4/1/13
As befits a generation whose peers include Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, millennial moms want to be in the spotlight. At all times. Recent generations lived through their children, or at least ceded attention to them.
Those moms stayed on the sidelines and cheered their children’s soccer games. They filmed their spelling bees. However, millennials-who were, after all, the focus of the soccer attendance and spelling-bee filming-aren’t willing to give up the limelight when they become parents.
This generation, keep in mind, grew up discussing everything about themselves via social media, and their parents gave them trophies just for showing up.
As parents, millennials increasingly use their children as a means to continue their star turn. Understanding and incorporating this generational shift is critical to the success of reaching millennial moms.
This trend is playing out in several ways. First, there’s the growing popularity of celebratory events that acknowledge every parenting milestone with a photo and announcement, such as the babymoon or the gender reveal party. In fact, this look-at-me vogue has become so pervasive that there’s now a social app, Unbaby.me, that replaces all baby images in a Facebook feed with photos of cats and bacon.
BSM Media’s Maria Bailey says millennial women have devised these events to put attention on themselves, showcasing them and only them. The child is framed off to the side, a mere appendage to the focus of the shot, the millennial mom.
As such, marketers interested in attracting millennial moms should shift the focus toward mom, even if the product is intended for the child. A Pampers print ad celebrating baby’s toilet training exemplifies the trend-highlighting the mom, with the child shifted to the side. Another popular example of this me-focus is the pop culture embracement of the “push present,” a gift given to moms in recognition of their work in having a child. Despite this ritual’s place as an old custom, today’s version is so mainstream and prevalent that there are apps to remind fathers-to-be to purchase these items, and pregnant moms discuss what they hope to receive with (almost) as much anticipation as they have for their soon-to-be babies.
And apparently no milestone is too small to celebrate: baby’s first kick, baby’s first words, and baby’s first rainy day. All of these celebrations are increasingly becoming mainstream events, complete with party accessories. An important distinction with these infant or prebirth celebrations is how millennial moms remain the focus, even if the actual event-such as baby’s first tooth-is happening to someone else.
How does this mom-centricism manifest itself in daily consumer activity?
- Millennial moms are more comfortable than Gen X and boomer moms in receiving and redeeming digital coupons.
- Younger moms are more likely than their older counterparts to shop and research products online.
- Millennial moms are more likely than older moms to seek group support from their peers: 90% admit to texting their friends before buying apparel, according to BSM Media.
While Gen X moms stuck primarily to blogs as their social media outlet, millennial moms aren’t satisfied limiting themselves to only one. Their social influence spreads across multiple channels, especially Pinterest, BlogHer, Facebook, Twitter, and MomTV.
It’s also important to note that millennial moms narrow their focus to one or two topics. One mom, for instance, may know about healthy eating, while another is an expert in makeup. There are few, if any, moms whose expertise extends across all categories.
This is important for marketers interested in leveraging these moms’ popularity with co-partnership deals. Few moms have universal appeal. One may be popular in a particular area, but have little credibility in another.
The notion of a role model for moms has also evolved over the past few decades. Whereas boomer moms looked up to TV icons, such as June Cleaver, and Gen X moms admired celebrity moms, such as Angelina Jolie and Reese Witherspoon, millennial moms identify most with their peers-albeit the most famous ones.
To this end, millennial moms value insight from those with large social media followings and from YouTube stars. They value the advice from mom blogger Heather McDonald more than from, say, actress Jennifer Garner, since McDonald is viewed as being more relatable and like them.
The trend to seek input from YouTube and blog stars over movie stars also has implications for marketers. It’s not necessary to spend millions to lock down an A-list superstar when millennial moms actually prefer to hear from a lower-wattage YouTube personality, says BSM’s Bailey.
Source: BSM Media, Maria Bailey, CEO/President, 2335 E. Atlantic Blvd., #300, Pompano Beach, FL 33062; 954-943-2322; maria@bsmmedia.com; www.bsmmedia.com.
© 2013 Business Valuation Resources, LLC (BVR). May not be reproduced without written consent of publisher.