How Marketing to Moms Is Like Marketing to Boomers

Marketing to Boomers

In preparing for this year’s M2Moms –The Marketing to Moms Conference, I’ve touched based with a number of the speakers to find out what’s on their minds. I’ve been struck by how much of today’s best practices for marketing to the current batch of Millennial moms can be directly applied to marketing to their Boomer mothers.

Moms are Brand-Disloyal: So are Boomers

Stacy DeBroff founded Mom Central, a consulting firm and online resource for moms and mommy bloggers. Her recent research has shown her that “Moms have become untethered in their brand loyalties, partly as a result of the Recession and partly as a result of the social media culture. Moms are willing to leave brands.

I’ve written before about the willingness of Boomers to leave brands as well. Old stereotypes assumed that brand loyalty, once gained, was never lost as consumers grew older. If that stereotype was true in the past, it isn’t any longer, for Moms or for Boomers. As women find new ways to connect with each other, they also find new brands that meet their ever-changing needs. Or, as DeBroff says, “We’re entering the age of relationship marketing and it’s fascinating but for many brands a real struggle.” The brands that win this struggle are the ones that deliver useful resources online and serve the social platforms where women connect.

Mommy Bloggers: They’re not all 30

Emily Bader from the Zocalo group is bullish on Mommy bloggers; she says that there will be 4.4 million of them by 2014. And if Bader is bullish on Mommy bloggers, I’m even more bullish on Boomer bloggers.

What does the growth of mommy bloggers have to do with Boomers? First, many of these millions of women will keep blogging as they age. So get ready for a giant wave of Boomer bloggers who keep influencing other women after they turn 50. Second, Boomer bloggers deliver the same benefits for marketers as younger Moms. They generate meaningful conversations and they share actionable recommendations around issues meaningful to other women like them. That’s what brands need, whether the blogs reaches women aged 25 or 55.

Bader says there’s no limit to the number of meaningful Mommy blogs as long as each one generates meaningful conversations. That leaves a lot of room for Boomers to launch blogs, and marketers to leverage them for results.

Marketing to Millennial Moms through their Boomer Mothers

Miriam Arond runs Hearst’s Good Housekeeping Research Institute and has been studying female consumers/readers for many years. And she sees that Boomer moms have entirely different relationships with their child-bearing daughters than they had with their own mothers.

This shift has created a new playing field for marketers. “Don’t assume there’s a generation gap” between midlife women and their grown daughters, Arond says. “Moms and their 20-somethings are listening to the same music, shopping together, talking together. What the mom thinks about a product or store really does matter to her daughter.”

The average CPG brand describes its target consumer as a “Mom.” But reaching that young mom is different than it used to be. And increasingly, it looks a lot like marketing to her own midlife mother.

Original post by Stephen Reily for MediaPost

Missoni Mayhem: Poor Planning or Poor Marketing?

Poor Planning or Poor Marketing Strategy?

Yesterday Target launched a much-anticipated collaboration with Italian luxury design house Missoni, adored by fashionistas everywhere. But three hours later the Target.com website crashed, and soon after the entire line was sold out everywhere. Today a Target spokeswoman revealed that the Missoni mayhem was unprecedented, and that goods will “continue to trickle into stores.” Other store managers around the country are noting that they are not expecting items for weeks.

I’m a loyal Target fan, and not only does this not sit well with me, it apparently isn’t sitting well with other female shoppers, who are relentlessly tweeting “Bummed,” “WTF” and “Pissed.” If Target knew it had just a limited supply of merchandise, why spend so much time and energy building the overwhelming buzz on social media sites and in traditional media? Shouldn’t they have been better prepared?

So my question is: Was this poor planning on Target’s part, or a clever marketing stunt? Has Target damaged its relationship with its loyal female customer base, or managed to build even greater anticipation for the collection?

What do you think?

Reaching Women Through the Blogosphere

This spring, BlogHer partnered with Compass Partners to do a social media benchmark study of more than 6,000 women. The results provide an interesting peek into the social media mindset of women:

According to the study, 36.2 million women actively participate in the blogosphere every week. That’s about 15.1 million actually writing blogs, and 21.1 reading or commenting on those posts. Many of these women are so passionate about blogging that large percentages of women said they would give something up to keep the blogs they read and/or write:

– 55% would give up alcohol

– 50% would give up their PDAs

– 42% would give up their i-Pod

– 43% would give up reading the newspaper or magazines

BUT, some things are sacred … only 20% would give up chocolate!

