3 in 4 New Zealanders are impacted by the burden of “Mental Load” in their daily lives. Which got us thinking - can, or even should, brands help with that?
The topic of mental load has been popping up all around me lately. Whether on my social feeds through well-meaning strangers explaining what it is and suggesting ways to deal with it; or shared memes in whatsapp groups that elicit laugh crying emoji responses, through to animated discussions over coffee with mates - it seems the issue of mental load is on everyone’s minds (ironically).
For those who are new to the term - mental load refers to the invisible labour involved in managing a household. It’s not referring to the chores themselves, but rather the cognitive effort and energy it takes anticipating and overseeing those chores. It’s being the one to anticipate needs before they arise; the one to delegate tasks and the one to follow through to ensure they’ve been done.
It seemed to be a hot topic for women around the globe so, to celebrate International Women’s Day, the strategy team at YoungShand (Kirsten Bray, Andrea Long and I); together with our good friends at Kantar, (special shout out to David Thomas and his team) decided to take a closer look at how this phenomenon is manifesting in New Zealand and whether brands can, or indeed should, help.
The findings surprised me - so they might surprise you too.
FIRSTLY, MENTAL LOAD IS FAR MORE PREVALENT THAN I IMAGINED.
Astonishingly, 75% of all New Zealanders either strongly agree or somewhat agree that mental load impacts their day to day lives. This peaks for those aged 30 - 39 at 85%, with 18 - 29’s experiencing it less relative to their older counterparts… but still significant at 72%.
Key take-out: It’s definitely a pain point for many people and deserves more attention.
MORE SURPRISINGLY THOUGH, IT’S LESS OF A “WOMEN’S THING” THAN I EXPECTED.
Perhaps my unconscious bias is showing here, but I genuinely believed this was a women’s thing. And it sort of is. But it’s also not. Let me explain.
Women are still twice as likely as men to strongly agree with the statement. So perhaps women are either feeling it more intensely or more frequently.
But overall, both men and women are being impacted by it at surprising levels (78% for women and 72% for men).
Key take-out: Gender isn’t impacting prevalence but rather how it shows up for each gender.
AND FINALLY, I WAS SURPRISED BY THE GAP BETWEEN EXPECTATIONS AND REALITY IN TERMS OF BRANDS HELPING TO ALLEVIATE MENTAL LOAD FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS
Just under two thirds of respondents (64%) thought brands should be doing something to help alleviate mental load (whether through their products, services, systems or processes) - while only 38% felt that brands they interacted with on a day to day basis were delivering on that need.
Key take-out: There is a huge opportunity for brands to deepen and improve relationships with their customers, and add differentiated value to their overall experience.
SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?
Simply put:
It’s a pain point with scale
And people expect brands to be helping
But most brands aren’t
So while there is no one size fits all solution for how brands can help alleviate rather than add to their customers' mental load, there is undeniable value to be gained for organisations with a desire to put customers at the heart of their business, regardless of the category they operate in.
What’s even more exciting, is that this opportunity has scope across every facet of the marketing mix - from product innovation to communications and messaging, through to customer service; you name it.
With the importance of balancing Brand and CX on the rise, this is one of those meaty insights that can bring both together - to add more value for the customer and in turn the business itself.
For those with curiosity and interest in exploring this topic more, YoungShand, in partnership with Kantar, is hosting a forum with our clients and friends of the agency, where we’ll explore mental load in more detail; how to unlock the value in the opportunity; showcase brands that are winning in this space and facilitate questions on how and where brands can make an impact in the lives of their customers. If you’d like to join the discussion, please contact Duncan Shand for more information. (duncan.shand@youngshand.com)
This thought leadership piece was written in collaboration with Kirsten Bray (Strategist), Andrea Long (Media Strategist), David Thomas (Kantar) and Sue Kipling (Executive Strategy Director).