When I say mom’s burden, I’m not talking about moms’ stereotypical overstuffed calendar.  And please don’t think for a second that I’m referring to annoying grass stains, bathtub stains, or anything else that may have vexed and flustered supermoms in black and white sitcoms.

I’m talking about the invisible mental burden, the pressure that still exists to feel and appear in control of everything in the domestic domain, that keeps me up organizing and sprucing until 11pm the night before my in-laws come to town, even though my husband declared the house clean and ready at 7pm.  (Okay, so maybe I am kind of talking about those vexing bathtub stains – but not really.)  It’s the same invisible burden that splits me between pride and embarrassment when I tell someone that my husband is the chef in the family.  And it’s the same mental burden that intensified when I first became pregnant, for instance, turning something as simple as my lunch choice into a divergent life path for my child to be. Pick organic soup from Whole Foods and I was setting my child up to be intelligent, well rounded, and graduate-school bound.  Pick the fried sandwich from Chick-fil-a I was really craving, and I was dooming my child to early-childhood obesity and repeating second and third grade.

76% of moms in a Babycenter poll said they felt pressure to be the “perfect” mother.  Not good, not great, but perfect.  Why is this pressure so intense for moms?  Is it regulation-issued at birth, or is it driven by outdated societal expectations that have yet to catch up with the 50-hour workweek realities of many moms?  Have we taken on more without mentally taking anything off of our collective plates?

Whatever the cause, the effects of needing to feel in total control of the domestic domain lead to less satisfaction and joy in moms’ life, and more stress.  In fact, a UT Austin study found that in households where fathers help out equally or more with domestic duties, moms feel an increased sense of satisfaction in the marriage, but a decreased sense of self-esteem.  So, right or wrong, and whether she chooses to act on it or not, mom still derives a large part of her sense of self from how she contributes at home.  This is not to say that moms don’t want dads to help out more in the household, just that there are strange and complex mental side effects associated with dad’s help.

Additionally, a recent Canadian study found that new moms who feel the need to be perfect are more likely to suffer from postpartum depression.  And moms who dealt with those feelings by trying to appear that they didn’t have a problem had the strongest link to postpartum depression.

The lesson for moms and marketers is to work together to relieve the invisible burden.  We’re exploring moms’ pressures through our Mom Tugs framework, so that we can help brands better understand the pulls and pressures moms feel in their category and help them resolve the tension (and make the sale).  And moms are already banding together on blogs, message boards and over dinner and drinks to share and laugh about their unreasonable self-expectations, slowly releasing the perfection pressure valve created modern society.  Is your brand a part of the laughter and release, or a still part of the problem?

A couple of months ago, I posted a blog titled “Economy to Remain Sluggish” which cited a number of economic predictions.¹ Based on current economic indicators, it would seem that previous predictions of the economy remaining sluggish have proven to be quite apropos. Real estate continues to have a difficult time with more residential foreclosures expected. Meanwhile banks are extending due dates for payments on record levels of at-risk commercial real estate loans to keep them classified as “performing” in an attempt to preserve capital. A high unemployment rate remains largely unchanged–especially considering that any recent offsets were, in the main, coming from temporary jobs in the public sector such as those associated with the census. In other words, we’ve seen very little offsetting growth in the private sector.

Not surprisingly, consumers have continued to be cautious with their hard-earned money. Recent data from the Commerce Department suggests that the rate of personal savings is on the rise, now at 4%.  Historically speaking, the rate was 12% in the early 1980’s and had fallen to 1% in recent years while the 50-year average is 6.9%.  A recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers indicated that 13% of households are saving at least 7% of their income and, in the next five to ten years, 36% of all households can be expected to do the same.²

According to a recent study of nearly 3,000 US adults conducted by Pew Research Center and consistent with findings from economy studies Trone has conducted over the last 20 months, 71% of Americans have resorted to buying less expensive brands. Interestingly, 57% have cancelled or postponed a vacation and 49% indicated they’d loaned money to someone in need.³ Data from the Trone studies also indicated that much of the reported brand switching behavior will be permanent. On average, 59% of mothers across seven product categories indicated they’d be likely to stay with their newer, less expensive brands.

Peter Boockvar of the firm Miller Tabak summarized as follows:

“People are now going to save more. Spending decisions will be based more on stable money in the bank, not your 401(K).”

