Introduction
The modern mom is a powerful force in consumption. Whether cool and trendy or wealthy and domestic, all moms have needs that are similar across regions, demographics, ages, income and family structure. Regardless of whether they are the primary earners in their households, they often have extensive purchasing power, making the majority of purchasing decisions on behalf of themselves, their husbands and their children. However, marketers and strategists understand that moms aren’t all the same.
Generating brand preference in moms involves determining your target mom, and finding ways to reach her where she is: online, mobile and in-person. It means finding the right moms for your brand. Is she a thrifty spender, always looking for good quality at a low price? Or is she more apt to spend on a lavish vacation for herself and her two teenage daughters?
Different industries can successfully use different appeals to reach their target moms, using a variety of strategies on a number of different platforms. The fundamental cornerstones of creating brand preference in moms are meaning and depth in associations with the brand – if brands can generate these feelings through effective marketing strategies, they will have the greatest success in introducing moms to new products and retaining them as loyal customers.
IT’S CLEAR THAT MOMS MATTER TO MARKETERS
Moms are everywhere. In the grocery store, you’ll find her sifting through the most healthy meal choices for her children. At the bank, you’ll find her managing her finances and planning for her child’s education. At nighttime, you’ll find her at dinner with friends while her children stay in with the babysitter. In every country and every continent, thousands of children are being born every day. For a large, international company, that equals thousands of potential new people to reach. Marketers can sell toys, educational tools, house goods and necessities to women who are looking for ways to make parenting just a little bit easier. Additionally, evidence shows that mothers tend to share more on social outlets, make more recommendations and offer more data to marketers in exchange for rewards. They’re also big spenders, as they may make the majority of household purchasing decisions and often do much of the shopping for common items and domestic goods.
While only 76% of women are online, 90% of moms are on online regularly, often communicating with other moms. In 2011, the buying power of moms represented a $2.4 trillion dollar market worldwide. Eighty-four percent of moms are active on social media, using sites like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr to share information about hobbies, interests and, of course, the brands they love. Women control more than 60% of all personal wealth in the United States and make 85% of consumer purchasing decisions. In three-quarters of the nation’s households, women are the primary shoppers.
