An Urgent Situation

I was reading a colleague’s blog yesterday and learned of a situation that not enough of us are aware of. Many years of drought have led to a serious crisis currently affecting people in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti. They’re starving. More than ten million people are at risk, and they say it will get worse before it gets better. A critical situation begging for immediate action.

So how can you help? Spread the word, buy a bag from The Feed Project, donate rice grain by grain at freerice.com, or visit oxfam.org. But before you do anything else, check out Kristin Davis’ heartfelt interview about her recent trip to the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.

QR Codes Taking Off With Moms and Marketers

QR Codes, Moms, and Marketers

According to a recent report by Mobio Identify Systems, Inc., the use of QR (“Quick Response”) codes has exploded by 1,200 percent during the last half of 2010. Moms are taking center stage as they use their smartphones to click on those unique black and white squares that are delivering a wide variety of information to consumers. Blogs, tweets, magazine articles and broadcast media are all talking about this latest technology that busy moms are embracing.

QR codes have been around awhile in other parts of the world, but are just beginning to really gain awareness in the U.S. The primary benefit for marketers is that the QR codes are helping them build their mobile strategies. With 60 percent of moms owning smartphones, developing a strong mobile strategy is a must for marketers who want to reach moms in a way that is effective and relevant for their busy lifestyles.

For female consumers, the primary benefit of QC codes is their convenience. And that’s what it’s all about when marketing to moms – helping to make their lives easier. A QR code can be snapped on a smartphone camera, and instantly deliver detailed information about a product, consumer reviews, e-coupons, comparison pricing, and much more. Codes can be printed on everything from promotional materials to billboards and point-of-purchase displays. They can even be used to encourage consumers to “like” a Facebook page, deliver digital prizes, or enter sweepstakes.

A few major brands are helping to build prominence for QR codes in the U.S., including Target, Best Buy, Macy’s and Post Cereals. Best Buy has enhanced the shopping experience of its customers by adding QR codes to all their price tags. According to a recent Ad Age article, Macy’s is behind the most visible QR education effort, with a 30-second spot running nationally. The spot explains to shoppers how to use the codes, and the benefits they’ll experience once they scan one with their smart phone.

The opportunities for incorporating QC codes into marketing campaigns are endless. A QR code on a bag of pasta can be scanned to receive an instant recipe on a smartphone. A coffee retailer can offer free coffee to every 10^th person by scanning the bar code at checkout. And at checkout customers can scan their QR codes to see if they’ve instantly won any additional value.

As QR codes continue to be highlighted in the months to come, the important thing for marketers to understand is how to make QR codes effective to female consumers. In addition to convenience, a primary way to make codes effective is to make sure they equate to value – a discount, a coupon, or a “sneak peak” at upcoming products.

Is this the year of the QR code for your brand?

90% of Female Bloggers Want to Work with Brands: Is Yours One of Them?

Female Bloggers Want to Partner with Brands

In a recent study by BlogFrog and The Social Studies Group, 93% of U.S. female bloggers indicated that they would like to engage and work with brands, but well over two-thirds of them reject over half of the pitches they receive. The 2011 Brands and Women Bloggers Influencer Partnership Study reveals some key findings about the ideal relationship between brands and bloggers from the female blogger perspective, including:

Nearly 60% of women bloggers indicate they want long-term, deeper relationships with a few special brands.
Compensation matters. 90% are interested in working with brands, so long as there is some form of compensation.
Social good matters. Campaigns that include an element of social good increase trust levels for 56% of bloggers surveyed.
70% of bloggers trust a brand more when that brand is promoted or recommended by someone they know from a blog or social media.
87% of bloggers said personal feelings about a brand will influence whether they work with that brand.
Brands like Purex, Disney, Kraft, Silhouette, Proctor & Gamble, and CSN were given high marks for their blogger relations.

Long Term Relationships with Female Bloggers Are Essential

While nearly all of the bloggers surveyed (88%) say that they have not had a negative experience working on a brand campaign, 12% of unhappy women bloggers cited lack of campaign organization, inadequate compensation, and more work than expected as the top reasons for the negative experiences. As marketers continue to look to forge relationships with bloggers, they need to establish long-term relationships with these bloggers and understand what’s important to them:

Female bloggers don’t want to feel they’re just a name on a list. Brands need to reading their blog posts, comment on the blogs and engage in the conversation happening online.
Not all female bloggers are mom bloggers, and not all mom bloggers are the same. Some are professionals, and some are hobbyists. Know the difference.
Provide products to review when asking for a product review. More and more bloggers are being contacted by PR professionals offering to “walk them through the product” or providing “the information you need to write a review.” Understand how the product review process works. Rarely will a blogger risk her reputation and personal brand to endorse a product she hasn’t experienced.
Make your brand and its representatives fully accessible online through the use of social media, branded communities, conversational marketing, and corporate blogs.

How does your brand rate in its ability to connect and build a relationship with key female bloggers?

