Marketing to Mom's

She's changing with the times. Or at least with the Generations.

Here Come the Millennial Moms!

So long soccer mom! She's being replaced by the 20-to-30-year-old Gen Y generation female just starting to have babies. Long described in numerous and often contradictory ways (idealistic, realistic, independent, communal, cyber-savvy, etc.), her traits are taking on fresh nuances as the echo-boom generation reaches motherhood.

For one, the Gen Y or Millennial Mom is showing a much more relaxed attitude about her kids.

"Child raising is no longer a blood sport," Nancy Hallberg, chief strategy officer at The Parenting Group, publisher of Parenting and Babytalk magazines, told Brandweek. "It's more about enjoying the moment than over-programming children with piano classes and Gymboree."

Cognitive anthropologist Bob Deutsch adds that Gen Y moms "give themselves more leeway. They're not martyrs. They seem at ease and natural, like they don't have to strive for perfection. Their identity is based on choices, not societal roles, and they are freed up because of that."

Another difference is that while Soccer Mom was all about "establishing balance," the Gen Y mom is a multi-tasker.

"She's a little more adept at integrating multiple aspects of her life and switching gears with a little more facility than Gen X moms have," said Ms. Halberg.

Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media and author of Marketing to Moms, said Gen Y moms saw their mother's frustrations while striving to balance work and family.

"For millennials, everything is about 'real' and 'reality,'" said Ms. Baily. "Because they were raised on technology, they know they can have things when they want them, that it can help them customize a lifestyle on their own terms."

Indeed, while perhaps more realistic and laid back, Millennial Moms are also often seen as more empowered in many ways than their parents. This is not only because they were raised to feel "somewhat golden," but because of how the Web is enmeshed in their lives. Many are demanding a voice in not only how they are being marketed to, but also in product development. Millennials are also empowered by each other through social-networking tools that have created legions of blogging mothers.

"We're seeing all these 'mom tribes,'" said Ms. Hallberg. "Moms look for other moms to network with. Community is their mantra."

According to Brandweek, many marketers have started responding with Gen Y mom-specific initiatives from brand-sponsored online meet-ups for new mothers, to mom-fueled word-of-mouth campaigns, to promotional partnerships with the growing ranks of young mom bloggers.

But Parenting's Ms. Hallberg believes marketers are still in for a learning process in reaching this generation of mothers. The fact that a targeted mom is a millennial "has profound implications for how she's going to buy your product," she said.

"You have to think different when you communicate to her and share what benefits are important to her, because those are the issues she's going to share with her tribes. And those tribes are as powerful a media channel as any conventional media are."

(Source: Retail Wire, 07/07/08)

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