The New Brand-Disloyal Mom POSTED BY Stacy DeBroff AT 10:31 AM

How a challenging economy, social media, and the new online recommendation culture combine to untether Moms from long-held brand loyalties

Back in the day, Moms played favorites. They raised “Crest Kids,” nurtured “Gerber Babies,” and took care of their “Tide Families.” With a host of brands available, they remained loyal to a select few – ones perhaps their mothers used – and simply moved past the rest in the supermarket aisles.

But no longer.

New Mom Central Consulting research reveals that today’s extended economic crisis, coupled with the rise of social media and the new online recommendation culture, compels Moms to move away from long-held purchasing behaviors. Today, just 50% of Moms consider themselves brand loyalists. 

A sluggish economy and stalled recovery have combined to motivate Moms – who make a majority of their family’s purchasing decisions – to shrug off brand loyalties and explore new products, particularly if presented with a financial incentive. For example, 78% of Moms surveyed explain they will gladly switch brands if they have a coupon, and 68% pay attention to brands offering free samples. 

In addition, Mom’s rapid embrace of the social media culture plays a significant role in the untethering of brand loyalties. With 9 out of 10 Moms citing Facebook as their “go-to” social media destination and 3 out of 5 Moms engaging with one another on Twitter, social media becomes the new “picket fence,” where Moms connect with one another to hear trusted recommendations and gain first-person perspective. 

While we’ve always lived in a “recommendation culture,” social media now allows Moms to easily develop a network of trusted advisors and tap into them for their experiences and insights. As a result, Moms appear more willing than ever to leave brand loyalties behind and try a new product if a trusted friend loves and recommends it. In fact, 65% of Moms surveyed poll their Mom friends when trying a new product to learn about their experience, and 90% trust products more after hearing about them from friends.

But as much as this new brand freedom and flexibility opens Moms to a host of product options, it remains equally unsettling for brand marketers, used to cultivating – and keeping – loyal customers. Brands now must realize that winning over customers proves not a “one and done” effort, but instead an action they need to repeat day in and day out. So what can brands do to win over Mom consumers?

Moms say the traits they most admire in brands center around “honesty,” followed by “affordability” and “transparency.” Moreover, 55% of Moms list “lying,” e.g., making untrue claims, as the worse mistake a brand can make in communicating with Mom consumers.

Ultimately, the Mom marketplace continues to change – with Moms deepening connections with fellow Moms through social media platforms and online conversations that widen their horizons. As we enter a new age of relationship marketing – both Moms and brands – will continue to chart new territory.

Living Digital at CES: Where Mom Bloggers and Tech Connect POSTED BY Stacy DeBroff AT 3:31 PM

Last week I spent three days at the vast, sprawling, and ever-intriguing 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The big trend spotting for me as I marveled at diverse technology product innovations: how deeply integrated technology will continue to become for today’s digital families. From fridges that have an electronic touchpad built in to tell us everything from the weather to expiration dates on our food to the complete waterproofing of our phones during the manufacturing process to new ways to power-up on the go, stay tuned for more from CES as I’ll post soon on emerging trends in consumer technology.

I took part in a fascinating Mom & Tech panel discussion with several other Mom bloggers, organized by Robin Raskin and Living in Digital Times. While we all had varying Mom perspectives and blogged from different points of view, we all shared insights from our own experiences with technology from a Mom blogger engagement perspective. As I talked about both the power and the challenges involved in blogging about technology, I also shared insights gleaned from some of our recent Mom Central Consulting research surveys, which all looked at the different ways Moms incorporate technology into their busy lives.

I’ve included some of our top research highlights here.

“Hold on a Second, I’m on the Phone!”

• The majority of Moms (51%) have downloaded over 16 apps to their Smartphones.
  • Most popular download categories among Moms: social networking (82%), games (80%) and entertainment (79%). For kids: games dominate (73%) with education coming in second at 50% and entertainment at 40%.

• The majority of Moms (59%) consider cost the most important factor in selecting an app. 39% of Moms report typically downloading free applications, while 28% want apps $.99 or less. Only 1% would pay over $5 for an application.

• 74% of Moms let their children regularly play on their phone. Only 17% of Moms say they have downloaded no apps for their kids.

• Win Mom over, and your app becomes her new best Smartphone friend: 47% of Moms reported using their favorite apps at least once a day on average.