The Buying Power of the Power Moms

Buying Power of Power Moms

Moms Have Buying Power

Anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows that moms are the most coveted consumers in the U.S. market. Their buying power tops $2.4 trillion annually, and they control or influence 85 percent of all household purchases.

Maria Bailey has written a new book called Power Moms that delves into that power of moms. In her book, Bailey acknowledges that mom bloggers are powerful influencers. However, she notes that these bloggers are only a small fraction of the 83 million mothers in the U.S. Which means that marketers reaching out to mom bloggers are leaving a lot of moms untouched – about 70 percent of them to be exact.

Power Moms Have Influence

Power Moms (those influencers that align with a brand’s goals and marketing needs) can be reached by marketers both online and offline. Moms tend to build their sphere of influence around a personal passion – whether it be cooking, entrepreneurship or service to others. The challenge for marketers is to identify that group of moms that aligns with their particular brand’s goals and needs, and then to have the knowledge, awareness and ability to tap this powerful and lucrative market.

Marketers: Does your brand reach moms in a way that is relevant to them? And moms: Do you find that most brands engage with you in a way that makes you feel understood?

Summer Sunscreen Tips for Parents

Sunscreen Tips for Parents

Anyone who reads my blog knows that while my business focuses on marketing to women, I’m also a mom and by nature like to share news and information with those around me. In addition, from years of baking in the sun with baby oil and iodine, I’m also in a continual battle to identify and destroy the first signs of basal cell carcinomas that are beginning to pop up on my body with increasing frequency.

Compared to earlier generations, baby boomers have had heavier doses of UV exposure because being tan was fashionable in our teens and 20’s. And though as a generation we’ve become more diligent about protecting our skin, the fact is that most sun damage is done in childhood and adolescence.

This summer many moms may not be aware that the FDA just announced new guidelines for sunscreen effectiveness and labeling. In light of this news, I wanted to share some tips provided by Episencial’s CEO and chief product formulator Kim Walls to ensure that you and your families have the latest information on sun care, and the safest of summers this season.

Learn how to read the label on any sunscreen product. Opt for chemical-free products that offer full spectrum protection, protecting against both the UVA and UVB rays. The FDA really focused on this point and is strongly recommending broad-spectrum products – those that screen both UVA and UVB sunrays.
The best Sun Protection Factor (SPF) level for your child depends on what you will be doing. Chose a sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 35, which will protect more than 95 percent of the harmful wavelength of UV rays – just right for playing at the beach, park or in the backyard.
A natural mineral (aka physical) block is, by far, the safest sunscreen option. Zinc sits on the skin’s surface to reflect sunrays away from the body like a mirror, as opposed to chemical ingredients, which are designed to be absorbed into the skin and can have potentially unintended and harmful consequences for children’s skin and body.
In addition to preventing sun damage, it’s also important to combat the negative effects of increased exposure to pollution in the ocean and air and also by the sheer heat on the skin’s surface. Products that contain aloe help cool the skin. Ingredients like green tea extract offset skin problems and help prevent lasting damage from sun exposure.
The skin’s ability to perform essential immune functions can be compromised by the damaging dryness resulting from exposure to chlorine from pools and typical city water supplies. Sunscreens that are all natural and fortified with ingredients such as Vitamin C, organic oils such as avocado, beeswax, Shea butter offset chlorine, maintain skin hydration and create a water-resistant barrier to reduce absorption of pollutants through the skin to support overall health.

For more information about sunscreen or skincare, ask Kim on Facebook at www.facebook.com/episencial.

Why Pink Is Not a Marketing Strategy

Pink is Not a Marketing Strategy

Must Marketing Strategies Geared toward Women Include Pink?

A recent article in the Huffington Post talks about Nokia’s plan to launch the first smartphone specifically geared towards women — the pink N8 – complete with an ELLE fashion app and an option to install a “Little Pink Diva Theme.” But does a product need to be pink to appeal to women? Absolutely not. In fact, often the reverse is true. Sometimes painting a product pink simply tells a woman that a brand hasn’t really given any thought to her and her needs at all. Pink is style, not substance, and it certainly isn’t a marketing strategy.

Marketing Strategies Aimed at Women Must Be Relevant and Authentic

Marketers cannot rely on outdated assumptions and stereotypes when trying to engage women. To be relevant to women consumers, marketers need to do the hard work – taking the time to learn about women and understanding what motivates them to order to present their brands in a meaningful way.

Yes, this can take time, and there’s no quick fix. But a woman’s b.s. meter is always on – and she knows when she’s being addressed in an authentic, sincere way. . . . and when she’s not.

What do you think – are pink products patronizing to women? Is this a desperate and dated strategy by Nokia?

On Earth Day: Doing My Best to Be a Green Mom

Being a Green Mom on Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, and that means a huge amount of green messaging will be coming at us from all directions: the media, environmental organizations and companies positioning themselves as green. Many of those making noise on Earth Day have the best of intentions, although some simply want to jump on the bandwagon to increase sales. But no matter what the reason, one thing remains true –– we must be kind to our earth.

I write this post as a mom, and not as a marketer. As someone who simply wants to ensure that the world I leave my child and family is a good one, and not one that my generation has abused and left for future generations to try and fix.

