Holiday Marketing to Moms: Daily Deals in Our Stockings?

The Intersection of Deals and Deliberately Smart Shopping.

With all the talk about Groupon, is Mom buying us a Daily Deal for our stocking?  She must be buying us a few daily bargains from sites like Groupon, LivingSocial and Daily Deals for Moms, according to research from Eversave.

It seems that smart shopping and group buying are a marriage made in heaven.  According to eMarketer,  44.7% of online buyers said they think such websites are a good way to shop, based on a survey from daily-deal site Eversave. And 42.5% said they would consider using such sites for gift giving this holiday season.

Have a Heart for Holiday Shopping

One of the most significant findings is that 40.2% of US online buyers would purchase a deal if a portion of proceeds would go to charity. That is a very interesting finding but it doesn’t really take into consideration the economics of most daily deal sites.  With most daily deals, the retailer must discount their product or service by 50%, and then half of discounted price goes to the deal site, leaving only 25% for the retailer.  Since the group buying concept serves as a new type of loss leader, there is very little room for proceeds to go to a charity.

It is important to remember that the target market for daily deals is a younger, college educated woman with $50k income.  And the most popular items on group buying sites have proved to be beauty products and services, group activities and entertainment.

Marketing to Moms: Do Moms Read Ads on Blogs?

We talk a lot about online marketing using buzz words like social media engagement, transparency, user generated content and conversations.  All of these are good, but let’s get to the heart of the matter.  Who reads mom blogs and do they read the ads?

Influential moms are reading mom blogs, don’t mind ads and started reading blogs to learn about ways to save money.

Here are a few facts from Unicast’s 2010 Back to School Study that put a face on these Power Blog Readers.

• There are more than 35 million “Power Moms”, the influential group that have children under the age of 18 that are leading and sharing information on line.

• More than one-third of “Power Moms” read six or more mom blogs.

• 62% spend at least three hours a week reading mom blogs.

• 45% started reading mom blogs to learn ways to save money.

• Most think ads are okay.  While 31% of moms think online ads are “annoying but inevitable,” 27% don’t care and 35% think they’re sometimes helpful or really like them. Less than 6% of respondents “hate them.”

• 80% of Power Moms are more likely to see ads that have coupons, discounts or sales associated with the ad.  And that applies to ads everywhere on the web.

• Interactive ads are best, particularly ads with contests (69%), downloadable content (36%), customized local information (36%), surveys or quizzes (33%).

•  Ads that are noticed on mom blogs, across all ages 25-54, have something to do with groceries, followed by child related products, women’s products, and travel.  The interest in food and children’s products may be because of the focus of many of the mom blogs around parenting and household concerns.

Marketers should take blogs seriously.  The Power Moms are the ones who share information and influence others.  Clicks are not the metric we should be concerned about. Clicks do not indicate engagement or loyalty.   Share is the killer metric for moms, showing their engagement and endorsement.

So, if you like this article, please feel free to share!

Related Articles

• What Moms Respond To From Advertisers (marketingpilgrim.com)

Marketing to Women: Gourmet Tailgaters Spend More

Football tailgating conjures up images of smokin’ grills with all the basic foods – hot dogs, burgers and brats.  Football fans love to tailgate.  And as Americans get more sophisticated about food, so do our tailgating parties.

Now here’s a score you have got to love, no matter what your team.  According to the latest Weber Tailgating Study^™, one-half of today’s US tailgate grillers have gone gourmet before the big game.  Fifty percent of those surveyed report that they consider themselves to be either “gourmet” food grillers or “between a gourmet and a basics” food griller (22 percent and 28 percent, respectively).

Here’s the news for retailers:  While “basics” tailgate grillers spend an average of $441 in groceries per year for their parking lot parties, “gourmet” tailgaters spend an average of $1,001—a whopping 127 percent more. This comes out to an average of $106 per tailgate for the basics group vs. $165 among the gourmets.

What’s on the menu? Move over hot dogs and burgers.

Gourmet grillers rank their favorite four parking lot foods as chicken (43 percent), ribs (39 percent), brats (37 percent), and steak (33 percent) while basics grillers rank their favorite foods as hamburgers (70 percent), brats (45 percent), chicken (42 percent), and hot dogs (42 percent).  Gourmet grillers are also more likely to grill seafood as well.

How will you know the Gourmet Grillers?

They are the ones with the full-size grills and large parties.  Gourmet grillers tend to go all out compared with the basic grillers.  And they have an average of 20 people at their rocking party, compared with the 14 at the basic griller’s party.

Who tailgates? One out of eight people.  Using their smartphone.

