Commentary
From Marketing Fog To Mommy Blog
- by Stephanie Azzarone , Op-Ed Contributor, March 4, 2009
There are 35.3 million moms online with children under the age of 18 -- a number projected to reach 36.9 million by 2012.
- There are only about 40 million moms, total, with children that age, across the U.S.
- Of the 36.2 million women actively participating in the blogosphere weekly as either publishers or readers, 46% -- or just over 16.5 million -- have children at home.
- 67% of moms online look for help making a purchasing decision.
- 78% of moms who blog review products.
Just as significant as the number of moms writing blogs, reading blogs and looking for advice on what to buy for their children is the psychology behind that last category. Studies show that moms are increasingly losing trust in established "experts" -- institutions and the like -- while trusting more in what other moms have to say. That trust extends beyond members of their family or immediate community to other moms -- strangers -- they meet online.
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They feel that other moms who are going through the same experiences that they themselves are, at the same time, are the only ones truly qualified to comment on what to do -- and, more importantly to mom-targeted companies, what to buy. Moms also feel that, unlike companies that want to promote their own brands, other moms have no motivation to be anything other than truthful. As a result, mom bloggers become the "go to" group, the ones other moms rely on, the opinion leaders and the purchase influencers.
"It is clear that how moms communicate and whom they trust is fundamentally changing," noted "Digital Mom," a report recently published by Razorfish and CafeMom. "Understanding how to leverage emerging technologies, and the growing social influence of the digital moms, is a critical step for marketers in a changing media landscape."
In other words, marketers: Bloggers can promote products or services more credibly than companies can on their own.
This is particularly true for reaching Gen Y moms -- women in their 20s and early 30s -- the prime target for most manufacturers of products for young children.
"Gen Y moms are much more attached to media that connects them to other moms online -- such as Internet communities, blogs and video-sharing sites -- suggesting they prefer to rely on peers rather than experts to help them parent," according to a 2008 report by from The Parenting Group and NewMediaMetrics. "The top three activities of Gen Y moms (online) are reading blogs, participating in an online community of moms, and creating and sharing their own video."
Meanwhile, the top three online activities for Gen X moms (generally, in their mid-30s through 40s) are using a photo site, rating and reviewing products, and shopping.
New vs. Old
Where, one might ask, do traditional media fall on the popularity and influence ladder in comparison? Largely, by the wayside:
- Moms spend more time online than watching TV.
- Newspaper circulation has dropped at least 30% since 1985 -- and that's a figure from well before the latest developments: Last month, The Rocky Mountain News published its last issue, while the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News filed for bankruptcy. Also of note: Only 27% of young women read a daily newspaper.
- National parenting magazines are also declining. Child magazine vanished a few years ago, and Disney Publishing's Wondertime recently announced that it was closing down. Remaining parenting publications, meanwhile, are running their own blogs.
Personally, I have no interest in devaluing traditional media -- as a former journalist and the spouse of a current one, I long for The New York Times over morning coffee and a glossy magazine to relax with on an airplane. But I am not Gen Y -- and I am realistic.
Word of mouth -- rather than newsprint -- is extraordinarily impactful among moms, and the musings of mommy bloggers fall within that umbrella. Marketers who remain skeptical about the influence of mom bloggers must acknowledge that adhering exclusively to the old ways just won't work.
Companies must recognize that their own lack of understanding of how to work with this increasingly influential channel can no longer serve as an excuse not to. This is especially true in this economy, when it's more critical than ever to reach moms where they live, which -- no doubt about it -- is in the blogosphere.
I think this is spot on. I am 36, just out of the Gen Y category, and a mom of nearly 4 (due in May). I spend a great deal of time online, I do read blogs, I do look for reviews, and I rarely watch the television news or read the paper other than for business purposes. Most of my news I get online. Companies who still think a TV ad alone will reach 26-yr-old Moms are living in the past... a distant past, at that.
Can you tell your stats' source?
Thanks
GF
Very cool you have your own newsletter now! I love the Mommy bloggers...
Your premise is a given. There are millions of Mommy blogs and even Mommy blog networks. The questions you don't address are: a) which ones have sufficient reach? b) what are our micro-targeting options? c) how can we distinguish between mom's who rant and mom's who influence? and d) how can we assess reliability and scalability for our clients?
We've been working with www.ourcutebabies.com, a family-friendly "myspace for moms" site. We have found that despite women having considerable clout in the day to day buying decisions that are made, the ad money targeting this group still lags. We can argue about the reasons why. There are many, ranging from how to reach this group in a cost effective way to the attitudes from the "good old boys" still managing and dictating ad budgets.
But think about who has the final say generally speaking when it comes to buying a house, a car, furniture, sending the kids to a private school, etc... If the mom does not agree it does not usually happen. There is not only power in numbers, there is power in influencing the purchase.
