For the love of mums

Look out marketing world – mums are in charge. Gone are the days when a campaign for products for ‘mums’ was limited to a TVC and an ad in Women’s Weekly. To get through to mums today you have to get high tech.

Mums are now more likely to be trawling online for bargains than collecting coupons.

According to recent research, mums are the centre point of all buying decisions, from weekly food options to home loans and stock options.

Mums marketing expert Michele Miller, whose work in this space is respected worldwide, estimates that there are approximately 65 million mums in the US, ranging in age from 18 to 61, controlling about $1.7 trillion in purchasing power (related to direct spending with regard to their family).

Research from Venus Advertising reveals that women are responsible for 90 percent of groceries coming into the home, 85 percent of household goods, 50 percent of DIY, 90 percent of over the counter pharmaceuticals and 75 percent of banking and finance decisions; however, campaigns targeting mums in these areas, especially in the financially related areas, are few and far between.

In Australia, sampling and branding company, Retail Activation, has found that more than half of grocery shoppers (approximately 53 percent) are mums, so to this end the company’s managing director, Clare McGlashan, believes that the best people to market directly to mums are mums themselves.

“Our experience is that mothers generally put a lot of effort into selecting a product or a service and require sufficient information to make an informed decision, and the sampling business is probably the most effective way to do it. We all know that mums have many demands in their time; they prefer solutions that will enrich or ease their lives.”

A company that has made the buying power of mums its primary concern is Brand Power. We all know the jingle, the same lady giving us information on products that will make our kids stronger and our toilets smell good. But, as Rick Hargreaves, Brand Power’s global sales director, explains, it’s the knowledge of the power of mums that keeps the company ticking.

“I’d say the mums’ marketing is important because they’re the gatekeeper. For us, marketing to mums is about increasing permissibility – for the vast majority of FMCG for kids, getting mums to increase permissibility is key. [Brand Power] has this credibility and this relationship with mums where they find us to be a trustworthy source because of our ads, while not completely devoid of emotion, are purely focussed on features and benefits. We’re not really offering an opinion; we’re allowing mums to make up their own minds.”

Sarah Salter from agency The Saltmine couldn’t agree more. In her past life as a senior brand manager for Uncle Toby’s Roll-ups, she visited a Kids’ Power Marketing Conference that included a guest speaker (Dave Siegal from US Company the WonderGroup) who explained the new concept of the four-eyed, four-legged consumer – mums and kids as one force.

“We know that it’s been many years since mums have started to hit the workforce and are no longer solely stay-at-home homemakers,” says Salter. “While this is true and very relevant to marketing to kids, it was some other key things he spoke of that really made me start to think about mums differently. For example, today over 30 percent of mums from Generation X have kids with tattoos!”

But what makes marketing to mums (M2M) any different to any other type of marketing? If it is better to get to mums through their kids, why waste money on research and creative that caters to a mother’s sensibility? Sean Sands, research fellow with the Australian Centre for Retail Studies at Monash University, believes that at its core, M2M is no different to marketing to any other group of people, although there are three issues worth noting.

“First, it is not possible to assume that a family is ‘typical’ in the traditional sense of the word. These days, with divorce, single parents, step-parenting and more single mums, there is no such thing as the typical family. This means that it may not be the ‘mum’ that needs to be marketed to,” says Sands.

“Second, different to marketing to other individuals, marketing to mothers (or parents) can be channelled through the child as a surrogate.

“Third, parents like to project their own feelings for the types of products purchased by mothers – take the rising baby organics market, in both food and non-food products.”

It’s no secret that the M2M market is the most lucrative – mums are the centre of all our lives: dads, sons, daughters. As Bec Brideson, partner and creative director of Venus Advertising (an agency that specialises in campaigns aimed at women) points out, mums have influenced our buying decisions since we were born.

“If you open up your pantry you’ll probably see that you’ve bought some brands because they existed in your childhood home – you’ve got no other reason than mums did it that way.

