[Header image credit: Canva]
By Kathleen Colditz, EVP Consumer Engagement Strategy; Blair Zimelis, Consumer Engagement Strategist; Courtney Schier, Consumer Engagement Strategist
With Mother’s Day upon us, we wanted to take a chance to not only celebrate moms, but also acknowledge how she’s changed over time. For today’s modern moms, the label “mom” isn’t as central to their identity as it might have been for women in the past.
Although we might still think of millennials as a younger generation, they’ve started to hit major milestones. Millennial women (born from 1981-1996) accounted for 82% of U.S. births in 2016. Of millennials with kids, 83% have children in their household under 5 years old, 62% have children aged 6-11 and 37% have children 12-17 yrs old.*
The Mom Complex has debunked some misconceptions we might have…
- 75% of mothers are in the workforce, and most don’t have a choice but to work.
- Parents today spend 2x more time with their kids than previous generations.
- 80% of moms don’t know what they are having for dinner at 4 p.m.
So clearly, mom does a lot.
Today, we’re giving you a peek into the buying power of these modern moms…
A study by Child’s Play Communications, carried out by the independent research group NPD, found that moms are the primary shoppers in about 80% of families, making about two-thirds of the spending decisions. It also found that dads are getting more involved – and in several major categories – men and women share shopping decisions equally.
Families aren’t the same as they used to be.
As many as 67% of the new millennial mom segment are multicultural – half are Hispanic and most are bilingual, according to research from Carat.
Getting it right with these women is a very big deal for brands with their eye on the future because, by the year 2020, half of all children in the U.S. will be non-white.
Single moms are more likely to appreciate ads that depict working working moms, young moms and non-traditional families. Brands that can portray a variety of different types of moms have the best chance of avoiding off-putting stereotypes and connecting with their consumers in a real way.
Who do they turn to for advice?
74% of millennial moms report they are sought out more often than other friends as advisors on a wide range of topics, and have an average of 24 close friends in which to share product recommendations.
One third of moms say they use social media to learn tips and tricks from other moms.
They’re driven by values.
Millennial parents desire creativity and exploration — traits that set them apart from Xer parents. These traits, coupled with a priority on health, create a fun recipe for experimenting with their kids in the kitchen.
Meal prep is a source of fun, togetherness and recreation for millennial-led families. Even grocery shopping taps into their emphasis on discovery.
They feel misunderstood.
Three out of four moms still say companies have no idea what it’s like being a mom. And, 42% of moms born anywhere from 1980 to 1995 revealed they felt “most advertising and marketing isn’t geared towards women like [them].”
Perhaps it’s because much marketing and advertising geared towards moms is aimed at making mom’s life more efficient when, in fact, what they really want is more family time.
So, ask yourself if your brand can deliver on adding value to millennial moms’ values, keep up with technology, and then see where your product or service can solve new moms’ pain points.
Brands are changing the way they talk to moms.
Brands like Yoplait, Dove, and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese are encouraging moms to take a more laid back approach to parenting. Unilever is actively looking to break down media stereotypes of moms by addressing them as women first, moms second.
No matter what families look like, we know our moms love us just as much as they always have. And in this day and age, don’t get us started on Dad! He’s pulling his weight now too. But we’ll save that for Father’s Day.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecarter/2017/06/15/millennial-moms-the-2-4-trillion-social-media-influencer/#4262520f2261
http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/marketers-time-rethink-millennial-mom/302614/
http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/marketers-time-rethink-millennial-mom/302614/
https://iconoculture.cebglobal.com/SMART/Content/View.aspx?ContentID=431999
The Mothers of Buying Power: Millennial Moms
https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecarter/2017/05/01/marketing-to-millennial-moms-where-there-is-pain-there-is-profit/#6168c7252017
Marketing to Moms, Mintel, September 2017
* Mintel Study Respondents, May 2017; does not add to 100% because accounts for any children in the household meaning they could have answered about multiple children.