Overall, 12.5 percent of Americans over age 18 have tailgated in the last 12 months—attending an average of 3.4 tailgates each. Those ages 24-34 are more likely to tailgate (19 percent), followed those ages 18-24 (17 percent), and then those ages 35-44 (16 percent).

Half of tailgaters are using their smartphone, for cooking tips, scores and checking in with fans.

Recession or not, we love our football!

We may have put off large purchases or that big vacation, but come Saturday or Sunday in the fall, we are at our grills for football season.  It’s a tradition that makes us feel good.  So a little splurge on ribs and brats to spruce up our party is an easy thing to do.

Marketing to Women: It’s Football in the South!

Image via Wikipedia

This past weekend was a big one for football.   College football is finally in full swing with Saturdays consumed with football mania.  I was on a road trip this weekend and spent the day dialing around for games and using my iPad to update scores.

So it was no surprise to learn that a new Scarborough report shows the Southeastern Conference (SEC)* is the number one college conference for women who are avid fans of college football. About one-fifth (19 percent) of avid female college football fans** attended an SEC game, listened to one on the radio, or watched a game on television during the past year. The SEC outranks all other major college conferences for women who are avid fans of college football. Among all adults, 17 percent of avid college football fans are fans of the SEC.

Here’s the breakdown.  Scarborough Sports Ranking: Top Ranking Conferences for Women who are Avid Fans of College Football (Conferences are measured regionally)

1. SEC (19%)
2. Big Ten (13%)
3. ACC (12%)
4. Big 12 (10%)
5. Pac-10 (7%)
6. Big East (5%)

Who are these smart women?

Female SEC Football Fans represent a diverse, professional audience. They are 47 percent more likely than all adults to be African-American and 12 percent more likely to be employed in white collar positions. Professionally, they are 30 percent more likely than other adults to be in sales positions, and 15 percent more likely to have an office in the home. SEC female fans are average in terms of household income and education.

Marketing Opportunities

Female SEC Football Fans are 12 percent more likely than the average adult nationally to own their home and 22 percent more likely to own a second home, as well. Eighty percent live in a single-family home. Female SEC Football Fans fill their homes with high-end technology, such as:

• Energy saving appliances: Female SEC Football Fans are 14 percent more likely than all adults nationally to have an energy saving appliance in their household
• HDTV: 12 percent more likely
• Video game system: 12 percent more likely
• Satellite TV subscription: 17 percent more likely

Maintaining and upgrading the homestead is a priority, and they are more likely than other adults to take on big home improvement projects such as:

• Remodeling a Bathroom: Female SEC Football Fans are 23 percent more likely to have remodeled their bathroom during the past year
• Remodeling a Kitchen: 24 percent more likely
• Roof repair: 26 percent more likely

They also invest in cosmetic and other maintenance upgrades such as:

• Landscaping: 16 percent more likely to have done in the past year
• Painting or wallpaper: 12 percent more likely
• Heating or air conditioning upkeep or replacement: 33 percent more likely
• Installing a home security system: 54 percent more likely

Game on Saturday, Church on Sunday

This might be the statistic I like the best –  Female SEC Football Fans share their wealth. They are more likely than the average American to live in a household that contributed to a healthcare, social care/welfare or religious non-profit organization during the past year.

Women watch more sports than soap operas

The old stereotypes are dead.  Soaps are going down the drain.  When it comes to television, we are watching sports.  Whereas 62% of women surveyed say they watch sports regularly or occasionally on TV, 42% say they watch soap operas with the same frequency, according to BIGresearch’s Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM 10, July 07) of 15,439 consumers.

Oh, by the way

The teams that I was interested in on Saturday?  Auburn, Houston, Southern Cal, Tennessee, Vandy.

And where are we on Saturdays?  We are watching television or at the game.  Every college student has a Mom who is hosting a tailgate party,  buying tickets, booking hotel rooms, buying merchandise and  snagging hot dogs at the game.

Marketing to Moms: Smartphone As Babysitter

If you talk to any Mom who has a smartphone, they will tell you their phone is as popular with their children as it is with them. And it’s a life-saver when you are places where you have to wait or fill time – like restaurants, doctors offices or long car trips.

Here are the ways that Moms use their smartphones and apps to occupy their children:

Flashcards and Other Homework Helpers

Games

Books and Stories

Fun Activities

Songs and Music

CNN reports that nearly half of the top 100 top-selling educational apps in iTunes App Store were created for preschool and elementary-age children.

It seems that cellphones are always available to children. Almost all children in the U.S. have access to a mobile device, according to the Sesame Workshop. A 2007 study found that 93 percent of 6 to 9-year-olds had access to a cell phone in the home and more than 30 percent owned their own phone. And these numbers have only increased since the study was conducted.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing?  It’s like everything else.  Don’t do too much of it.

Empty-Nester Moms Going to the Dogs!

