• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, February 25, 2015

According to the Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB,) and the BabyCenter study “2015 State of Modern Motherhood: Mobile and Media in the Lives of Moms,” millennial moms’ ownership of Smartphones in the U.S. outpaces ownership of laptop and desktop computers for the first time, and they are spending 35% more time online via their Smartphones than online via laptop or desktop computers.

In addition, millennial mom Smartphone ownership is dramatically increasing across the globe:

• 90% own Smartphones in the U.S. today, versus 65% in 2012
• 76% own Smartphones in Brazil today, versus 25% in 2012
• 94% own Smartphones in Canada today, versus 59% in 2012
• 95% own Smartphones in China today, versus 62% in 2012
• 93% own Smartphones in the U.K. today, versus 73% in 2012

Year-over-year figures clearly show that U.S. millennial moms are spending more time with media overall due to mobile (8.9 hours daily today vs. 8.3 hours daily in 2013). Today, this group’s time on mobile surpasses that of television (2.8 hours on mobile vs. 2.3 hours with TV).

U.S. millennial moms’ time spent surfing the web on computers took a tumble from 2.1 hours in 2013 to 1.7 hours in 2014, Time spent on mobile beat time online on laptops/PCs within all five countries examined.

Anna Bager, Senior Vice President, Mobile and Video, IAB, says “… moms have traditionally been a primary target for… marketers… now the primary way to reach them is through mobile… with millennials making up the majority of new moms… brands and agencies need to think of this valuable demographic as tech-savvy and mobile-first… “

According to the report, motherhood triggers new priorities when it comes to purchase decisions, sparking a substantial brand shift in a wide range of categories. In the U.S., 63% of millennial moms say that their purchase criteria for groceries/food/beverage products have changed:

52% feel similarly when it comes to cleansers/detergent

• The same when it comes to personal care/cosmetics (48%)
• Financial services (42%)
• Apparel/accessories/shoes (41%)
• Consumer electronics (35%).

Findings highlight the importance of understanding how to tailor messaging and creative across borders. Millennial mothers in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, and the U.K. said that digital ads featuring deals, sales, or money saving offers trumped ads that were relevant to their own life stage or the age of their child in getting their attention. By contrast, their counterparts in China found both types of ads equally attention-getting. There were also sharp differences expressed when it came to imagery used in digital ads. For example:

• 76% of moms in the U.S. said that visuals of a family together would be most likely to catch their eye in interactive marketing, while only 46% said the same in China
• 76% of moms in Brazil said that an image of a mom holding a baby in her arms would be more likely to get their notice, while only 64% of those in the U.K. felt similarly

More than half of all moms surveyed across all five countries said that if the sponsored articles and videos were high quality, the content would improve their perception of the brand.

“… this research with IAB brings a great deal of BabyCenter’s insights into clear focus,” concludes Julie Michaelson, Vice President, Sales, BabyCenter… “Mom’s dependence on mobile is evident… digital ads are at the forefront when it comes to capturing her attention… in the midst of discovering and embracing new brands… “

The “2015 State of Modern Motherhood: Mobile and Media in the Lives of Moms” report is available for download here.