• by Tina Wells , April 8, 2016

Moms across the country are constantly navigating unknown territory and uncertain circumstances as they raise their kids, maintain a household, and juggle a variety of responsibilities. As the younger Millennials and Generation Z grow older in these homes, their mothers are working to catch up and understand their kids’ needs – in doing so, they look to various sources of information including, potentially, your brand.

As marketers continue to target moms, it is important to remember the preferences of their children. And it’s no surprise that the demographics and psychographics of those children are rapidly changing, right alongside the transforming composition of the American landscape. 

In particular, we are seeing the rise of Mash-Up culture that heavily influences the children of these moms. Millennials, and even Generation Z, are moving into and exploring different worlds. This generation is, on the whole, more eager to engage with different cultures, conversations, religions and experiences.  

For instance, take a look at the diversity of the American Millennial population. Forty-three percent of Millennials identify as non-white and 60 million Americans speak a language other than English at home. Households themselves are becoming more multicultural, as 28% of Millennials today have parents who were born outside the U.S. But even in these multicultural households, Millennial children are more inclined to identify themselves based on their varied racial and ethnic backgrounds rather than aspiring to see themselves as just “American.” Currently, 43% of Millennials identify with multiple ethnic backgrounds and our population has witnessed a 32% growth of those who identify as mixed-race since 2000 (compared with a relatively minor 9% growth of the overall population).

As we’ll reveal in our upcoming report, this “Mash Up Mania” will be particularly apparent in Millennial relationships – 37% of Millennials have a partner from a different ethnic background, 24% have a partner from a different racial background, and 36% have a partner from a different religious background. This trend extends itself even to socioeconomic status, as 49% of Millennials were raised in a different socioeconomic status than their partner.

For the moms of these Mash Up children, it is important that our brands provide them with goods and services that allow them to understand the evolving, diversifying mindsets of their children. Create tools that enable them to do so. Provide touchpoints that allow them to keep in touch with the Mash Up culture. Empower them to take part in this trend by presenting more multicultural approaches to your marketing style. 

The real key here is to tap into the Mash Up trend to effectively reach and equip Moms with the tools they need to connect with their developing children – by doing so, you will fill a major gap and play a valuable role to Moms everywhere.