Oh, and 83% of Americans believe in preventative self-care. Brands that can lean into the better-health and stress-relief messaging will be well suited, as will products which can be engaged at home or with family. Apps that support stress reduction and a healthy mindset are especially well-suited here, for example. And tailor your message to the proactive bent of preventative care—don’t wait for stress and poor mental health to affect you. Fight it before it begins. Vacations for Mars, Staycations for Venus What appeals to she and her isn’t the same for he and him. Compared to men, women’s self-care routines far more often include spending time alone (69% versus 60% for men), reading (54%-46%), cleaning (52%-42%), shopping (49%-39%) and indulging themselves with food (46%-35%). They also report incorporating at-home spa treatments such as face masks and bubble bath nearly twice as often (36%-19%). Men more often choose to take care of themselves through travel (38%-33%) and—playing against gender stereotypes—meditation (36%-31%). Generational divides While there is broad agreement on self-care, there are some notable generational differences in what and why people do it. Gen Z, more often than other generations, listens to music to unwind (80%, versus high-60s for millennials and Gen X and only 56% for baby boomers) and least often chooses to engage in self-care by spending time outside (at 45% it’s the only generation which answered less than 50%—too much screen time, apparently). Millennials, on the other hand, are the generation least often choosing to self-treat by spending time with loved ones. The reasons for self-care also vary generationally. Compared to other generations, millennials more often cite engaging in self-care to improve their mental health (74%, which was at least 6 percentage points higher than any other age group). Similarly, Gen Zers less often than their elders (by a margin of at least 10 percentage points) cite improving their physical health as a self-care motivator. Instead, Gen Z more often than other generations reports engaging in self-care as a treat to themselves. There is a self-care opportunity here—not simply to help ourselves, but also our brands. Subscribe to Ad Age Sign up now for the latest industry news and analysis Click here

Self-care marketing—3 ways brands can reduce stress and improve mental health

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