BabyCenter® Reveals Five Trends That Impact the Business of Mom

NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BabyCenter® LLC, the #1 pregnancy and parenting mobile and web destination worldwide, identified five important trends that will help marketers understand how to better reach and engage the 21st Century Mom®, an audience wielding $2.1 trillion in U.S. spending power annually. At an exclusive gathering of industry thought-leaders during Advertising Week, Lisa Belkin of The Huffington Post, Jenny Dennis of Target Corporation, and Liz Gumbinner of Deutsch joined BabyCenter to discuss the mindset, preferences, and behaviors of today's mom.

"We're proud that our deep and lasting partnerships with the world's leading brands have helped them better understand the hearts and minds of the modern mom," said Mike Fogarty, SVP, Global Group Publisher, BabyCenter. "By complementing our own 21st Century Mom insights with the knowledge of experts in other fields focused on the same audience, BabyCenter's Advertising Week panel brought a powerful new dimension to everyone's understanding of today's — and tomorrow's — mom."

"Motherhood is changing more rapidly than at any other time in history, from the role of mom within the family — and outside of it — to how she spends her day to what tools and resources she uses to support her parenting," said Linda Murray, SVP, Global Editor in Chief, BabyCenter. "We felt that by shedding more light on this continuum, we could help marketers engage with moms more effectively and better meet the needs of women and their family."

TREND #1: The Mobile State of Mom 

Mom is more mobile than the rest of us. While she is the early adopter of most tech devices — from laptops and digital cameras to smartphones and DVRs — the mobile phone is the device that gives Mom superpowers, enabling her to multitask throughout her busy day. BabyCenter's 2012 American Media Mom Report found that 65 percent of moms have a smartphone (38 percent higher than the general online U.S. population). Additionally, based on BabyCenter's September 2012 monthly poll, 91 percent of smartphone moms expect websites to be easily accessed from their mobile devices so they can socialize, shop, bank, capture family moments, order groceries, and keep their medical records organized on the go.

"This is truly the age of the technology-empowered mom," said Jenny Dennis, Sr. Marketing Manager, Target. "Today's moms are among the most sophisticated and enthusiastic users of new technologies, and we are constantly evolving our business to serve their needs — not only because they're such an importance audience, but because they're a bellwether of all audience behavior."

TREND #2: More Power Through Motherhood

Today's mom is reclaiming her identity as a strong, powerful woman ... and loving it. In BabyCenter's September 2012 monthly poll, 70 percent agree that motherhood has given them an increased sense of confidence. Fifty-seven percent feel they are in control of their household and how their children are raised. And they feel good about themselves and their personal relationships. With 87 percent caring deeply about maintaining themselves as a woman and a mom, this means they are working hard to remain sexy and stylish, and getting more creative in the bedroom (50 Shades of Grey is the second most popular book among BabyCenter moms trying to conceive).

"Motherhood today enhances a woman's identity, it does not define her part and parcel," said Lisa Belkin, Sr. Columnist, The Huffington Post, Life/Work/Family. "What moms want from brands is a recognition of their identity as a complete woman and everything that encompasses — from the nursery to the bedroom to the boardroom."

TREND #3: Moms Live Out Loud

Parents today are celebrating every moment in a child's life from the first smile to the first steps to the first day of school. Every moment is a party, and thanks to the power of new media, an engaged guest list is at their fingertips at all times. In the past six months, BabyCenter identified the trend of parents hosting Gender Reveal parties to share the news of the expected baby's sex with a themed event. Additionally, in the past few weeks, the BabyCenter Community has been buzzing with Smash Cake photos (a cake just for the baby to dig into at the first birthday). Retailers should also celebrate — 1.4 million BabyCenter moms registered for their baby's first birthday (Source: Talk to Moms™ Poll, May 2012, comScore, July 2012).

"Moms experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in the course of the day, but when a special moment arrives, they know how to make it count," said Linda Murray, SVP, Global Editor in Chief, BabyCenter. "The culture of celebration is thriving among moms, and it's time for brands and marketers to join the party."

TREND #4: Motherhood Is Showtime

More than ever before, a picture is worth a thousand words. Particularly when it comes to moms. According to BabyCenter's 2009 Milestones Survey, 67 percent of moms take pictures of their children weekly or more often: 9 percent every day, 48 percent several times a week, and 10 percent once a week. And in 2012, pictures are the social currency. From posting every adorable family photo on Facebook to pinning images of household appliances and recipes on Pinterest, moms are living in a very visual world, and social media sites like Instagram, Flickr, and Tumblr have changed the social media game. The $1 billion acquisition of Instagram by Facebook and the fact that Facebook gives priority to images in its newsfeeds is evidence that the visual revolution is well under way. Now it's easier than ever for Mom to show off her baby's baby blues!  

"Moms know what they're looking for when they see it. But first you have to be able to show it to them — the right way, at the right time, on the right device," said Jenny Dennis, Sr. Marketing Manager, Target. "As a retailer, you have to be anywhere and everywhere mom goes to make your brand part of the rich visual environment in which she spends her days."

TREND #5: Modern Family

Gone are the days when most moms stayed at home while their husband brought home the bacon. The word "family" has more definitions now than ever before, with a growing population of single moms, working moms with stay-at-home dads, moms having babies later in life, same-gender parents, or multiple generations of moms under one roof. Today 41 percent of births are to unmarried women (up from 11 percent in 1971), and there are currently 2 million stay-at-home dads who are the primary caregiver. You name it, it's family. (Source: CDC; U.S. Census; Associated Press, April 26, 2011).

"Consumers and agencies have been embracing this demographic and societal transformation for a couple of decades, and it's time for marketers to do the same," said Liz Gumbinner, EVP, Group Creative Director, Deutsch New York. "Marketers must reflect the diversity of their customers in their campaigns if they're going to meet consumer expectations and succeed in a 21st century marketplace."

About BabyCenter®

BabyCenter® is the voice of the 21^st Century Mom® and modern motherhood. It's the #1 pregnancy and parenting destination worldwide, reaching more than 13 million moms monthly in the U.S. and 30 million moms monthly in 22 markets from Australia to India to China. In the United States, 7 in 10 babies born last year were BabyCenter babies. BabyCenter is the world's partner in parenting, providing moms everywhere with trusted advice from hundreds of experts around the globe, friendship with other moms like them, and support that's remarkably right at every stage of their child's development. BabyCenter also works with some of the world's most prominent brands and institutions to provide life-stage marketing solutions and a direct line to highly engaged moms. BabyCenter is a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

SOURCE BabyCenter(R) LLC