Given the cautious attitudes and behaviors of consumers – especially their willingness to switch to less expensive brands and stay with them – brands need to be on top of their game. Present circumstances represent an increase in opportunity for relatively lower-tiered, lower-priced brands. A well-developed strategy to gain market share is imperative. On the other hand, incumbent brands had best develop a strategy for maintaining market share and minimizing customer attrition. Now, more than ever, brands need to be strategically planning for their future. Now is the time for brands to be investing in their future.

Notes

1 https://intranet.trone.com/EmployeeV3/TroneWebsite/index.php/our-culture/blog/page/2/

2 http://www.minyanville.com/investing/articles/savings-pricewaterhousecoopers-us-savings-rate-saving/7/7/2010/id/29060

3 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703374104575337120086218434.html

The mom blogger population is a great group; they are dynamic, competitive, compassionate and large in numbers. These bloggers have influence over their peers and are influenced by their peers. However, learning to treat each of these bloggers as an individual is where a brand stands to gain some trust, respect and eventually support. Just like each of our moms and any mom you know, they are different. They face different challenges, have different backgrounds and have different interests and values. Mashable’s article, Top 10 Misconceptions About Mommy Bloggers, is a good way to start thinking about mom bloggers. But I offer these other tips from experience:

• Use other social media platforms. Mommy bloggers will often leave the smaller personal details about their life out of their blog posts. Twitter and Facebook are great ways to find out these little tidbits of information. Use these pieces of information to connect with them on personal level. If one of your mom bloggers has a funny story about their kids, respond to it on twitter or include it your next email to them. It shows you care.
• Be a resource. Thinking that a blogger should just help you will not help you win over this audience. A brand needs to create content and act as a resource for their target bloggers. Let them know that you understand their lives are crazy and there is not always time to blog. Becoming a resource and trusted partner will be the basis for a strong relationship.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for advice. These mommy bloggers are the experts in their world. If you are creating content or looking to start a relationship with new bloggers, as your current bloggers. Just like networking in person, a personal introduction goes a long way with this group.

When a mom blogger believes in a brand or campaign, it comes through in their posts. Creating a personal relationship with each of those bloggers allows them to see that your brand values the same things they do and cares about the success of their blog, not just the success of the brand. Mommy bloggers have a large amount of influence over each other and over their readership. Developing a genuine personal connection with these bloggers is the first step towards having their support.

Diapers. Every baby needs them. Every mom buys them. So when Pampers introduced “the biggest innovation in diapers in 25 years” the mom world was watching and ready to buy. So it has been very interesting to watch the Pampers Dry Max introduction and social discussion unfold as a bystander with no skin in the game, literally.

As all good brands do, Pampers tested the diapers on thousands of babies with positive feedback from parents. One test resulted in a 92% approval rating. Not only did Dry Max keep moisture away from babies’ skin but also was much more environmentally friendly. In fact, it could reduce diaper disposal by 20 million pounds of trash a year. Here at Trone®, we call these types of motivations, Tugs™. Tugs occur when one is feeling pulled by the knowledge of long-term and short-term benefits and consequences. Traditionally, disposable diapers have had warring Tugs: convenience and cleanliness vs. the environmental waste and expense.

I have to say, initially, I thought Pampers had a winning Tugs combination: moms feel good about protecting baby, moms feel good about their environmental contribution.

And then came the social conversation. Dry Max, it seems worked a little too well. Moms started chatting to see who else had a baby with severe diaper rash after trying the diaper. Many moms were having the same rash issue with the new diaper and this social conversation provided the validation they sought.

I even got to experience the phenomenon myself. At a meeting, I mentioned this Pampers dilemma and how interesting I found it to be. A young mother at the agency chimed in to say how much she loved Dry Max diapers. I inquired if her child had experienced any diaper rash. The wheels in her mind were racing, she looked at me and said, “We do have red splotches. I had no idea they were caused by the diaper. I’ve got to go online and check it out.”

As hard as a brand tries, and I do believe Pampers did all they could do to research their new diaper, the court of public opinion will be the ultimate judge of success. And that court has a new global home.

Remember the time, oh, say 15 years ago, when something didn’t work and we just stopped using it? Diapers are such a motivating topic for moms that as I looked for the P&G research, all I found were mom organizations raising money for research for a civil suit against P&G. Social media is like a fire and can be used to cook the food or burn down the kitchen. How consumers respond to brands has changed forever. (That really isn’t a diaper pun.) What’s your opinion on how social media played a major role in the Pampers Dry Max launch?