James Brown's Baby Picture

As we left James Brown, the Dogfather of Soul, at the Pooch Palace for a recent trip, I remembered an article that I had read in the Wall Street Journal about empty nesters and their dogs.
http://bit.ly/aZpi2l

The largest group of dog-owning households are parents over the age of 45, or 25% of the total, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, which polled 80,000 families in 2007.

By the way, there are 77.5 million “adopted” dogs in the United States. Seems that empty-nesters are transferring their attentions from their roles as helicopter parents and grandparents to a new role – Pooch Parents! And of course, that means the Moms. DogSport Magazine says 92% of its readers are between the ages of 45 and 54, and many of them are women.

That’s a really important consumer market – we spend $45 billion a year on our pets.
According to the 2007-2008 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, basic annual expenses for dog and cat owners in dollars include: (most recent published figures available)
……………………………………………..Dogs    Cats
1. Surgical Vet Visits                       453     363
2. Food                                                217     188
3. Kennel Boarding                         225     149
4. Routine Vet                                   219     175
5. Groomer/Grooming Aids          127       18
6. Vitamins                                          77       31
7. Treats                                               66       40
8. Toys                                                  41       26
Breakdown of cat and dog ownership in the U.S. according to the American Pet Products Association 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey

Marketers take heed. Pooches are the new darlings of Boomer Moms. And on that recent trip? There were older couples traveling on Southwest Airlines, taking advantage of their new pet travel policy. Seems that Southwest knows the power of the pooch!

Marketing to Moms: Smartphones are Mom’s Best Friend

Moms are finding smartphones so useful that Mobile Moms are one of the fastest growing demographics to own smartphones.

In the first quarter of 2009, about 14 percent of all wireless users who identified themselves as mothers said they owned a smartphone, according to Nielsen. This figure was up from 8.3 percent of moms who owned a smartphone in the first quarter of 2008.

Importance of Working Moms

Working Moms are the power users.  Their busy schedules and need to connect with work, friends and home, making them 42% more likely than the average cellular user to download content to their phone.  Their usage is best represented by their spending for cellular services which are 21% more than the average cellular user. The average cell phone bill for Working Moms is $94 versus $78 for all cell phone users, as reported by a 2009 Scarborough Research study.

Social Use of Mobile

91% of mobile users go online to socialize, compared to only 79% traditional users. (Ruder Finn Mobile Intent Index)

Social networking is one of the fastest growing behaviors on the mobile Web, growing from 22.5% in Jan. 2009 to 30.8% in Jan. 2010.  Access to Facebook via mobile browser usage grew 112% in the past year, and Twitter experienced a 347% growth spurt. (comScore MobiLens)

55% of women use their mobile for social media,  ten percent more than men at 45% (Nielsen, 12/2009).

Social Connector

Of those on mobile phones, the top uses by all adults, reported by the Ruder Finn Mobile Intent Index, are:

Instant messaging – 62%

Forward e-mails (58%), content (40%), and photos (38%)

Post comments on social networks – 45%

Connect to people on social networking sites – 43%

In addition to these primary activities are the important banking, shopping, and comparison duties that Moms must carry out on a daily basis.  And research shows women are much more likely to purchase when shopping online than men are.

This growing usage of smartphones makes a mobile marketing strategy a must for brands hoping to reach Moms.

Marketing to Moms: TripAdvisor Reviews Require a Response

According to TripAdvisor, less than 4 percent of negative reviews on TripAdvisor get a response.

The popular review site has more than 30 million reviews posted.  And while select hotels are gearing up to be able to respond to these reviews, they need to embrace and understand the immediacy of social media.  Consumers are using TripAdvisor, Open Table, Twitter and Facebook to tell the world what they think about service and how well the venue met expectations.

An article in USA Today shows how some hotels and chains are responding.

Consumers voice their concerns "in the moment" using social media

The consumer travel review is reaching new heights of importance for hotels and resorts.  Travelersare now able to voice their concerns in an “in the moment” way, and managers and owners will need to respond and use this information to improve the customer experience.  And by the way, not just negative comments deserve a response.  I was in a Hard Rock Hotel recently and had a really good experience.  The manager noticed that I “tweeted” about it and responded with a very nice “thank you” which was appreciated.

Adding to the immediacy of the response is the announcement of TripAdvisor’s new mobile Web site.

I just tried out the new mobile-configured TripAdvisor on my iPhone.  It’s easy to read and navigate by following the three main headings – Stay, Eat, See.  The new free mobile app will allow users to find restaurants, hotels and attractions via their smartphone in a user-friendly way.   And users will also be able to post reviews and comments more easily.  In the beta stage, the mobile site has attracted more than a million users.