“Mums are so powerful they also have have the power to influence generations and my mum probably had them in the pantry because her mum did. My mother as a grandmother has things in her pantry that my child will say ‘Well Nanny’s got that one so I want that one.’ Mum is the really powerful force; her decision-making power is very strong”.

In Brideson’s experience mums are really good at researching; they listen and follow advice on blogs. The way hey process information is by weighing it up rationally and emotionally.

“That’s not to say that mums don’t buy emotionally, because most people do, but they do temper it with some rationale – if I want to buy a car, I want the Ford territory because... it has rear sensors and it has the child safety locks and the sort of things which help their emotive decisions.”

Brideson is quick to assert, however, that it’s all about understanding the category for those objectives; for example, if an agency sticks a photo of a kid into a campaign to resonate with mums without the right message, that’s what she would term ‘pink washing’.

What is that, I hear you say? Pink washing is a term Brideson has coined for when brand campaigns pledge a feminine approach directed to mums, but in actual fact are rehashing the same ads they would show to anyone – pseudo-M2M as it were.

“I used to say that companies would splash a bit of pink on something and claim to be marketing to women. That might be something like Ford running its ads during Desperate Housewives, and saying, ‘Look we’re marketing to women.’ I know things have gotten better, but when I first started I think that Ford specifically had done a whole lot of media placement that was clever, but the packaging probably wasn’t right for females.”

An example that Brideson gives is the Ford Focus TVC with Jackie O and Andrew G that ran during episodes of Sex in the City – a campaign she believes wasn’t about marketing to women, nor did it show choice for mums.

Other typical pink washing examples include companies that randomly decide to sponsor people-friendly initiatives, such as breast cancer research, but refuse to back mum-related initiatives, such as Child Wise, a charity that educates parents and supports the victims of sexual abuse.

“It affects one in three girls who will be sexually abused and one in five boys, and the ongoing effect of sexual abuse is drugs, prostitution, crime, suicide and all of these other things that affect society – no one will sponsor that, but everyone will sponsor breast cancer,” she says.

‘There are fewer women suffering from breast cancer than there are children being sexually abused, but it’s almost more acceptable to put a pink ribbon on something than it is to really throw yourself into something that is all about mums protecting their children.”

Despite the presence of pink washing and brands’ reluctance to associate themselves with taboo, mum-related subjects, there are those who believe that changing attitudes within the industry means that M2M is becoming more about what mums want, as opposed to what agencies think mums need.

Brand Power’s Rick Hargreaves thinks that fundamentally consumers respond to stimuli the same way around the world.

“That’s why you see the big FMCG guys do global creative. All they do is a different voiceover for each market, but fundamentally they’re sticking to the same ad on air everywhere on the assumption that consumers respond to stimuli... I think that M2M around the world is based on the same principles”.

DOING IT WRONG

If mums are dissatisfied, are the big agencies getting it wrong? While Michele Miller acknowledges that there is no established technique to market to mums, the campaigns that work are the ones that conduct extensive research to get to know mums from the inside out, spend a long time figuring out all the possible questions they may ask when encountering a product or service, and create a message that has impact, answers questions and does so in the language of the motherhood environment.

“Creating the message is one of the most difficult parts – all too often companies fall into the trap of stereotyping mums and assessing that they know how mums think and talk. I’d say 99 percent of the time they get it wrong,” says Miller.

Ultimately, what brands want is mums’ loyalty, to stand by their brand, but the research shows that it has to swing both ways. If you think about your own pantry, how much of it is stuff your mum used to stock? While mums will pass on iconic brands from generation to generation (think Vegemite, Milo, etc.), the times have changed and mums want more of a commitment from their brand.

Amanda Stevens, managing director of SheMarketing (part of the Splash Consulting Group), is adamant that for a brand to command a mum’s loyalty, it has to stand true to what mums actually want.

“Trust is obviously a big factor for mums and they have zero tolerance for brands that are not authentic in their claims. Mums today are far more interested in ingredients in products than ever before and they are more aware of the implications of certain ingredients. This is why there was such a heavy backlash against Kerry Armstrong’s campaign for Coca-Cola or the Monica Trapaga campaign for Coco Pops – mums see this approach as misleading or deceptive.

