top ten mom marketing trends as we enter 2012

© Mom Central Consul/ng, Inc. 2011

2011 proved a watershed year for recogni/on of the power of Mom Marke/ng. What changed? Moms’ overwhelming embrace of social media and the profound impact of the recommenda/on culture on their consumer purchasing behavior. As this evolu/on took place, we saw a number of trends emerge in the Mom Marketplace through our research studies and work with Mom influencers. As we enter 2012, here’s our Top 10 list of Mom Marke/ng Trends:

The New Brand Dis‐loyal Mom: With a stagnate economy and lingering concerns about a recovery, Moms shiIed long‐held consumer habits in 2011. Families con/nued to make due with exis/ng household goods, and when Moms made purchases, they appeared open to exploring new brands – forgoing ones they added to their shopping carts for years. Clearly, brand loyalty appears to have lessened its hold on Moms as 89% say they like to try new products and brands, and just 50% describe themselves as brand loyalists.

1!89%!}What

Loyalty?

A New Openness Toward Personal Topics: Tradi/onally, marketers have struggled to find Moms willing to discuss personal topics openly. Yet this year we saw evidence that Moms feel more comfortable addressing personal issues in social media forums – in fact, 75% of women report being willing to discuss health or medical issues on social networking sites. This new sense of openness encourages Moms to seek informa/on from other Moms and share their experiences with millions of other women.

2!75%!

Economic Woes Spark Up@ck in Couponing: The na/on’s economic woes con/nue to affect American

families – from all walks of life – and increasingly mo/vate new purchasing behaviors. But while more and more Moms rely on saving money via coupons, the success of a couponing promo/on

and its ability to convert new consumers into advocates relies on the brand’s ability to find Moms’ /pping point. For most Moms, coupons that save them more than 50% will inspire them to try an item they haven’t used previously.

3!Save 50

%!

Rise of the Online Recommenda@on Culture: One of the biggest Mom Marke/ng trends centers around the rise of the Online Recommenda/on Culture. Moms’ eager par/cipa/on in social media translates into blogs, Facebook, and TwiZer becoming the new “picket fence,” where Moms make connec/ons, hear trusted recommenda/ons, and gain first‐person perspec/ve. And while we’ve always lived in a recommenda/on culture, in 2011 we saw how social media becomes the conduit for Moms to easily develop a network of trusted advisors and tap into them for their experiences and insights. New research shows that 90% of Moms trust products more aIer hearing about them from friends and 82% read product reviews online before buying a brand they haven’t tried yet.

4!

Top 10 Mom Marketing Trends As We Enter 2012

December 2011!


Skep@cism Grows Along with Moms’ Social Media Savvy: While Moms con/nue to incorporate social media into their lives in overwhelming numbers, they remain skep/cal toward brands going through the social media “mo/ons.” For example, a simple tweet won’t do it, as just 5% of Moms believe tweets have a strong impact on their purchasing. Likewise, just 3% of Moms say targeted ads on their social networks strongly mo/vate them to make a purchase. If brands use social media, Moms want them to be fully engaged.

5!Get

Engaged!

Social M

edia Savvy

Skep

/cism

Emergence of Genera@on Mom: Through a major research study issued this year by Mom Central Consul/ng, we saw the introduc/on of Genera/on Mom. This research showed that once a woman enters “Genera/on Mom,” she finds herself most closely linked with Moms of all genera/ons. Moreover, being a Mom transcends both genera/on and age of children. Regardless of whether a Mom fits into the Boomer, Gen X, or Gen Y category, certain universal truths emerge about her beliefs on topics ranging from paren/ng to social media usage to purchasing behaviors.

6!

Mom‐iza@on of Mobile: 2011 may be remembered as the year where apps – for Smartphones and tablets alike – exploded into the mainstream of Moms’ increasingly busy lives. Most Moms pepper their Smartphones with apps – 51% of Moms have downloaded 16+ apps, and 43% say they have 3 to 5 apps they only used once. Moms also have their favorite app categories – with 82% downloading social media apps, 80% favoring games, and 79% downloading entertainment apps. Moreover, 59% of Moms say cost remains the most important factor in app selec/on.

7!82%

79% 80%

Recogni@on of Similari@es Among Moms: In 2011, we saw marketers gaining a beZer understanding of the commonali/es that exist among Moms – regardless if a Mom stays at home with her kids or works outside of her home. Brands increasingly develop products that address issues faced by all Moms — /me constraints, organiza/onal challenges, etc. — and Moms then respond to these themes, based on their own situa/on. For example, one Mom may head to the freezer sec/on at the end of the day to pick up a quick dinner because she spent her day shuZling kids to ac/vi/es and doctor appointments, while another Mom may do the same because she leI the office later than expected.

8!


December 2011!



December 2011!

Home & Hearth Reigns: Interest and engagement con/nues in all things related to home décor – 80% of Moms surveyed read magazines, 68% turn to TV shows, and 43% read design blogs. But, as in many areas we saw in 2011, the economic situa/on con/nues to make an impact. More and more DIY work takes place during home renova/ons – 86% for smaller jobs like shelf installa/on or pain/ng; 58% for bigger jobs such as plumbing or electrical work – and 75% of Moms say they’ll spend less this year on home décor and renova/ons.

Technology Spawns New Paren@ng Challenges: Even though 74% of Moms let their children regularly play on their Smartphone and increasingly rely on apps, games, and tablets to keep kids occupied while traveling or wai/ng for appointments, many Moms now see that our “digital na/ves” need limits when it comes to technology. From kids engaged in non‐stop tex/ng to tweens cocooned in their own private playgrounds, these ever‐present technological tools have created unexpected paren/ng challenges at home, at school, and during tradi/onal family /mes such as holidays.

9!

10!

DIY Home Renovation 86%

58%

Looking to reach Moms? Let’s talk! www.momcentralconsul/ng.com | 617‐244‐3002 | [email protected]

top ten mom marketing trends as we enter 2012

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