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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.
Trone, Inc. recently (October 2009) conducted a nationwide study of over 900 mothers with children aged 18 or under. Given the state of the economy, one topic the study examined was changes in their shopping behavior across seven key product categories: children’s clothes, their own clothes, household cleaning products, food and drinks for the children, soaps and shampoos, detergents and paper products such as napkins and paper towels.
While it wasn’t much of a surprise to learn that 88% of the mothers surveyed had switched to less expensive brands in at least one of the seven product categories to save money, the broader extent to which mothers have been switching brands to save money may come as a surprise to some. The data showed that nearly two-thirds (66%) had switched to less expensive brands in all seven product categories.
What was even more interesting is that, on average, 59% of mothers who’d switched brands to save money in a given product category indicated they’d be likely to stay with their newly adopted, less expensive brands. Mothers were most likely to return to their former brands where food and drinks for the children were concerned (45% likelihood) while only 38% were likely to do so when purchasing clothes for themselves or paper products.
Given these findings, brands need to be on the alert. The times are ripe with both challenges and opportunities. The fact that 59% of mothers, on average, expressed intent to stay with their newly adopted brands represents a recent increase in opportunity for relatively lower-tiered, lower-priced brands. However, these challenger brands will need to develop a strategy for “staying in the game” down the road and keeping these newer customers in the event they later become open to increasing their spend. 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.
Should you be talking to the Data Darling?
In the latest Trone(R) panel survey, fielded October 2009, six distinct mom segments emerged. As marketers develop communications, it is critical to recognize the differences in the groups and how they use and value brand information.
First of all, there are many universal truths about moms. They are moms and just as one would expect they put their children first. Moms see themselves first and foremost as protectors (85%) and providers (80%) with teacher as the next highest (75%). When it comes to safety, moms are skeptical. For example, only 15% feel that products are safe and that the government does a good job at monitoring the safety of products. Most all moms love natural products, but the added expense is a hindrance.
With that being said, the differences in Moms are just as interesting as their similarities and skepticisms.
Fashionistas
They are twice as likely as their counterparts to be influenced by brand name when it comes to children’s purchases. Not surprisingly, they are less focused on product durability, especially in clothing. But they are a loyal group, displaying a brand loyalty 30–40% higher across all categories than their counterparts. They are by far the most “me-centric,” admitting to spending too much money on themselves.
Intellectuals
The distinguishing characteristic of this group is their self-description. They are notably more likely to describe themselves as outgoing, aggressive, creative and smart. They do share some attributes with Fashionistas like valuing brand names, but they find their product decision more important. They use the presence of children in the home to buy more or bigger things: homes, cars, cameras, etc.
Affectionates
Maybe the most traditional of all the moms, they do distinguish themselves in many ways by what they are not. They are not brand or retail loyal. They are not trusting of nearly all sources of information on raising children, especially published information in blogs or magazines. She is also the least likely to see herself as her child’s best friend. But she is the most likely to see herself as friendly and approachable (Affectionates 93% v. total sample 74%) and kind and sincere (100% v. 79%).
Relationship mom
The name says it all. This mom scored the highest on every descriptor of their relationship from provider 99% to best friend 51%. They put tremendous stock in family opinions on raising their children. They display the highest retail loyalty of any group but put the least stock in brands. However, they are no more likely than the others to have switched brands as a result of the economy, but they are more than 30% more likely to stick with their new brand relationship.
Worriers
Scoring lowest on all aspects of relationship with their children (49% v. 65%), this group was much more worried about their children than any other segment. From their children’s behavior, academics to future decision making they are doubly concerned than the average of all other groups. Not only are they worried about their children, their anxiety crosses over to their relationship with their spouses and long-term finances.