On the Go – With Foursquare

• Of those surveyed, 26% of Moms have a Foursquare account.
  • In thinking about why they check-in, Moms want:
    • Coupons/Discounts/Specials (62%)
    • To connect with friends (37%)
    • Friends/Family to know where they are (34%)

• Given the options provided, Moms would activate a code if it offered:
  • Discounts and coupons (92%)
  • Special offers (75%)
  • Exclusive content (46%)

New Trends in Health & Wellness

• 75% of the Moms polled will discuss health/medical issues on social networking sites.
• 62% of Moms follow/friend consumer HC and 52% follow/friend wellness companies online.

• To share suggestions and questions about health or medical issues on social media and networking sites, Moms utilize…
  • Social networking site like Facebook, MySpace (56%)     
  • Online discussions, forums, list-serves, or other online group (56%)
  • Blogs, such as a mom blog or blog focusing on a specific health issue (48%)
  • Websites of any kind, such as a health sites (37%)

TV Trends in the Digital Age

• While Moms' TV viewing habits reflect the digital age (60% watch shows online or via DVRs), the greatest percentage of Moms (64%) still watch their favorite shows live.
  • The vast majority (79%) of Moms indicated interest in interacting with show producers, actors, hosts, or other fans online.

• 30% of Moms report that they post on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites while they watch TV.

Moms & Social Media

• Moms don’t view social media sites with a quick-and-done glance while heading out the door for carpool pick-up:
  • 54% of Moms check into Facebook all day long and 78% use their Smartphones to check in and update their Twitter and Facebook accounts while on-the-go.

• 9 out of 10 mom prefer Facebook as their “go to” social media destination.
• 4 out of 5 Moms maintain two separate identities on Facebook, private and public.

Connecting With Brands

• 80% ignore targeted ads on their social media networks.
• 10 – the average number of brands Moms following or like on Twitter or Facebook.
• 60% of Moms agree – poorly used Twitter or Facebook accounts negatively impact Mom’s perception of a brand.

 

Top 6 Trends Leading Up to the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show POSTED BY Stacy DeBroff AT 12:58 PM

For generations, Americans dreamed of technological innovations that would jumpstart commerce, speed up communications, and make family life easier. Now, as wired households have become the norm, each January we visit the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to see what’s next on the innovation horizon. This year, as CES lays out innovations in the world of consumer technology that would make even George Jetson’s head spin, we’ve identified our Top 6 emerging trends for the digital family.

 

     “Turn on, Lights!”

The Jetson’s lived in a futuristic apartment complex in Orbit City – filled with gadgets and gizmos and a robot housekeeper named Rosey. With future homes being wired with integrated systems that control lights, operate locks, turn on and off stereos and TVs, and raise the temperature as we drive home – we’re not too far behind. CES 2012 should shed some light on next-generation technologies to make today’s smart homes even brighter.

Welcome to the Cloud 

As families move more and more tasks and activities online – ranging from finances to photos  – it will become even more challenging to track, consolidate, and organize our digital  imprint.  As the Cloud cover increases in 2012, we look to CES to showcase some of the hottest new developments in Cloud computing.

 

Good-Bye, Landline!

With so many families – adults and kids alike – toting cell phones and staying in touch via such technologies as UMA, Skype, and Biscotti TV Phone, many households have opted to say good-bye to their landlines. Between families wanting to trim household expenses in tough economic times and attempting to reconcile the value of a phone that simply makes and receives calls, we expect to see this trend continue in 2012 – and even more landline alternatives emerge out of this year’s CES.
Digital Natives Dominate

From gaming systems to laptops to Smartphones to tablets, few things come between kids and their electronics. And as more and more brands market apps and accessories for kids – ranging from toddlers to teens – we’ll expect to see technology designed for kid consumers continue to grow. The silver lining for parents? With kids unwilling to separate from their electronics, it continues to become even easier for parents to track tweens’ and teens’ whereabouts and keep tabs on them as they move from activity to activity.
Electronic Accessorizing

Most families now count laptops, Smartphones, tablets, e-Readers, GPS systems, and digital cameras as basic to their everyday lives. But with all these devices comes the need for ways to tote, customize, print, project, and otherwise accessorize our technological tools. At CES 2012, we expect we’ll see a host of ways to maximize these innovations – including how to extend battery life, capitalize on Bluetooth options, and increase the capabilities of our tablets and Smartphones.
Maximizing Mobile

With the advent of Smartphones and touch-screen technology, it seems fewer and fewer people actually talk on their phones these days – choosing to use them instead to text, surf, change channels, make purchases, navigate from point A to point B, and even start their cars on frigid mornings. As phones become increasingly more sophisticated, we’ll look to CES to see emergent tools, apps, and hardware that can further morph Smartphones into the one indispensible device that never leaves our side.