All About Moms: A RAMA/BIGresearch Initiative

What Advertisements and Promotions Matter to Mom
Moms Influenced Most Heavily by Word of Mouth
Mom Loves to Multitask
Mom Is More Tech-Savvy Than You Think
Mom Even Enjoys Text Messaging
Moms and Social Media
What Are Moms Watching…When They Aren’t Working, Texting, Emailing or Blogging?
Conclusion
About the Survey

When asked what some of her favorite activities include, live entertainment, amusement parks, listening to music, shopping, reading, and going to movies were just a few near the top of the list. (Snow skiing, golfing or collecting antiques, however, were not.) Not surprisingly, a night away from the kitchen is appealing to mom: nearly three- quarters (73.1%) of moms say they enjoy dining out, higher than the two-thirds (67.7%) of average American adults. That said, moms do like to cook (50.3%) more than others (42.1%) and, believe it or not, enjoy working on home improvement projects more than most adults (27.8% vs. 26.9%).

What Advertisements and Promotions Matter to Mom

Oftentimes, mom is left to manage the family checkbook. And with the economy ruling everyone’s spending decisions these days, it comes as no surprise that the mothers surveyed love coupons. When it comes to promotions, a large majority (66.5%) of them feel it’s an invasion of their privacy to have retailers text them or leave voicemails on their cell phone (58.1%) but moms do love receiving product samples in the mail. On a scale from one to five (five being highly influenced), mothers rated in-store product samples (3.8), product samples delivered to their home (3.6) and store loyalty cards (3.5) as a few of their favorite methods of promotions.

Source: BIGresearch SIMM 14, June 2009

As one of the most targeted demographics in terms of marketing efforts, retailers should also know that moms are more likely to seek and give advice to others about purchases of certain products or services. According to the survey, 97.2% of moms said they regularly or occasionally give advice to others about products or services. Just as often as they give advice they seek it, with 93.6% saying they regularly or occasionally look to others before making their final decision.

Mom Loves to Multitask

With everything that mom has to manage in her life, it’s safe to say a mother’s work is never done. Retailers using traditional advertising methods to get these women’s attention for more than a few seconds can probably agree it’s easier said than done these days. Simultaneous media usage among consumers of all ages now goes far beyond simply watching television while reading their mail. Retailers now have to compete with the internet, MP3 players, instant messaging, blogging, text messaging and email, not to mention other daily activities among moms like working and cleaning their home. When asked what activities they enjoy doing while simultaneously talking on their cell phone, most prefer listening to the radio, watching television and using the internet. Additionally, when it comes to which media moms prefer the most during their day, the majority (91.2%) ranked television as their top choice, but checking email (90.3%), surfing the internet (86.2%) and listening to the radio (80.3%) were also high on their lists.

Source: BIGresearch SIMM 14, June 2009


Source: BIGresearch SIMM 14, June 2009


Source: BIGresearch SIMM 14, June 2009

The world of online shopping has grown leaps and bounds in the last decade. As the internet becomes more sophisticated, Americans are finding it easier to locate exactly what they want when they want it. When asked what type of products they researched online within the last 90 days, the findings suggest moms enjoy turning to the internet for recommendations for apparel, groceries, furniture, jewelry and even real estate.

Mom Even Enjoys Text Messaging

Gone are the days of trying to show mom how to work the DVD player or use her new iPod. Her cell phone is no longer only used for emergencies but also for when dad wants to know “what’s for dinner,” when Johnny’s soccer practice ends 30 minutes early or if Sally is sick and needs to leave school. More moms (69.8%) use cell phones than the average adult (58.2%).

When it comes to the power of a blog, many experts liken it to a sub-woofer stereo system with a bull-horn – meaning that one can never completely hide what they say on the world-wide web. Mom has found creative and useful ways to utilize her talents and ideas through these blogs by creating coupon sites, networking and message boards and even advice columns. The survey found 15.3% of moms say they maintain their OWN blog.

Moms and Social Media

One of the most important findings of this study suggests that mothers, compared to adults 18 and older, are more likely to regularly or occasionally use social networking sites like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook.

Source: BIGresearch SIMM 14, June 2009

When she’s not “tweeting” about her day or what’s going on with the family, mom is looking for special coupons on retailer and restaurant Facebook pages, or even enrolling herself in special contests through these companies’ Twitter pages. The facts should not be ignored - social media is an easy and affordable method for retailers to use to get moms’ attention.

What Are Moms Watching…When They Aren’t Working, Texting, Emailing or Blogging?

After the homework is done, laundry is put away and the presentation for tomorrow’s meeting is finally finished, mom likes finding time to sit down and enjoy some quality time in front of the tube, with the Food Network, The Discovery Channel, Disney Channel and TLC among her favorite channels. Other forms of entertainment include magazines (specifically People, Cosmopolitan and Woman’s Day) and reading daily newspapers.

Source: BIGresearch SIMM 14, June 2009

These days, women with families will spend where they feel their money is best spent - it’s no longer strictly about loyalty, and quality and value are not as synonymous as they used to be. One brand of laundry detergent might be the best on the market and have the most repu- table name, but if the other brand offers more washes in a smaller bottle—saving the planet at the same time—mom is going to pay attention. When it comes to actually getting these busy women’s attention, there’s no guarantee that a piece of mail will end up in hands for which it was intended, and a coupon for 20% off any in- store purchase could accidentally get thrown away or put in a pile and quickly forgotten. While TV is an important luxury for mom, the days of relying on television have given way to internet ads, paid search methods, Facebook and email campaigns.

In an economy where price means everything, retailers who already have a presence on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are one step ahead of getting in front of these women. Technology has played a large role in where mom eventually shops, what she buys and how much she spends on any one item. At the same time, these are the same women who are more likely to tell their friends about a good (or bad) shopping experience, if a certain product is on sale and whether they would recommend a certain restaurant.

About the Survey

BIGresearch's Simultaneous Media Usage Survey (SIMM 14) was compiled for the Retail Advertising & Marketing Association, a division of the National Retail Federation and was conducted April 29 – June 18, 2009.

The Retail Advertising and Marketing Association is a trade association representing over 1500 retail companies and their advertising and marketing executives, plus their supporting partners from the advertising agency, media and service-provider areas. RAMA sponsors the largest single gathering of retail marketing and advertising professionals in the industry today. RAMA also produces the Racie Awards Competition, the most prestigious creative contest in retail. www.rama-nrf.org  

BIGresearch is a consumer intelligence firm providing analysis of behavior in areas of products and services, retail, financial services, automotive, and media. BIGresearch’s syndicated Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM) is focused on consumers to gauge their consumption across media, products and services. Marketers can use SIMM to develop the types of consumer-centric marketing plans required to increase advertisers’ ROI. The SIMM monitors more than 15,000 consumers twice each year.

The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores, chain restaurants, drug stores and grocery stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.6 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 24 million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2008 sales of $4.6 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100 state, national and international retail associations.

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