Data Darlings
She loves information and is appreciative of all resources, especially on the subject of raising children. She is a marketer’s dream in that she values company websites (49% v. 29%) as well as articles so much more than other groups. Not surprisingly, they give advertisers more credit for understanding their needs. They share the propensity with the Affectionate mom to be less brand and retail loyal. Along with the Fashionista, the Data Darling is the most engaged with the internet, participating in social networks and blogs.
The survey revealed that a fifth of all moms are Data Darlings and are viewed by peers as a key source for brand information. Her value to marketers is invaluable.
Trone has found low bounce rates to be one way to evaluate the Data Darlings’ appreciation of meaningful online information. This fall, Trone designed and developed a website for Healthtex children’s clothing. The brand was virtually unknown to today’s mothers. The site was designed to educate this missing generation of young mothers on the attributes of a brand their mothers knew and loved. A link to Walmart allowed moms to purchase the clothing. The results were astounding. Moms stayed and absorbed information with an unheard-of 2.9% bounce rate from the site (The average for a product site is 13–15%). Visit the site for yourself.
Find out more about how we talk to mom»
According to a General Social Survey quoted in a NY Times article called Blue is the New Black, women are getting gloomier while men are getting happier. The article states “women around the world are in a funk.” To all the women out there … are you really unhappy? Or are you just overwhelmed? Or maybe just disappointed?
With a focus on mom and women marketing, I am constantly advising clients that to understand women you must understand that they are complex. All of the men in the room usually laugh and agree that they’ll never be able to figure “us” out. And somehow all the women in the room just smile only to each other, empathetic to the plight of their fellow comrades. Because although we all recognize that we are complex, we also understand that emotional and rational complexity comes with burden…with burden comes worry and guilt… the more worried and guilt ridden you are the more overwhelmed you may feel in succeeding in all areas…which I guess can be defined as being unhappy.
But I think unhappiness is misrepresented as a woman’s overwhelming desire to do everything to her best. Whether its around the home, at the office, with her friends or out in the community, as the article mentions “women are much harder on themselves than men.” To me, it seems women are more unhappy than men because they are disappointed more often then men. Whether its her husband, a co-worker, a friend, a brand, a TV show and the list goes on, she expects the world around her to adhere to the same standards she puts on herself. The big thing here is when things don’t go right, a woman doesn’t blame the other party, she asks herself, what could I have done differently to make this outcome better?
With a total market value estimated to approach $3 trillion by 2012, the question for marketers and brands, how do you exceed a woman’s expectation so you are the source of happiness in her life. Because it seems from reading this article, any source of happiness is truly valued and appreciated by this very valuable audience.
Choices, choices, choices...
To be honest, for as much talk about helping brands connect to moms goes on around here, I’ve never been able to take the vast knowledge about moms’ shopping behavior and marketing to moms and apply it personally.
And why should I? I’m not a mom. But as my wife is expecting our first child at the end of October, I’ve suddenly been catapulted into a whole new world.
Having never set foot in the vast sea of BPA-free plastic that is Babies-R-Us®, registering for baby stuff was a new experience for me. Here are a few observations:
1) Moms don’t start off knowing everything, so new moms can be virgin territory for marketers. They have to learn what brands are good from somewhere, and we know they spend a lot of time talking to other moms, doing research on the internet, etc. But more important than that, the staff at Babies-R-Us had a HUGE impact on what products my wife and I will use with our new son through guiding her through the registration process. Her registration goodie bag included a checklist and had several supporting guides to help select which products would best fit with our lifestyle and how we plan to raise our son.
2) There are some brands with which my wife has formed an intense emotional connection (if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard “oh, what a cute Boppy® cover!” we wouldn’t need to be starting a 529 college savings account). Products that are genuinely useful and have realistic pictures of how they’re used on the packaging have been big hits as we navigate the decision making process.
3) Pressure! In all this, there has been an underlying fear that in trying a new type of bottle or buying a crib without extensively checking recall notices over the past 20 years, we will somehow contribute to the untimely death of our new kid. Safety not something to take lightly, to be sure, but I’m not a fan of the cord-blood banking folks making me feel like the scum of the earth because I’m not planning on spending thousands on that. For my wife, this has translated into her selecting brands that make her feel safe and feel good about herself as a new mom.