On the flipside, Stevens thinks a campaign such as Coles supermarkets’ ‘Tested by mums’ is fantastic, because it is simple, transparent and places mums at the very centre of the family – choosing what’s best for her children in a very real way. She asserts that modern mums are loyal to brands that save them time, help them multi-task and recognise their busy lives.

And Bec Brideson agrees – while there are mums that are older or younger, from different backgrounds or family arrangements, something that they all have in common is that their children would all turn one at some point, something that agencies and brands should focus on when constructing a campaign. Agencies and brands shouldn’t categorise mums as a ‘GenXer’ or a ‘GenYer’, rather they should view these mums as a segment via their children’s age.

“I signed up to a baby website when I was pregnant and going through pregnancy, that gave me a weekly update as to where my pregnancy would be at and I stayed loyal to that site because it went on the journey of my pregnancy with me. Now I’m part of that community. I was then asked to be involved in a sampling promotion where I gave my opinion, a technique I find is very valuable-they wanted to hear from me, what I thought about the product, which is a brilliant marketing tool’, says Brideson.

But it’s not just the message – Rick Hargreaves stresses that there is more to the M2M sector; including making sure that the creative completed for the campaign is to the point and not patronising. He believes there’s no point having a wonderful, warm, fuzzy ad if it doesn’t tell you how the product or service works or what it does and why it does it.

“Some brand ads, whether marketing to mums or otherwise, are completely off the mark in terms of relevance to the consumer. Take laundry detergent it’s a pretty low involvement category as most FMCG’s are, and there are these massive emotive ads that go nowhere. Just tell me it’s going to clean my clothes and, good, I’ll get on with it.

“I just think that too much money is blown on poor, highly emotive ads that don’t do the job, that don’t really make you feel better about the brand, nor do they tell you about it. I’m not against brand advertising when it’s done well. Take Mortein and Louie the Fly – created by author Bryce Courtney – it’s a fantastic campaign and it’s been going for years and years.”

Mums are driven by this want to be treated with respect and intelligence. According to Monash University’s Sean Sands, research has suggested that mothers want four things from companies: to help them educate their child, to not market unhealthy foods to children, to market healthy food to their children and to offer healthy alternatives or suggestions on their menus.

“McDonalds is one company in the food space that has taken this on board and attempted to re-engage its client base while expanding to a new generation with the likes of the healthy options and the McCafé offer.”

INFORMATION OVER ENTERTAINMENT

After taking into consideration what mums don’t want to see, what are the best channels to get through to mums? It should be acknowledged that mums are difficult to reach because they are busy juggling multiple roles, so engaging with mums on the move is something that marketers are going to have to consider much more closely.

As Amanda Stevens explains, if mums are purchasing for their family, then it is best to speak to them within that environment. That’s why radio is often a great option – she spends a lot of time in the car. But for the best direct results, it’s hard to go past the ‘online mum’ revolution. Essential baby, for example, is one of Australia’s largest online communities for women – it has 141,000 members who leave over 10,000 posts a day.

“Our research indicates that mums are turning more and more to other mums for advice on brand and product choices. There are certain online communities that are great options because they are a very active and involved medium. When you connect women to each other what you do is strengthen the connection they have to your brand. Tapping into mothers’ groups and other mini-communities is a must.

Stevens believes that these and other word of mouth initiatives will prove to be very powerful for brands that get it right. Her company runs an initiative called Shevesdrop, forums for women set up in an informal dinner environment designed for them to relax and have the opportunity to talk to other mums about campaigns that work for them.

“We conduct these groups every fortnight and discuss broad lifestyle topic relevant to the current economic climate and broader consumer trends. Subscribers have an opportunity to submit questions, so it is a great ‘ideas generator’, and is a powerful gauge for what is making women buy and what drives brand loyalty.”

Stevens goes on to explain that when you make mums the advertisers, they become advocates. Women’s’ media in general is undergoing massive change, so marketing to women is no longer about full-page ads and 30 second TVCs.