According to Trone’s last two economy surveys, most Americans (well over 80%) were worried about the state of the economy.  A solid majority (over 60%) also expected it would take at least three years for the economy to recover.  In fact, over a quarter of all Americans thought recovery would take 5 years or even longer.

A survey of leading economists recently released by the Associated Press may well explain why Americans view the economy as mentioned above.  According to the article summarizing the survey:

The pillars of Americans’ financial security — jobs and home values — will stay shaky well into 2011.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100412/ap_on_bi_ge/us_ap_economy_survey

Among the key predictions of these economists were:

• The unemployment rate will stay stubbornly high the next two years. It will inch down to 9.3 percent by the end of this year and to 8.4 percent by the end of 2011. The rate has been 9.7 percent since January. When the recession started in December 2007, unemployment was 5 percent.
• Home prices will remain almost flat for the next two years.
• The economy will grow 3 percent this year, which is less than usual during the early phase of a recovery and the reason unemployment will stay high. It takes growth of 5 percent for a year to lower the jobless rate by 1 percentage point.
• Sales of previously occupied homes, the biggest chunk of the market, will tick up to 5.4 million this year and to 5.9 million in 2011. That would mark continued improvement from the low of 4.9 million in 2008 and be in line with sales in a healthy economy.  But there’s a catch.  Sales are forecast to rise in part because of another anticipated wave of foreclosures. That will keep prices from rising — and consumers from spending freely.

Given the expectations of these economists and the related financial uncertainty among consumers, the market is going to become increasingly competitive.  Engaging the consumer at every point along the purchase cycle will be essential to winning purchases.  To these ends, a fully integrated and seamlessly executed market communications strategy is indispensible.

 Walmart had seen this, too, and had embarked upon a strategy of playing even harder ball with their vendors (um, sorry, I mean partners), removing many national brands from their shelves.  The allure of doubling their retail margins with private label products, while reducing actual consumer cost at the same time, was too tantilizing.

Today’s mom is ‘connected’ in more ways than you can count.  She has a Blackberry or an iPhone. She has a Facebook page and Twitter account. And she no longer seeks information only from books.  She reads blogs!

 As a mother of two young kids, I am often seeking out information that is not only factual but practical.  I am searching for answers of how to handle a 6 year olds temper to what other moms used to clear a bad diaper rash. And yes, I can get all of this information from something that has 2 covers with perfect stitching, but why?  Why would I choose to read a dated reference book when I can talk to other moms with my same issues and read about how my fellow moms handle certain situations?

 Not only am I huge blog reader, I now have a blog of my own.  An outlet where I share my funny family stories with friends and families.  During my blog research, I have come across many successful mommy blogs that offer everything from family stories to product suggestions. 

One of these such mommy bloggers is at the top of the mommy blogging world. She has made her personal blog her main income for her family and has currently landed a spot on HDTV.  DOOCE.com is by far my favorite mommy blogger.  She is real.  She offers an honest look at married life with kids.  While she spends her days updating her blog, she is also supporting her site with banner ads which now support her family and has allowed her husband to stay home with her.

What a great idea and one I wish I had thought of!  To think that you can support your life with marketing through banner ads on a site that you update because you love to write about your life, family and what you are having for breakfast.  BRILLIANT.  And for those companies who advertise on a blog like this are not brave, but smart.  Those who follow blogs daily are exposed to targeted product placements without evening knowing it. 

In the words of Heather Armstrong herself (the Dooce!) “Here in this tiny space on the web is an example of just how awesome and life-altering the Internet can be.”

 Check her out.  I am sure once you read her blog once you will be hooked.

When it comes to sporting events, there have been a variety of proud sponsors over the years. Typically these exclusive sponsorships are reserved for big brands with big budgets and can afford to seek after the spotlight of The Olympics, The Masters or the Ther Super Bowl. Although these sponsors pay handsomely for these coveted sponsorships, the exposure is hard to beat.

But as we begin a new decade, a new type of sponsorship has emerged. Gone is the the sponsorship of the event and in its place is the sponsorship of a target audience.

Proctor and Gamble supported the 2010 Winter Olympics with an emotionally riveting campaign called Thank You, Mom. 60-second advertisements focused on the support Olympian’s moms give to them throughout the years as they strive for athletic excellence. And each spot comes to a close with the P&G, Proud Sponsors of Moms message. 

