Mom Genes: The Real Traits of Today’s Family Woman
December 28, 2009 by Nate Winter
As an avid reader of Advertising Age, I was quite interested to hear about the marketing magazine’s recently published white paper, The New Female Consumer: The Rise of the Real Mom, which it authored in conjunction with ad agency JWT. The document is composed of a great deal of hard research and the interpretation of that research by experts on marketing to women. You can download it for free here.
Overall, this white paper reinforced a number of established notions about the woman's role in the family. It confirmed that female roles are changing steadily, but slowly. The big things we already know about women’s roles in the family are still true: more women pursue careers, especially with higher levels of education and at higher incomes; women still run the household; they struggle to make time for both family and work responsibilities; they control most of the family’s spending, etc.
This report did reveal a few fresh insights about women’s roles, and they’re worthy of discussion. So without further ado...
Motherhood Gets Real
The myth of the June Cleaver female ideal-- a mother with perfect homemaking and parenting skills-- is long gone. But in the ‘80s and ‘90s it gave way to an image of the woman who is perfectly successful both at home and at work, an even more difficult ideal to live up to. This representation is still present in today’s advertising with ads like this one for Electrolux appliances starring Kelly Ripa.
According to Ad Age’s white paper, the new wisdom on the way women view their role favors reality far more than an unachievable ideal. Today’s “real mom,” as the study refers to her, accepts that being both a mother and a working professional is a constant series of trade-offs, and that there’s no way to be perfect at both. Where her mother felt guilt about “imperfect” motherhood, the real mom of today does the best she can and doesn’t sweat the small stuff.
This insight has lead to a new vocabulary for today’s female. Terms like “perfect mom” and “work-life balance” are now seen as too idealistic and less relevant compared to “core-competency mom” and “work-life effectiveness.” The core-competency mom focuses on the most important things first: family time, meals, being the chief operations officer of the family, etc. And if seeing to the family’s primary needs means that housework, errands and other less important activities fall by the wayside, so be it. Work-life effectiveness recognizes that a true balance between work and family for the working mother is impossible. Instead, it suggests that the working mother understands what trade-offs are necessary to keep both parts of her life running smoothly.
What It Means for Marketers
So now that we’ve identified some of the unique characteristics of the new female, let’s look at how they translate into reaching her as a consumer.
This demographic seeks validation (as we all do), particularly with regard to her newfound pragmatism. Brands that can speak to her realness and give her “permission” to be imperfect will resonate more with this consumer. (Ads like the Electrolux one above won’t score any points with the woman who no longer strives for perfection.)
I think a big way to do this is by addressing the trade-offs this consumer encounters and linking those trade-offs to messages of validation and reassurance. Let’s say for example that today’s woman considers her home-cooked dinner to be more nutritious and more cost-effective than dinner that’s ordered in or pre-prepared. But a home-cooked dinner is also more time-consuming, and with her busy schedule, that inconvenience is an issue. So to reach her with a more convenient alternative to home cooking, address these drawbacks to help her feel good about taking the more convenient option. Speak to benefits such as the nutrition and price/value of your dinner. But also acknowledge that she cooks a lot of meals, and reassure her that sometimes it’s okay to outsource dinner when she’s short on time.
So, yes, convenience is big. And that’s where the internet comes in. Today’s mom is no stranger to ecommerce-- she uses the web to make purchases as well as to digitally window shop before visiting brick-and-mortar retail. (For more on digital window shopping, check out last week’s article, Window Shoppers and Trustmarks: The New Insights on Ecommerce). So make your products and services available online with an updated website, and make sure they’re easy to find by investing in search engine optimization and/or a pay per click campaign.
Today’s woman also uses the web for social purposes, such as reading and commenting on blogs, and staying in touch via social networks. And despite traditional marketing, she relies on her peers for recommendations about products before buying. If the mom community is aware of your product and they like it, you stand a good chance of benefiting. Even if your marketing already includes a presence on Facebook and Twitter, you might consider working with a social media expert to make the most of it. You could hire such a person to audit your social media efforts and give you recommendations. He or she could implement those recommendations, or train an existing member of your team to handle social media responsibilities.
Note: Pomegranate offers a wide range of marketing services, including those mentioned in this article: website development, search engine optimization, pay per click campaign management and social media optimization. To learn more about how Pomegranate can create value for your business, please visit our website.