“As marketers, we are going to have to put more time, effort and creativity into media planning. It’s time we forgot about reach, frequency and tarps and started factoring in more environmental factors. The ‘mood I am in’ and ‘who I am with at the time of consuming a message’ can have a much greater impact than reach and frequency.”

Additionally, there are other elements that come into play. Bec Brideson suggests that mums respond to pictures of children, large faces and similar emotive imagery – the more humanity, the more likely you are to get a response. Since more women want to build communities they’re more likely to be concerned with aesthetics, altruism, connecting and creating order.

Another major element that mums want in campaigns is information – whether a product is good for their family, whether a service is safe for their children, etc. With this information mums have the power to make a brand purchase decision based on the needs of their family. And not all families fall into the same box.

“Mums are looking for a solution, ‘a better for you’ story perhaps – am I going to make my kids eat 100 percent wholegrain cereal and bread that’s completely unprocessed with pure butter?” explains Rick Hargreaves.

“We’ve seen a real trend in FMCG’s over the last 10 years globally, a ‘better for you’ sort of path. We’re not saying that it’s healthy; what we’re saying is that it’s not as bad as it was. For example, chips aren’t cooked in fat; they’re cooked in cholesterol free oil. We’ve seen that trend happen quite a lot, and so when talking to mums there’s a lot of ‘Hey this isn’t 100 percent wholegrain cereal but at least your kids are going to eat breakfast.’”

Garnering trust is exceedingly important when getting through to mums. Any sense of deceit and brands will lose them. Sarah Salter knows as well as anyone that when a brand gets a mums’ loyalty, it generally has it for life.

“In the case of snacks – whether it was muesli bars or Roll-Ups – the key was to build trust for mums in the purchase decisions they were making for their kids. Everything was a balancing act. They want to be seen as a good mum and for this reason it is important that they are providing snacks that are considered nutritious for their kids – not just by them, but by everyone else as well.

“On the flip side they want their kids and their kids’ friends to see them as a cool mum and this is where the roll of treat products like Roll-Ups comes into play. Bottom line: it was also important that whatever they put in their kids’ lunch boxes didn’t come home at the end of the day.”

TOUGH TIMES, TOUGH DECISIONS

The economic downturn has encouraged mums to tighten everyone’s belts when it comes to household spending. A report initiated by Practical Parenting magazine on the grocery habits of mums (entitled ‘A is for Apple’ ) found that 75 percent of the study’s respondents had experienced an increase in their weekly grocery bill of up to $100 since having children, while the remaining 25 percent had experienced an increase of over $100.

Practical Parenting editor, Mara Lee, believes that when belts are tightened, the local supermarket becomes mums’ second home.

“It’s the simple reason that feeding and changing nappies becomes your prime occupation – you don’t want to run out of the essentials needed to perform these functions. Parents also tend to spend more time at home after the baby’s born, which means more meals are cooked, more dishes need washing and more loads of washing need to be done.

“Our survey backs up what we knew anecdotally from our readers – that the real cost of having a baby or toddler is brought home to families when they reach the supermarket checkout each week.”

Using available figures sourced primarily from the US, Bec Brideson indicates that 12 percent of mums believe they will not change their income, 52 percent have admitted to cutting back their spending and 29 percent have eliminated any spending that is for their own personal lifestyle.

“They have started reassessing their current spending habits which, because mum is generally the minister for the household spending, she will be doing right now. If marketers want mums to be loyal to their brand they need to be addressing this kind of research now.”

Sean Sands, however, believes that marketing to mums can, in part rely on common sense and traditional values rather than stereotypes.

“Like most consumers, mums want value for money, good service and quality at the right price. They want products and brands that reflect their day-to-day needs, are practical and help make their lives easier. So long as marketers can meet these needs there will be little need for a total redefinition of the way in which mums are marketed to.”