With the advance of mobile marketing, marketers will need to employ new ways of delighting their guests.  Smartphones are the tool of choice for Moms and they are the ones most likely to enter into the conversation, registering both good and bad news.

As the saying goes,  “bad news travels fast.”  And today’s new technology has accelerated the game.

Marketing to Moms: 2010 Family Vacation Restaurant Usage

When the family loads up for vacation this year, they will be looking for mid-priced and Quick Serve restaurants that won’t break the bank. That’s because this year’s vacation is about “good value for the money.”

In the WhyMomsRule.com 2010 Family Travel Survey, Moms say they will be looking for value in all parts of the vacation.  Some 22 percent of Moms say they will eat out less while on vacation to help conserve dollars.

Families will likely be eating at Quick Serve (47 percent) or mid-priced casual dining  (53 percent) restaurants during their travels.

Two interesting trends to be noted are the interest in eating at local independent restaurants and the importance of free hotel food offerings.  Eating local is a chance to enjoy part of the local culture and food offerings, and free hotel foods like breakfast bars and snacks are welcome to families with young children.  Gen Y Moms are more likely to eat at high-end restaurants while on vacation; yet, they are also more likely than others to take advantage of free hotel food offerings.  Baby boomer Moms are the biggest supporters of local independent restaurants.

The attitude toward vacation saving is also seen in the everyday sacrifices that Moms are making.  To help pay for this year’s vacation, 42 percent of Moms say they are eating out less during the year to help save up for the needed getaway.

According to The NPD Group, consumers in 2009, particularly families, were making fewer visits to restaurants overall, and when consumers dined out, they favored lower priced options. Overall restaurant visits declined 3 percent in 2009 with upscale dining showing the most decline.

Restaurant Strategies for Driving Traffic

Restaurants will need to keep the value equation high for families by offering bundled meals, special promotions, kid-friendly menu items, and cater to the needs of children in the restaurant.  Restaurants should make menus and take-out services available to hotels and lodging.  Loyalty programs should prompt Moms to use your restaurant as they travel.  And restaurants must make sure their promotions are visible from the street, as many diners make up their mind as they drive by.

And since Moms read user reviews, it is important to do an audit of all social media reviews to see how your brand stands up.  Families will be dining out and family vacation restaurant usage will depend on your targeted strategies.

To get a copy of the 2010 Family Travel Survey, click here.

WhyMomsRule.com Poll: Moms Won’t Deprive Family of Vacation This Year

In our newly released WhyMomsRule.com poll, 80% of Moms will make some type of sacrifice to ensure their families have a vacation this year.   Cost is still the primary concern for Moms, with their view of the economy tempering how they spend the household budget.  However, Moms are showing signs of loosening the purse strings to make sure the family vacation is a priority this year.

Because Moms make 80% of the purchasing decisions in the family, we thought it important to find out what type of trade-offs Moms are making.

The sacrifices that Moms are making to afford a vacation

• Eat out less during the year                                      42%
• Drive to a destination instead of flying                  36%
• Spend less on entertainment during the year       33%
• Take a shorter vacation                                              27%
• Stay with family/friends on vacation                      26%
• Stay closer to home                                                     25%

Moms will spend less money on vacations, making value and travel bargains important in 2010.   When asked what they want different this year, the highest response was “good value for the money” (36%), followed by “a place that keeps the whole family entertained” (29%), “an economical destination that offers a variety of affordable accommodations/activities” (25%) and “a place we’ve never been to” (25%).

Cost and safety top the list of travel concerns this year

The primary travel worries for Moms this year are cost and safety.  Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Moms said cost was their top concern, followed by travel safety and security.  When asked specifically about air travel, Moms noted increased ticket cost (54%), increased/additional fees for bags, meals, etc. (51%), and safety (37%) among their considerations.

Spring break and summer top the list for travel times

The good news for the travel industry is that 57% of Moms are planning a summer break vacation and 24% said they would travel for spring break.  Spring break seems to have become the second most important travel season for families this year.

Savings and tax refunds will help pay for vacations

Further supporting their intention to economize during the year to pay for their vacation, half of surveyed Moms plan to pay for their family vacation with monthly savings this year.  And one-fourth of Moms are waiting for tax refunds to pay for that family vacation.  Another 21% are using credit cards or sharing the cost of the vacation with other family members or friends.

Download the survey results by clicking here.

For more information on spending, travel planning, use of social media and anticipated travel activities, see the full report.

Survey methodology

The online survey was conducted January 22-25, 2010, among U.S. Moms who were more than eighteen years of age, with at least one child living in the household and planning to travel with their family for leisure purposes in 2010.  Results are based on 602 responses, with a margin of error of 4%, at a 96% confidence level.

To get a copy of the press release, click here.