Additional survey results include:

– 24 percent of women surveyed said they watch less television because they’re spending more time blogging

– 25 percent said they read fewer magazines because they’re blogging

– 22 percent said they read fewer newspapers because they’re blogging

– More than half of women surveyed consider blogs a reliable source of information

– Half of women surveyed said blogs influence their purchase decisions

Smart marketers are building relationships with their female consumers through the blogosphere.

Check out the full study here!

We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby!

Vintage Hoover Ad

Vintage Vitamin Ad

Vintage Appliance Ad

Vintage Midol Ad

Vintage Mixer Ad

Loving the trip down memory lane with these ads depicting women in the “Mad Men” and “Leave It to Beaver” era. No discussion of political correctness or sexism — just the reality that we’ve come a long way, baby!

Preparing To Let Go

Mothers Preparing to Let Go

My son will enter high school this week. Wait a minute . . . is that really possible? What happened to my sweet baby boy who I used to rock and sing to in the middle of the night?

I have such a mix of emotions with this milestone; I’m so happy he’s growing into such a phenomenal young man, but I’m also sad to let go of the ability to protect him from everything bad in the world. I used to be able to give him mommy hugs and everything was ok.  He would hold my hand as we walked to pre-school, kindergarten, first grade and second. I was his everything and I relished those times because I knew that they would go by in the blink of an eye. And I was right.

Fortunately my son has always wanted to include me in his life. But I also know that my role as his mother will take on a new dimension this year as he becomes a young man.  I’m preparing to let go of my son, and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Protecting him from the evils of the world will soon be out of my control.

I will always support his dreams, but now they will be his dreams for himself, not mine. So, the process of letting go is beginning. I will embrace these next four years with a passion, as I know they will go flying by. I’ll cram in as many mommy hugs as I can get, and hope that he allows me to share as much of his life as possible. Most importantly, I’ll live in the present, appreciating each moment as it comes.

The Marketing Muscle of Women

Women Have Buying Power I was in a new business meeting the other day where I was discussing the immense marketing muscle of women with a brand manager. This brand manager (a man) chimed in that he didn’t necessarily buy it — he wasn’t so sure that women had the buying power that they actually do. Which might explain why his brand (as great as it is) is languishing.

I walked out of the meeting more than a bit frustrated at his assumption that his point of view was the right one. Especially since it was so wrong.

When I got back to my office, my website home page (my screen saver) was staring at me. And so I read it. The facts about the power of women as consumers are indisputable. Their collective buying power exceeds the economy of Japan. They control more than 60 percent of the personal wealth in the U.S., and account for 68 percent of all total online spending.

According to Tom Peters, one of the world’s top marketing gurus, women are the top marketing opportunity for the foreseeable future. And it’s a scientific truth that women and men see and interpret things differently – because their brains work differently. But the reality is that if a product or brand meets the needs of the women, it also exceeds the need of men. Smart marketers understand this, and are willing to look at new ways to translate their brand’s marketing messages to reach this key consumer.

So here’s the skinny: women DO make 85% of all consumer purchasing decisions. Women DO feel that marketers don’t understand them. Women DO account for $7 trillion in consumer and business spending, which is a lot of buying power. The savvy marketer (and successful brand manager) knows this.

What Does Girlpower Mean?

Girlpower and Gloria Steinem

I watched an HBO special on Gloria Steinem last night. Fascinating glimpse into how the feminist movement gained steam in the 60s and 70s and how Gloria navigated her way through it — paving the way for ALL women. Including me.

And then it struck me — the name I’d chosen for my company is really what she’s all about: girl power. The term doesn’t mean we’re better or stronger, it simply means we’re equal, and a force to be reckoned with.

There’s still a way to go on the road to equality but Gloria certainly has provided a solid start. Thanks Gloria, I’m forever grateful.

If you get the chance, watch Gloria: In Her Own Words, running on HBO for the next couple of weeks. Superb.

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?

Campaign to Watch: Milk’s “Everything I Do Is Wrong”

Guest Post by Patti Minglin, Go Girl Blog

Although articles appeared in several major media outlets (NY Times, Washington Post), there hasn’t been a lot of buzz about the latest campaign from the California Milk Processor Board. The campaign, “Everything I Do Is Wrong”, is “trying to boost sales of dairy milk to adult women by highlighting a benefit–relief of PMS symptoms.”

But, here’s the marketing to women twist: The campaign, according to an article in Marketing Daily, “ostensibly appeals to the men who have to live with the women who have PMS. And in the creative, as well as grassroots events around the campaign, it’s all about men who are grabbing up milk by the carton to bring home to their dragons, er, wives.”

We haven’t seen all the creative, but did visit the new microsite. Our question: Is this really a ‘marketing to women’ campaign?

We’re anxious to hear from all of you–what are your thoughts?

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