Amanda Stevens thinks that word of mouth will emerge to be the biggest change. As many brands are already seeing fantastic results from this and particularly given the economic climate we are heading into – brands that have talkability will be the most recession-proof. The most powerful marketing outcome that any brand could hope for during economic times is getting talked about at dinner parties, mothers’ groups and at the school gates.

Despite the dire predictions on the economy and suggestions that mums will curb their spending, Michele Miller is confident that this space will weather the storm best.

“The good news is that the mums’ market isn’t going anywhere; in some ways, its recession-proof.

But when things get tight, businesses need to make sure they’ve planted their brand in the brains of female consumers so that they’re the first business a woman thinks of when needing a particular product or service.”

And, for the majority of agencies and businesses, that means some hard work upfront. Miller encourages them to complete extensive behavioural research – not just talking focus groups – on the mums’ market and have real conversations with a variety of women in order to find out what their life is all about (not just how they feel about a product).

On top of that, she suggests that agencies and brands take the time to get to know mums’ lifestyle patterns, something that might require anthropological research and may even mean spending time living with her family. Finally, immerse yourself in the language of the market you’re seeking out, the subtleties and the dialects.

“You wouldn’t travel to Barcelona after all, without learning some of the native terms and phrases would you?,” says Miller.

Having spoken to a number of experts in the M2M space, it seems suitable that I find out what brands their mums swore by. For Rick Hargreaves it was Coco Pops, for Sarah Salter it was Vegemite and Milo. Mara Lee remembers Edgell’s Creamed Corn and Dunlop Volleys being a part of her younger life, while Amanda Stevens has fond memories of Pears soap, but cringes when she mentions Brasso, “Only because mum buying it meant it was time for me to polish the brass. Now I can’t stand the smell of it because it reminds me of my least favourite chore when I was little!”

But when it comes to marketing to mums, primarily it takes direct conversation, so who better to ask than the mums themselves? Taking a leaf out of that philosophy book, I did just that and asked my mum Agnes.

She explained that while she generally noticed many types of campaigns, the best way to reach her was through TVCs and that the ads that compel her to head to the supermarket are the ones informing her that their product purported to be a low fat, healthier option. Western Star butter and Peters ice cream are the two brands that stand out to her. But it seems that there is still work to do when it comes to general brand campaign recognition.

“Are there any campaigns that you feel related to you as a mum?”

“Yes, I have noticed some health insurance ads.”

“Ah, OK, any particular one?”

“Not that I can think of.”

Case Studies

VENUS ADVERTISING: KIDSPOT.COM.AU

Launched in 2005, Kidspot started as a directory of maternity, baby and kid related equipment, toys, clothing, travel, fun, activities, sports and related trappings. Over time, Kidspot evolved to include a community of mums to share stories, issues and joys, and connect in a moderated, private forum. Time saving tools and new topics of interest are also added continuously – driven by the parents themselves.

Venus completed a Kidspot Social TVC that was well-received. It had an impact on both advertisers and users, as measured by inbound leads and direct visitors to the website (e.g. they typed in www. kidspot.com.au and www.kidspotsocial.com.au during the media schedule).

Direct traffic to the website grew from an average of 3800 to 7700 visits each week during the media schedule – more than double the previous average.

In summary, the TVC gave Kidspot more street credibility with agencies and advertisers. It was highly successful from a branding perspective and also gained a significant increase in direct visits to the website.

BRAND POWER: CAMPBELLS V8

The company approached Campbell’s back in 2003 to test a combination of Brand Power and brand equity copy to try and drive sales harder than before. For the initial testing, with media in both regions being the same, the combination of Brand Power and brand equity copy drove sales 64 percent higher than the brand’s effort on its own.

Following this test a national roll-out of the combination of the two was instigated and drove the highest baseline sales in the history of the V8 brand in Australia. Brand Power then partnered with Campbell’s V8 until 2007 with the brands sales continuing to grow.

The Brand Power copy evolved over time; however, the fundamental theme of the TVC was that 80 percent of Australian Adults and kids don’t get their full serve of fruit and vegetables every day and a glass of V8, depending on which variety, can give you a couple of serves of what you need.

Marketing February 2009

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