After seeing the commerical for the first time, I had the same reaction as many mothers I polled, it sparked an emotion for moms who want the best for their kids and would do anything to support them. But after seeing the spots over the last two weeks, as an advertising professional, I found myself asking: do they really need to keep saying “proud sponsors of moms” at the end of every spot? The spots were emotional enough that if they just ended with a simple P&G product message, the audience could have made their own connection to the spot. It almost felt like I was seeing the strategy line being broadcast over and over: P&G products are purchased by moms and we wat to show our support of our key target audience.

As a mom, I also pondered, how does Dad feel right now. The Winter Olympics draws not only the female members of the household but the entire family. And with approximately 75% of moms in the workplace, the household responsibilities are falling more onto Dad. And I know the Dad in my household was annoyed that he wasn’t getting any love for supporting his son.

So I applaud P&G’s effort to create a commerical that wasn’t product focused and engaged the audience, but I wish we didn’t see their mom strategy over and over. Moms appreciate a brand that understands what it takes to be a mom, but they engage with brands because they organically fit into their lives. I’m not sure because P&G said they were a proud sponsor of mom, that mom returned the favor and claimed they were a proud sponsor of P&G products. And a mom marketers true sucess is measured by the mom advocates that willingly sponsor and support its products as that is the ultimate driver of sales.

What do you think, did P&G’s Thank You Mom campaign gain them more followers, or did it just make Mom feel good (and Dad feel left out)?

It’s 6:30a and the baby has woken up with fever. It’s 11a and it’s started to snow and the schools are closing in one hour. It’s 5p and your boss just called an all-hands meeting and daycare closes at 5:45p. Whatever the unexpected circumstances, mom’s know how to adapt, be nimble and accomodate when it comes to their children. It’s just a part of being a mom.

According to an Ad Age article, Marketers Make Most of Falling Mecury (January 11,2010),  it’s no longer just moms adapting to changing circumstances, but brands are learning to capitalize on unforseen circumstances as well. The article showcases how brands are taking notice and are becoming more nimble themselves — not only changing executions and media purchases based on the weather or the economic conditions but looking at consumer behavior as well.

Taping into mom’s consumer behavior can give you insight as to what drives them to buy but also what changes their buying behavior and how a brand can capitalize on it. In a recent Trone mom study, six mom segments were identified.  The characteristics of these moms  identify how they interact with brands and what will keep them loyal and what will encourage them to change.

Don’t wait for the next snowy day to figure out what your brand’s mom audience wants, being in tune with her behaviors will allow your brand to be the solution no matter what her unexpected need.

This week Maria Shriver released a report called “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything.” An excerpt from the preface follows:

“Our findings should not be surprising to working men and women. Today, four-in-five families with children still at home are not the traditional male breadwinner, female homemaker. And women are increasingly becoming their family’s breadwinner or co-breadwinner. The deep economic downturn is amplifying and accelerating this trend. Men have lost three-out-of-four jobs so far since the Great Recession began in December 2007, leaving millions of wives to bring home the bacon while their husbands search for work. Women working outside the home, however, is not a short-term blip. This is a long-term trend that shows no signs of reversing.”

For the complete study championed by Shriver, the first lady of California and a former NBC News correspondent, along with the Center for American Progress, visit www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/10/womans_nation.html.

The survey also found that since 1985, women spend four more hours working and five more hours parenting. This is quite an amazing statistic. Especially since 86% of working women still feel tasked with the majority of housework and childcare.

But to me, the most shocking statistic of all, is the fact that men who help with housework is up from 15% in 1960 to 30% in 2000. That is the statistic in pure form, but now that it’s out there, dudes what are you doing? I am insulated from this particular statistic because in our home, whoever is there, does what needs doing. Equal opportunity, in every sense of the word. Certainly, my husband and I both have our specialties and preferences, but we both work hard, we both care about our children’s well being, therefore, we both are constantly juggling and extending our parenting/caregiving/housecleaning/grocery-buying/indoor-outdoor skill sets.

What is going on in these other 4-out-of-5 households where both parents are working? That statistic is incredibly low. I knew I was blessed to have a giving husband, but I had no idea the housework and the childcare was not more evenly distributed across America. Especially since at any school function or soccer practice, the parent ratio is 50 moms/50 dads. Is this statistic really that low? Or do men just not own up to the work they do? Just wondering what other moms and dads think about the study.