Recent commercials for Procter & Gamble's Tide don't show mom in the laundry room. They show a pregnant woman spilling ice cream on her favorite shirt, or a mother wearing well-fitting light-colored
pants as she plays in the park with her child. That's no accident. It's part of a trend among marketers to focus on the needs of mothers rather than on their offspring. P&G, the Kentucky Fried Chicken
subsidiary of Yum Brands, and many other companies have set up advisory councils or Internet networks of mothers, to determine how they view themselves and their lives, and where products fit in. One
theme that has cropped up often is that mothers feel their own identities have become lost in their zeal to cater to their kids. Studies have shown that decisions on family purchases once thought to
be the purview of fathers--what cars to buy, what telecommunications systems to use--are increasingly made by mothers. If advertising can make them feel empowered, not just martyrs to their families,
they are more likely to form an emotional attachment to the brand.
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