Many moms used to stay home and watch soap operas while they cleaned the house, taking in ads for Dove and Johnson and Johnson (hence the “soap”). But today’s moms are much more dynamic: they have access to online tools, and they use them to fight feelings of isolation and maintain relationships — the rise of Facebook, Twitter and blogs have given moms a place to congregate, share opinions and build friendships. So, for brands, earning a mom’s attention and trust can be a gold mine and a path to other moms. But how do you do it?
Mashable spoke with several experts with plenty of experience marketing to moms:
Catherine Connors, director of community and social good at Babble
Samantha Cescau, strategy director at BBH
Kevin Burke, founder of Lucid Marketing, who’s worked with Disney, AOL, baby brunch, tinyprints
Stacy DeBroff, founder of MomCentral
Read on to find out what moms love, what they hate and what you should do to win their approval and loyalty.
1. Look at What Works
There are always commercials that get people talking — pay attention to what it is that makes people love them so much. Cescau says BBH routinely asks women what advertising is resonating with them. She says that recent wins in the mom sector have been Google Chrome’s Dear Sophie spot (“It really hits home” for moms, she says), and Volkswagen’s The Force ad (above) gets a lot of votes. Even though it’s old, the Toyota Swagger Wagon still appeals to moms, and Best Buy’s “Game On, Santa” spot did well in recent weeks. Look at what these have in common — there’s a theme of family and sentimentality, but there’s also humor and a depiction of mom as a do-it-all badass. Moms aren’t so busy that they’re averse to humor, so don’t be afraid give them a chuckle. “To some extent, you’re looking for entertainment, so ads that break through and are entertaining are appreciated,” Cescau says.
2. Tug at the Heartstrings
The Dear Sophie Chrome ad (a BBH client) touches on “true parenting insights that strike an emotional cord,” says Cescau. It plays on the “they grow up so fast” mantra of parenthood, features an adorable baby and evokes nostalgia. The 92-second ad helps moms relive parenthood milestones, like when their babies took their first steps, giggled with glee and spent the night with a fever.
Hallmark recently ran a spot that featured a soldier opening up a book that records your voice so the kid can listen to the parent reading it. But Hallmark “flipped the script,” says Burke. Since dad’s away from the family for the holidays, the kids recorded their voices reading the book.
3. Make It Snappy
We know, moms are busy. Therefore, if you’re looking to engage a mom, keep it brief. It’s better to have a 30-second spot than a minute-long one that she turns off halfway through. “Moms appreciate and value efficiency,” says Burke, adding that brands should respectful of a mom’s time on all platforms — advertisements, Facebook games, online and on the telephone with customer service. Better yet, make it snappy and useful. The website Tinyprints let moms send cards from Santa Claus — they would go on the site to buy cards, personalize them with the kids’ name, and then a few weeks later, little Joey gets a card from Santa. “There was a real surprise element” when the cards arrived, says Burke, who’s worked with Tinyprints.
4. Don’t Stereotype
Soccer moms. Helicopter moms. Wired moms. Boomer moms. Gen Y moms. These are some of the terms marketers use to define their target market. But would a mom ever describe herself as any of these? Probably not. So don’t pigeonhole them. Too often, advertising depicts moms as either a frazzled, frenetic mess or a Desperate Housewives-esque model of perfection. In reality, moms lie somewhere in the middle of this continuum.
“There are probably a million stock photography images you can dig up of a mom feeding a baby with a bottle while at the computer doing work in a suit,” says Cescau. “But I personally find that much of the portrayal of moms in advertising and in media is really stereotypical and a bit of a turn-off.”
Burke agrees: “Too many marketers don’t appreciate the diversity of moms out there … and things can go awry in the creative process” if you focus on one particular angle.
5. Be Real
Moms put up with a lot of crap throughout the day, and the last thing they want to do is come across an ad that presents them with more crap. “Mothers appreciate honesty and realism in communications, and they want to be treated as intelligent and smart and more than just a mom,” says Cescau. A mom is a wife, a sister, a coworker and more — and she wants to be acknowledged in each of these roles. Lastly, realize that, in most cases, dad isn’t just bringing home the bacon while mom takes care of the kids. Often, the parents work together, and Cescau advises brands to be respectful of that partnership and not portray dad as “the dumb fall guy.”
6. Make Plays on Facebook
Social media connect moms (and mom bloggers), leading to a snowball effect that will help a brand find success, says Burke. Facebook is the social platform where moms tend to spend the most time, and often where they go to share or consume information about brands and products. Therefore, Cescau says Facebook is best for a mainstream audience, while Twitter targets a more affluent, tech-savvy mom. This high-tech mom can be used as an influencer (see “Moms Talk” below), but Twitter might not be the best way to get to an average mom.
But while social media is a cost-efficient way to engage consumers, it doesn’t come without risks. You don’t want to reach out to more consumers than you can handle, or else you’re setting yourself up for failure. “It’s important to understand the risk profile — you don’t want to inadvertently spread negative word of mouth,” says DeBroff.
7. Moms Talk, So Talk with Them
“Anything that comes from a brand is inherently bias,” says DeBroff. “Even if a brand brings on a celebrity or a medical expert, moms don’t feel like this person is genuine.” But if they hear it from another mom, whether it’s one you know and trust or one who wrote an Amazon review, a mom will be more compelled to purchase (or not purchase, depending on the review) the item. And, DeBroff says, these recommendations really do translate into purchasing behavior. So the challenge for brands is getting moms on your side, getting them to talk to other moms about your product and helping these other moms “distether” from their current brand loyalties to come on board with your brand.
And mommy bloggers can be a great tool for doing so — they’re a huge force in the marketing world. But don’t think you can just cold call a mommy blogger and expect a sales increase. Mom bloggers are all about building relationships, and brands can’t think of their work with mommy bloggers as a “campaign,” per se — it needs to be viewed as a mutually beneficial relationship.
Don’t just focus on Klout score — try to work with the people who are most relevant for your brand. “There’s a whole ecosystem, and these moms are connected to each other,” says Burke. “Influential moms are linked, and when a brand resonates with her and her audience, that shows up on the radar of other influential moms.” So, instead of focusing on one-way conversation that marketers have traditionally done, you have to focus on having a conversation and building a relationship. “Look at it more as a holistic relationship from a communications standpoint than ‘which mom should we work with today?’” says Burke.
Connors says mom bloggers are always looking for something new and fresh. Which is why the Land’s End Swimsuit Confidence Week was a success. “It was a great contest that encourages body confidence, and it didn’t play on the usual stereotypes of moms who are frumpy and ones that want to be MILF-y,” says Connors. “It engaged the bloggers in a very effective way by getting them into a swimsuit, which is interesting, because it asks them to do something risky.”
What campaigns have you seen that have marketed well to moms? Let us know in the comments.
Author: Lauren Drell
Source: mashable.com
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