16th August 2010 (3 Comments)

(Via Wonderbranding) We, at The Venus Networks, deal a lot with mothers and we came across some interesting reading about mums…

A just-released study from the Pew Research Center indicates that the demographics of motherhood are changing in important ways – ways that should influence how you as a brand will advertise and market to this segment of customers.

• Between 1990 and 2009, the percentage of mothers younger than 20 dropped from 13% to 10%
• In the same time period, mothers older than 35 grew from 9% to 14%
• The percentage of married mothers dropped 13% – from a high of 72% in 1990, to only 59% in 2009

Brands are going to have to start looking at the life stage these older mothers are in when having babies, which is much different than when they’re in their early 20’s.  Time horizons change, and they’re going to have to do a strong job of persuading her that they are a long-term brand she’ll love.

They’re also going to have to learn about cultures different from their own (especially if you’re Caucasian) and create new ways and new messages that make them relevant in the customer’s life.  It won’t be enough (hey, it isn’t enough NOW) to simply translate your message into a local language.  They will have to learn about African culture (just to name one), think about the values of that culture and how it views the concept of “family.”  Believe me: it’s going to require a whole new set of messages.

More and more, brands are going to have to fit into her life, not shout at her that she has to fit into theirs.

Now is the time to start thinking about how their “marketing to moms” strategy is going to have to change. If they do, and if they keep working at it, they’ll definitely be able to navigate an unavoidable curve in the road ahead…