This new stage of life is daunting and exciting at the same time. Watching my wife react to various brands has been great experience in learning about moms on a personal level and I look forward seeing even more of that as time moves on.
Mom’s financial burdens are impacting her brand relationships, but not all of them.
As we have reported in the past, short-term economic influences are affecting moms’ behavior and their attitudes toward brands. A recent study of 1,638 moms on the opinions@trone panel was designed to confirm our prior learning and to gain incremental understanding of how these changes are being manifested.
The study confirmed that short-term economic issues are mom’s single greatest source of stress, surpassing even the anxieties associated with their hectic schedules and the pressure to get everything done. This is both a reasonable and understandable phenomena as 53% have experienced a decline in income of an immediate family member, resulting from either a layoff or a reduction in hours and/or wages.
Taking steps to cope.
The most common thing mothers are doing to deal with this financial pressure is making sure they aren’t “leaving money on the table.” Sixty-six percent report being much more cognizant of in-store offers and 58% are using more coupons. Beyond this they are displaying a surprising willingness to change brands.
Fifty-seven percent are frequently or very frequently shopping at less expensive stores while 54% are frequently or very frequently switching to less expensive brands in some categories.
The impact is being felt across the board.
Virtually every member of the family is experiencing this change to some degree. The same holds true for nearly all the product categories moms buy. The biggest change is occurring in packaged goods where more than two-thirds of moms have modified their behavior. In canned goods, for example, 14% report shopping at different stores for the same brands, 34% are buying less expensive brands at the same stores and 15% have changed both the stores they shop and the brands they buy.
Beyond consumables, moms are most likely to change the brands/outlets they shop for their children first, next themselves and finally dad and the family pet. Lest we think that moms have been driven to an as yet unseen degree of selfishness based on the economy, we need to bear in mind two things about purchases for children. First, their goods are short-lived and second, their needs are not easily deferred. Mom can delay purchasing that new outfit for herself, but if the children have outgrown their clothes, purchases must be made. And, where mom’s outfit might last years, the kids’ items might make it through a season.
Moms’ traditional unselfishness was demonstrated in another line of questioning. When asked about their willingness to change to less expensive sources for a gift for their child or clothing they’d wear to a special event, moms were 68% more likely to deny themselves.
Willingness to change has its limits.
While it’s not true for all, most moms have limits. There are some brands they just don’t want to give up—under any circumstances. So, as a part of the survey, we asked them on an unaided basis to name three brands that fell in that category. Considering the tens of thousands of brands that moms interact with, from Carter’s® to Coach®, Tampax® to Tiffany®, it is surprising that there is any consensus at all. But, there is. Of the 88% (12% are brand ambivalent) of the respondents who indicated one or more brands they would never want to give up, 20 brands were mentioned by greater that 1.5% of the sample. As the following brand preference cloud demonstrates, some were mentioned far more frequently than that. In fact, the leader (Kraft®) was mentioned by a remarkable 12.8% of respondents.
There are two stories to this data.
This grouping tells two important stories for marketers. It identifies, on the one hand, how strong a brand relationship can be and on the other just how fragile. Given the billions of dollars spent by the tens of thousands of brands with which moms interact, why did these 20 rise to the fore? Clearly, recency is an issue, but that does not explain the presence of Sony®, Levi’s® or Fisher-Price®. These brands share no common attribute or application. Some are mom’s brands, some are for the kids and some have application across the entire family. Some are consumables and some are durables. The only thing these brands have in common is the one thing that all marketers strive for: They have built a sustainable relationship with their customer.