Earth Day is a teachable moment for us as moms. It’s an opportunity to educate our children. It’s also an opportunity to get on a greener path –– one that involves less single-use plastics and more recycling; less toxic products and more green ones; less electricity wasted, and more energy saved; less printing, more e-reading . . .

I look at Earth Day as an opportunity to begin an incredibly important conversation about what we can collectively do to treat the planet better –– and not just today but every day of the year. It’s a big discussion and one that offers a huge array of small solutions, the first step of which is simply joining the discussion. And so my question to everyone is: what are you doing to make a difference? All thoughts, comments and solutions are welcome.

Happy Earth Day.

Embracing My Inner Hippie : A Woman’s Life Stages

Embracing My Inner Hippie - Flower Power If I continue at this pace, I might be a full-fledged flower child by 2014. It’s been a slow transition but a clear one: I’m turning hippie. I promise you won’t run into me in the grocery store barefoot, with my floppy suede hat and bell-bottoms. No, that’s not what I mean. What I do mean is that I’m beginning to embrace something that perhaps was there all along.

My 20s and 30s were a time of accumulation. High-end home stores and high-end shoe stores were my BFFs. I had more than I could possibly use or wear. But as I moved through my 40s something kind of wonderful happened –– my world and priorities shifted. I became more comfortable in my own skin and I needed far, FAR less to make me happy. I must say, I’m truly enjoying this chapter of my life.

What does all of this have to do with marketing to women? Simple. It’s about marketers understanding a woman’s life stages, instead of the stereotypes of her chronological age. It’s about effectively speaking to her based on where she’s at in her life, and not by the date of birth on her driver’s licence. The same marketing messages that are used for women in their 20s and 30s aren’t going to work for me. I need less, I want less. But I have the money to spend on what is important to me. So, marketers take heed: this hippie has a fat wallet and a new way of thinking.

FOMO: Just Say No

FOMO: A Downfall of Social Media

Interesting article in the business section of this weekend’s New York Times about Facebook and FOMO.

Before I explain, let me say this: social media is a great thing for many audiences, including moms and marketers. A lifeline of sorts for both. Instant, easy, effective communication. But as the social media landscape moves forward fast and furiously, we’re beginning to see tiny potholes in the road to communication bliss. One such pothole is FOMO, or fear of missing out, “a blend of anxiety, inadequacy and irritation that can flare up while skimming social media like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Instagram,” according to the New York Times. In a nutshell, it’s feeling good about your life, until you find out what your friends (or frenemies) are doing — which can then send you into a downward spiral.

Like anything in life, it’s smart to proceed with a good awareness of what you’re wading into. Facebook and Twitter are no different. Check out the article, we’d love to know what you think.

Why VW’s Super Bowl Ad Struck A Cord With Moms

One of the most popular ads shown during last week’s Super Bowl was for the 2012 VW Passat. You know, the one with the child dressed up as Darth Vadar trying to use “The Force” while the Star Wars score plays.

This commercial tugged at the heartstrings of millions of parents whose children have run around their homes flailing their light sabers. I know, because I’m one of those parents. Once upon a time I had a son that age who wore the exact same costume — attemping the exact same thing. This commercial took me on a nostalgic journey back in time, and I’m grateful for that journey. Perhaps that’s why the ad instantly went viral; it mirrored a real life situation that most parents can connect with.

But it was also one of the few ads that resonated with a key consumer demographic: Moms. We all know that a large percentage of Super Bowl viewers are women, but this sporting spectacle has also become one of the biggest family events of the year — meaning many of those women are also moms.

Patty Minglin , a marketing consultant with M2M, recently pointed out several marketing-to-mom lessons marketers can learn from Volkswagen’s success:

Focus on Family. Yes, resonating with mom is a key component to any marketing-to-mom strategy, but if your brand can create a spot that resonates with mom, dad and kids — you’ve hit the marketing-to-mom trifecta. Developing a campaign with universal family appeal does more than just bring dads (and kids and even grandparents) into the conversation, it actually gives mom the opportunity to use your campaign as a way to connect with her own family.

Tell an Emotional Story. The VW ad resonates with moms because of the whimsical and heart-touching emotional story it tells, which resonates with mom consumers. Commercials like this allow women to view a brand as smart, savvy and family/mom-friendly.

Appeal to Shared Experiences. Not only do moms have shared parenting experiences, but they also have shared generational experiences — and there are moments when those two worlds collide. What mom hasn’t watched her own children run around in super hero costumes and princess crowns and not been reminded of her own childhood experience of pretending to be Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia? That is powerful messaging that transcends beyond parenthood.

Does all this really work? It appears to be working for Volkswagen. Even before the game the spot had gone viral with millions of YouTube views. It’s also ranked at the top of almost every Super Bowl ad review list, leaving Ryan Rudnansky, featured columnist for Bleacher Report, to state, “The ad is not only ingenious in setting up things for the car at the climax, but also strikes a nerve (or a funny bone) with the general public, something all great ads do.”

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