The Dad Demo

Now for some fair balance on mom-marketing. True, moms tend to be the household decision makers, but Dads are a high value-target as well. According to a survey from DadCentral (interestingly enough, a division of MomCentral), 92% of Dad's put on their "Dad Lens" when shopping for their family - applying a different set of criteria. Being a Dad influences their decision making and who they ask for advice. Dads' communication style is different too, with 80% favoring one-on-one conversations and 86% work conversations, with social networking increasing but still not as predominant as with their mom counterpart.

According to a Man of the House survey, men have a difficult time transition to parenthood - an unmet need that marketers are beginning to address. The Fatherhood.gov initiative is trying to do so with their AdCouncil PSA series and Web site. In 2010, Pampers promoted Fathers Day celebrity events with their Daddy PlayDate initiative.

The August, 2010 Mintel Report, Marketing to Dads, notes that Dads are not "just another mom", they bring a unique perspective. They are more evenly spread out on the age spectrum, with 1/3 of Dads having kids 18 and under being younger than 34, and 30% being over 45 years of age. Dads today are far more likely to share in the child rearing responsibilities, skewing higher with household income trends. With 15% of Dads self-identifying as stay-at-home-Dads, P&G created the Man of the House web site - engaging Dads directly with a relevant value proposition.

Retail brands have begun utilizing "manly merchandising" guy-gear displays, targeted to Dads. This is carrying over to the non-brick and mortar space with increased content and advertising focused on Dads, sending them to destinations with Dad content and Dad imagery. Many marketers are straddling the fence or are choosing to be gender neutral. Sears' ManageMyLife Web site gives parents alike all the information they need to simplify their life, from making stuffing for Thanksgiving to changing the oil in your car. TV spots are doing less "Dad-bashing" and putting Dads in more of a positive light with respect to their kids and family role. Daddy blogging sites are increasing as well, including DadLabs, RebelDads, DadCentric, and others. Dads are under-targeted and perhaps under served with respect to childrens brands and health decisions - but hopefully this is a trend that will continue to reverse with brand marketers.

Mom Stats and Segmentation

A few mom stats for you. Of the nearly 83 million mothers in the US, according to Mintel's Marketing to Moms 2010 report, 55% are between the ages of 15 and 44, with the population of women 35-44, or Gen X, declining. By 2015 most women of childbearing age will be Echo Boomers or Gen Y, born between 1977 and 1994. The mean age of first-time moms is 25. Just over 30% of US households have children under the age of 18. Nearly 71% of moms participate in the workforce.

Beyond the stats, the traits considered to define a "good mom" include focusing on what's most important - safety, emotional health, fitness and nutrition for her children. Engaging kids in meaningful organized activities has also emerged as a train - such as museum trips, Wii games the family can play together, etc.

Mom definitely still owns the purchasing decision power, but while they do seek information from a variety of sources, they also trust their own instincts and preferences, often preferring brands they are familiar with. New moms tend to reach out more for advice. Social networking, according to BabyCenter.com research, has increased from 11% in 2006 to 63% in 2009, with many new sites focusing on product opinions such as 24/7 Moms and Cool Mom Picks.

Mintel's Cluster Analysis identified three segments: Family Engineers (34%), Chill Moms (45%), and Networkers (21%). Family Engineers like brand familiarity, and make family a high priority. They are 45 years and older, with HHI of 25k - 50k. These moms appreciate genuine marketing messages that emphasize family time, especially in our changing economic times. Campaigns such as Target's "Up & Up" focusing on "real moms" are an example of this. Chill Moms, with lower HH incomes are more neutral about mom recommendations, but they are influenced by TV and print ads. They are more relaxed in their motherhood approach, and respond best to value positioning but not just price value. Networkers are more likely to use daycare than the other two segments, tend to be aged 25-24 years with HHI of $100k or more, and are more likely to have smartphones. They value healthy living and being a good mother. Networkers are super-connected, and are considered "influencials" especially in new media. Sites such as CafeMom and Motherproof.com are examples of this. Brands targeting her should focus on harnessing social media to create relevancy and value for her.

Mom-it-Forward

After my last post on Moms and Media, a co-worker, "Kay" told me about her journey as a "mommy blogger", now getting close to 1,100 followers on her own blog. She was bubbling with excitement over MomItForward.com, a mom resource site. What's unique about it is their #GNO or Girls Night Out Twitter parties, hosted for 2 hours on a weekly basis on a variety of topics, both educational and also sponsored, reaching a wide audience of engaged mom bloggers. According to the BlogHer blogging network, 23 million women engage weekly in blogging activity.

Kay told me all about a Seventh Generation GNO she participated in where a series of audience market research/ attitudinal questions were asked followed by a education component on their green and non-toxic products. For Kay, this was illuminating for her in that her child has skin sensitivities, and so she is going to try their laundry products based off of this, and then blog about her results and opinion (and hopefully recommendation).

