• by Maryanne Conlin , September 21, 2011

No, I'm not talking about moms packing up their families and moving their homes; that's so-o-o 2005! The mom of today is less often packing up her family than packing up her car.

In the past few years, where and how moms get information has gone through a sea change. More moms rely on their smartphones, to call, text, check email, take pictures and get directions. This has meant moms can spend more time out of the house, whether that's in the car, at the gym or at the store. Greater use of any technology leads to finding new ways to use it. So, of course, more moms are using their phone while they shop.

According to a Bribe media study, already close to 50% of women have used their phone to get product information in-store. This includes reading product reviews, comparing prices and checking out product specific information. Moms, controlling the spending of about one-third of U.S. households, are increasing navigating the store with one eye on the kids and one eye on the screen.

But all this time, head down looking at screens, reduces the influence of brand messages in, as we would say, "the real world." Before operating in a vacuum, product packaging and point of purchase displays must now interact with the virtual world. What that means for the packaging industry is new technologically advanced materials. For display companies, new opportunities to host technology online and for brands both a world of opportunity and a complete rethink of the packaging/display process.

Technologies like QR coding are already appearing on packaging for brands large and small. The advent of near field communication (NFC) tags will bring about even greater changes and open new opportunities for retailers, credit cards, brands and consumers. M-commerce could change the role of the retail store.

This new "head-down" mom will force brands to rethink advertising strategies. What role will outdoor advertising play in this new world? How effective will traditional advertising be?

Brands who market to moms find themselves in the forefront of this movement and need to be the ones asking and answering these questions. Before we know it, the world will have once again changed, and the strategies we currently use to reach moms will be ... oh so 2011.