Gustavo, I'm happy to source many of these stats for you, www.bsmmedia.com and www.marketingtomoms.com.
As the author of "Mom 3.0: Marketing with Moms by Leveraging Social Media and New Technologies", I warn marketers that connecting with moms requires an integrated marketing plan. Only 40% of moms are blogging (either reading or writing them) which means there's another 60% of moms who you need to reach via influencer programs, grassroot events and other initatitves. For additional research www.marketingtomoms.com and don't forget to join the Marketing to Moms Coalition www.marketingtomomscoalition.org
As an author and publisher of a children's picture book, other Mommy bloggers have been extremely inluential in the success of my book and CD, The Travel Adventures of Lilly P Badilly Costa Rica. A great review from an influential Mommy Blogger leads to a lot of traffic and buzz. But the best part and nicest surprise of being an author/blogger is developing excellent partnerships and friendships with moms all over the country. We are all connected, and we help each other out. The influence of the written blog entry, combined with word-of-mouth promoting among mothers is more powerful than you can imagine.
People don't trust advertising. According to the highly respected consumer research group, Yankelovich, 76% of people think companies DON'T tell the truth in ads. And thus, they are turning more and more to each other for knowledge. Moms who blog are leading this movement. They are respected because what they writing is honest, credible, relevant, and often entertaining.
Lisa - you said:
... if I read this right it says 90% of ALL moms in the US blog or read blogs weekly (36 million of the 40 million moms in America) --seems very, very high
The right stat is 41% (16.5 million /40 million) which seems to match your statistics...no?
I agree with several who have commented about understanding reach and which bloggers are key influencers versus merely entertaining.
I also think we need a conversation about impressions - and how a blogger outreach strategy can tie into a social media strategy to maximize impressions.
Reaching Moms online goes beyond just bloggers!
Stephanie and I have been working together to develop a strategic social media program that uses current and emerging social media networks to work in synergy with blogger outreach programs - many more moms are users of social media than are bloggers - how we use the most popular ones to deliver brand messages will be key to developing an effective IMC campaign in the coming years.
How great to get this degree of response to my article on mommy bloggers– thank you! Let me address the several questions about stats. I have no doubt that one can find different figures from different researchers, but I’m happy to share my own sources with you.
• “There are 35.3 million moms online with children under the age of 18 -- a number projected to reach 36.9 million by 2012.” This is from e Marketer, 2008.
• “There are only about 40 million moms, total, with children that age, across the U.S.” This figure results from a call I made personally to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2008. I had long questioned the relevance of the figure that marketers consistently used to describe the size of the U.S. mom market – 75 million. In fact, that figure refers to ALL American moms --- including 80-year-old mothers of 50-year-olds, which are not the target demographic for my clients. Thus the 40 million, which is the approximate number of mothers with children at home.
• “Of the 36.2 million women actively participating in the blogosphere weekly as either publishers or readers, 46% have children at home.” From the BlogHer Compass Partners Report, presented at the 2008 BlogHer Business Conference, which I attended. The “just over 16.5 million” moms reference is our conservatively rounded-off math for 46% of 36.2 million.
• “67% of moms online look for help making a purchasing decision.” From Opinion Research Corporation for America Online, 2004. Given the age of that research, I would suspect this is a conservative number for today, and would be interested in learning about any creditable updates.
• 78% of moms who blog review products. From Mom Central Consulting, 2008
A note to Lisa from Forrester Research who understood the article to say that 36 million of 40 million moms blog – no; what I actually said was that 16.5 million moms read or post blogs, and that 36.2 million women total – with and without children – take part in the blogosphere.
I am an owner of a child care center and a mommy of three. Trust me when I say that Mommies do look towards other mommies on, not only advice on motherhood but, advice on products they may use, this starts to occur as soon as a mommy knows that she has a bun in the oven. I have been feeling like a personal marketer for many companies for the past 12 years that I have been in the realm of mommy hood!
Mommies though, in my opinion, are more cautious in purchasing of items compared to five years ago. They are making sure that they will get every pennies worth. One of many examples: I have a client who actually asked my opinion on which type of light up crib toy she should purchase for her 4 month old, she even went as far as emailing me her options. She feels in my case that experience matters. Both items where under $30.
It is wise that companies look towards mommies on the web to market, blogging is the "new thing" that is being talked about on the play ground, I have actually my self told other mommies to "Google it" when they have a question about a product! Another example: a mother of a two year old who was ready to purchase a big girl bed, asked if she should buy the new Dora toddler bed or jump to a twin bed? My response "Google it". I honestly was just to tired to respond after a 12 hour day with 14 babies!
http://mommywarriors-monnick.blogspot.com/
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