This past year, Trone has made a point of getting to know moms – who the different types of moms are, what influences them and how to connect with them. In a recent blog, we discussed the fact that moms don’t think advertisers understand them and offered initial suggestions on remedying this situation. Please see “Calling all Moms: Do Advertisers Understand You?“
In Wave One of a longitudinal study, Trone learned that, broadly speaking, today’s moms come in three varieties, each having their own unique challenges and issues. Representing about a third of the market apiece, they are “me first” moms, “kids first” moms and “info first” moms.
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| Me First | Kids First | Info First |
Given the current state of the economy, moms responded to a battery of economic and product questions in Wave Two of the study which was fielded at the end of April, 2009. One of the questions asked was, “How important is it that the products you buy are made in the United States?” In response to this question, 52% of all moms indicated that it was very or extremely important that the products they buy be American-made. Interestingly, this finding was consistent across all three types of moms with just over half of the moms in each segment expressing strong loyalty to American-made products.
When asked how important it was that various types of products be made in the U.S.A., moms thought it was most important for children’s toys to be American-made by a wide margin. Cars were next on the list of importance, a sentiment likely influenced by the economic hardship currently engulfing the U.S. auto industry.
Another key finding was that over 75% of all moms indicated they’d be willing to pay a premium for American-made products. When asked if they’d be willing to put their money where their sentiments were, moms who expressed strong loyalty to products made in the U.S.A. were more willing than moms on the whole (36% vs. 29% respectively) to pay premiums of over ten percent.
Perhaps the most interesting finding focused on what best predicted a mom’s loyalty to American-made products. Age was a relatively strong predictor. Older moms were, on average, more loyal to American-made products. However, the strongest predictor (nearly twice as strong as age) was how worried a mom was about the current state of the economy – the more worried, the more important it was to buy American-made products.
Given these findings and given the strong influence moms have on purchases of all kinds, companies offering products made in the U.S.A. may be well-advised to call consumer attention to their products’ domestic origins. It may also be advisable for these companies to encourage moms to buy their domestic products via a “pat on the back” in product messaging – reinforce them and make them feel good for doing so. After all, over half of all moms have strong feelings about buying American and over three-quarters claim they’d pay at least some premium for American-made products.
Even if these attitudinal measures turned out to be a bit overstated when translated to actual purchase behavior, there’d still be a considerable percentage of moms looking to support domestic products. Stated another way, it wouldn’t hurt companies to emphasize the domestic origins of their products to moms who don’t find buying American-made products to be all that important – yet there is something to be gained from moms who do think it’s important.
The time to do so is ripe – the time is now.
In a recent national study conducted by Trone, Inc., moms were asked to give their opinions on how well today’s advertisers understand them. While it may come as no surprise that moms think advertisers could do a better job appealing to them, the extent to which moms feel disconnected to today’s advertising may well shock industry insiders.
Only 14% of moms agreed that advertisers understand what it’s like to be a mom or that advertisers understand the problems they face as a mom. Furthermore, only 26% indicated that advertising was useful to moms. The results are in, so what’s an advertiser to do?
While many of today’s attempts to reach out to moms rely on various means of expressing appreciation for the “supermom” or depicting the mom whose life is “picture perfect,” Trone’s research suggests that a more resonant approach would be to simply understand moms more realistically. That is, to appreciate moms – warts and all - in a way that more fully realizes that moms don’t come in a “one size fits all” variety.
Broadly speaking, today’s moms come in three varieties each representing about a third of the market - the “me first” mom, “kids first” moms and “info first” moms. While all moms share things in common such as having stress over not being able to get everything done, each type of mom has her own unique challenges and issues.
Advertisers and the brands they work for would be well-advised to work at understanding these moms in the contexts they find themselves and to speak to them accordingly. For example, while “me first” moms are likely interested in staying on top of current trends and styles, “kids first” moms would likely find messaging with traditional values appealing.
What may appeal to some of a brand’s moms may hinder others or even impair brand equity. A brand’s ability to identify the different types of moms who comprise its customer base and optimally connect with each of them will be integral to continued growth.
