Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Recognizes Mother's Day by Unveiling Proprietary Research On Celebrations Showing That Nearly 1 in 2 Women Would Rather Host Parties Than Eat Chocolate

NEW YORK, May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mother's Day is more than an occasion to treat mom to breakfast in bed and a bouquet of flowers. It's an opportunity to celebrate, something that is of paramount importance to American women, who serve as the informal event planners for their personal social networks. According to proprietary research from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO), a market leader in providing original inspiration and creative "how-to" ideas for holidays and special occasions, contemporary women host more than 325 million celebrations each year, spending as much as $200 billion per year on their events. The study, conducted with Insight Research Group, included a survey of 1,071 women ages 21-54 (weighted to census), as well as a panel of 321 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia fans.

"Entertaining family and friends is a heartfelt experience that American women cherish, with 65% noting that they 'thrive on being a host.' In fact, 44% indicate that they would sooner give up a month of chocolate than give up hosting their favorite events," said Janet Balis, MSLO's Executive Vice President, Media Sales and Marketing. "Our research shows that 72 million women between the ages of 21-54 host celebrations each year. They particularly value events that provide an opportunity for personalization and creative expression, which is very much in line with what our own audience tells us.  We know that Martha Stewart has always provided a call-to-action around life's most special moments."

Additional findings include:

Celebration Style Varies by Event and Life Stage

• There are three types of celebrations with distinctly different goals. Big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are about upholding tradition, while smaller scale holidays like Mother's Day and the Fourth of July are about relaxing and having fun. Special occasions like birthdays, cocktail parties and dinner parties are seen as an opportunity for women to shine by showcasing their creativity and sense of style.

• The ideal approach to hosting varies with life stage. For married women with kids, 70% are driven by a desire to "create new traditions." Young women (ages 21-34) are more focused on exploring and expressing their identity and use hosting as an opportunity to do so; 64% make something by hand for the event, such as favors, table settings and decorations.

Personalization is Paramount

• Personalization is especially important for special occasions like cocktail parties or dinner parties. More than half of women surveyed—60%—say they'll spend more money and 71% say they would spend more time to truly personalize the event.

Food is Central to Celebrations

• 67% of hosts spend at least a week on their food/drink planning and prepping with 62% asking guests to bring food and or drinks and 80% sending leftovers home with guests at the end of the celebration.

• 67% of women say that "Insulting my holiday cooking is like insulting my character."

Celebrations are the ultimate in "social" media

• Virtually all women use digital tools and services to "book-end" the experiences they're creating, with 59% searching the web for recipe ideas, 29% sending electronic invitations, and 29% purchasing party favors and gifts online. Facebook and email are the most popular way for women of all ages to share photos from special events and celebrations.

About Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) is a diversified media and merchandising company, inspiring and engaging consumers with unique lifestyle content and distinctive products. The Publishing segment encompasses four magazines, including the company's flagship publication, Martha Stewart Living, periodic special issues and books. The marthastewart.com website provides consumers with instant access to MSLO's multimedia library, search and find capabilities, recipes, online workshops, community and personalization, as well as wedding-planning tools powered by WeddingWire and digital invitations with pingg.com. The Broadcasting segment produces such programming as the Emmy-winning daily, nationally syndicated television series, "The Martha Stewart Show," and Martha Stewart Living Radio on SIRIUS channel 112 and XM Radio 157. In addition to its media properties, MSLO offers high-quality Martha Stewart products through licensing agreements with carefully selected companies, including the Martha Stewart Collection exclusively at Macy's, the Martha Stewart Living line of home-improvement products at The Home Depot, Martha Stewart Crafts with EK Success at Michaels and independent retailers, Martha Stewart for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, the forthcoming Martha Stewart Pets line at PetSmart and more. In 2008, Emeril Lagasse joined the Martha Stewart family of brands; MSLO acquired the assets related to Lagasse's media and merchandising business, including television programming, cookbooks, and emerils.com website and his licensed kitchen and food products. For additional information about MSLO, visit www.marthastewart.com.  

SOURCE Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia