2004. Ancient history, right?
For giggles, I decided to dig back into the archives to uncover some mom research that my team worked on 10 years ago.
Here are some excerpts. Any of this sound familiar?
Don’t take mom for granted. She didn’t like it when you were a kid, and she definitely does not like it now that you’re trying to sell her something. Everyone knows that mom rules the roost, but do you know what makes her crow? The key to getting your product off the shelf and into the shopping basket is understanding who the mom is that continues to make the everyday buying decisions for her family. She’s complex. She’s making calculated decisions. And she’s using technology to help her make them.
According to MRI data moms between the ages of 25 and 49 are:
• Smart and involved with their community (cause branding anyone?)
• Adventurous and willing to try new things (so don’t make it dull!)
• Interested in many things and well-balanced (a little culture never hurt anyone…)
• Looking for convenience, quality and a good price when they shop (isn’t everyone?)According to ADWEEK, a study done last year by Redbook magazine about mothers of young kids confirmed that the working-mother role is losing its appeal. Among mothers of infants, the percentage who work outside the home fell between 1998 and 2000 – “the first significant decline,” since 1976, the first year the census bureau began tracking these kinds of numbers.
With family members going in a million different directions, moms need to keep up with hectic schedules and in touch with loved ones. Just because your product may be high-tech or cutting edge, don’t be afraid to market it to mom. She can handle it. She’s a business woman after all. Consumer reports indicate that moms are using Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s) and desktop computers to run their households.
And it’s not just about keeping-up and in touch. With kids going from a school play to a soccer game in one afternoon, moms want to preserve those precious moments. A CNET Personal Tech Radar survey conducted during last year’s holiday gift buying season found that moms favored such high-tech gifts as digital cameras and camcorders so that they can capture those rare moments when the family is all together or little Johnny hits that home run.
Both of these instances are evidence of a booming technology market among moms. And not only are they buying technology, they are using it to make purchases. Online shopping sales went through the roof last year, particularly during the holidays . Site like eBay and Amazon are one-stop shopping outlets for everything under the sun and all from the comfort of home…
Now the pressure is on to write a position paper that will be this spot on seven years from now. Yikes!
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