Moms. They control such a depth and breadth of spending that they remain an ever critical target for virtually all brands. But, they’re pulled in so many directions they can be extraordinarily difficult to reach and way too distracted when you do. The internet can help, but only if you appreciate both their mindset and behaviors.
That is one of the many things Trone attempted to accomplish through a study of online activity conducted among 2,656 consumers.
The study identified six basic segments of information technology users. Somewhat surprisingly, moms mirrored the general population along the primary criteria used to define the segments and fell into those segments proportionately. Fortunately, however, they displayed some unique attributes that provide marketers valuable direction in their pursuit.
The internet is the information highway, but moms are after a different type of information than other groups. The information they seek is about people-it is all about staying connected. Moms are 21% more likely than the rest of the adult population to be a member of an online social network. And, they use it. Of the 54% of moms that are in one or more social networks, 7% are on Facebook five or more times per day.
Their social network participation runs the gamut of available activities. Moms reported they “always” or “very frequently” did the following significantly more often than others.
- Connect with family: 34%
- Meet new people: 33%
- Update their profile: 30%
- Upload pictures: 35%
- Use entertainment applications: 40%
With no more, or even less, time available to be online what do moms sacrifice to make time for this connectivity? Primarily, it is research. Moms reported they “never” use the internet for the following types of research significantly more frequently than the rest of the population.
- Current events: 25%
- Historical events: 14%
- Health/fitness-related topics: 20%
- Products/services: 22%
The good news for marketers is that moms are more appreciative of the internet than others and more trusting of the content they find there. They were 19% more likely to agree or strongly agree that the information on company websites is very reliable and 62% more likely to trust the information they see in blogs.
Clearly, connecting a brand to moms is a difficult but critical task. Not only do their opinions impact their relationships with brands but, with all the contact they maintain, how are they shaping the attitudes and behaviors of others? What type of relationship does your brand have with moms? What are they saying about your brand and to whom?
It’s official. “Insight” has become a full-fledged corporate buzzword. Companies have assembled insight factories and insight incubators. They have appointed Directors of Customer Insight and Chief Insight Officers. There is even a magazine titled “Consumer Insight.”
So, what is an insight? And how do you spot one?
For starters, something can be insightful, but not necessarily be an insight. For instance, the fact that 6 out of 10 moms are concerned that their children are growing up too fast may be an insightful fact, but it’s hardly an insight. An insight is more than a data point or consumer quote. At a minimum, it’s the boiled down synthesis of your observations.
So, using our mom example, if we probed deeper about why moms are concerned that their children are growing up too fast here’s what we would learn. We’d find out that moms believe that letting children wear inappropriate clothing is just as bad a letting them use the internet without controls. And we’d also learn that more than half of moms have been outraged or embarrassed by the clothing they’ve seen on children 8 years old or younger. Upon scanning several mom blogs we would learn that there is a very vocal segment of moms who are angry at how celebrity fashion has made its way from the runways to the hallways. Ultimately we could connect the dots that a significant segment of moms have reached a tipping point and have an unmet need – a brand of clothing that is wholesome, yet stylish, and hasn’t sold out to “trickle-down skankonomics.”
Did we arrive at an insight? Here’s a simple definition I like to use:
An inspiring, fresh perspective on your customer that can be acted upon for competitive advantage.
And here are five questions I like to use to test the merits of an insight:
1) Is it substantiated or just a hunch? – Beware of the difference between instinct and insight. Insights should be rooted in a deep understanding of people, not merely what you think.
2) Is it a unique or fresh perspective? – Are people saying “I never looked at it that way?”
3) Does it provide clarity? – Do you feel like you just put eye glasses on and can see clearly for the first time?
4) Does it inspire? – Does it spark ideas? Can you write a compelling story from the insight?
5) Can you act on it? – Does it solve a problem or provide direction?