For consumer products, the fit is obvious - brands are able to engage customers in their brand story and the value or relevancy the brand may bring moms, and hope they then spread the word. The upcoming GNO sponsored by Snapfish provides tips for making holiday cards with family photographs. For health and wellness, MomItForward may offer a unique story telling forum through their GNOs, such as the ability to tell the factual case for preventable disease vaccinations and debunking the myths - arming moms with the facts to have more informed discussions with their pediatric and family doctors and make decisions they feel more confident in....and hopefully, spread the facts through word of mouth. What's different is that MomItForward allows brands to invite their audience into the conversation and not just market to them!

Moms and Media

Let's take a look at the media consumption habits of Moms. Everyone talks about Mom as the influencer, chief purchasing office, alpha mom, health decision maker. It's not enough to reach her or target her, brands need to engage with her. "Women do not buy brands, they join them" according to the President of Pink Tank, who goes on to say that "to connect with women, be sure you're inviting them to a group they'd want to join".

Let's assume you have that part down for now, meaning - creating a compelling, relevant value proposition to her. How then do brands reach her? According to the Digital Mom report, by Razorfish and Cafe Mom, "...digital technologies are making things easier" for her. The survey reports that more digital moms interact with social media (65%) and SMS (56%) than with news sites, and just as many are gaming as well (52%). But the report also cites the "digital divide". Moms under 35 are more likely to leverage new technology platforms and social media, yet moms 45+ tend to utilize informational tools such as news and consumer reviews - or, it they have children over 12, they may use social media to monitor them. Regardless, digital channels are prevalent at all stages of brand engagement.

The average mom spends 8 hours a day with media. The Living La Vida Rapida report by AOL echos the trends toward multi-tasking, "handling 27 hours of activities in a 16-hour waking day". Media consumption is more mixed in the baby/toddler years, then trends less TV/newspapers in the 5-8 year old and more mobile in the tween/teen years - with the Internet being a constant. Their media consumption is tied not only to the rational purpose it serves, but to an emotional connection to her. The Internet is associated with productivity, and for being a "lifeline" to the outside world. Radio/TV are preferred for background, TV for recreation, spending time alone, relaxing and noticing ads, and games for killing time. Email and mobile are preferred for spending time with friends. The Cafe Mom report notes that Social is a growing trend in communicating efficiently with word of mouth from friends or "people like me" more valued than ever among moms.

Internet is the most important medium for both everyday life and for parenting information or advice for moms. Of the 8 hours consuming media, the highest is spent on the Internet which is the preferred format for task oriented things - shopping, coupons, advise, health information, connecting, etc. Think about the fact that 95% of moms co-use media at lease once a week with their children - this increases the potential footprint of a brand, but also increases the need for reciprocal value. So then, be sure you're inviting them to a group (brand) they'd want to join!

The Alpha Mom

Chances are you know this woman, or perhaps are just like her - the "Alpha Mom". According to an article by Mintel/Oxyen, the Alpha Mom/woman asserts her role as an influencer, both in and outside of her family role, beyond just being a mom. The Alpha Mom, according to Mintel, is "the holder of power beyond traditional motherly activities" which includes product purchasing in addition to health decisions. This group can't just be targeted as the current norm, as the Chief Purchasing Officer. This woman breaks through boundaries beyond roles or gender - she is multi-dimensional.

From a marketing perspective this group's desire to self-define impacts channel planning. Word of mouth marketing certainly plays a role, but also just getting these mom's to try product and have it in their homes is key-- often Alpha Mom's do not have time to socialize product decisions - and they want to use what they see in other Alpha Mom households. For health decisions this may equate to more in-person word of mouth in addition to the Facebook's of the world.

Alpha Moms are choiceful in their product decisions, often looking for dual purpose products (e.g., hair + skin, baby + adults), and streamlining the number of products they use. This is especially true for repeat-moms or older moms, according to the Living La Vida Rapida survey by AOL and OMD. Increasingly, moms are boasting or posting about how they are streamlining or saving, as thrift is the new chic. Marketers are increasingly targeting this woman. Ninento pre-released their new Wii video game console to Tupperware-style mom parties, and timed the release of Wii Fit around Mother's Day. Kimberly Clark and P&G have created web sites and social media destinations focused on product innovation, coupons and offers.

As I was getting my haircut the other day, there was a heated conversation around childhood vaccinations next to me. Rather than being passive, I jumped right in and offered the "facts" that I knew to debunk the negative myths around immunizations. I know I influenced about 3-5 moms that day, and I felt satisfied by helping them in their decision making. So - I suppose I wear the Alpha Mom badge with honor then - so be it!