5 min read ⌚ 

Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers

People play different roles in different areas in their lives. And so do moms.

To fuel the interest of the contemporary mothers, you need to understand the roles they play – and find out how you can appeal to them.

Of course, you are not left on your own. Our job is to show you how you can do this, in around one thousand words.

So, read on.

Who Should Read “Trillion-Dollar Moms”? and Why?

Sometimes, marketers and advertisers cannot wholly understand their audience.

Fortunately, some people do. In this case, Maria T. Bailey and Bonnie W. Ulman open a window through which you can look in the world of moms, and understand it a little bit better.

Expect to find real-life case studies, credible marketing data, as well as personal experience stories from the authors themselves, which will ultimately show you how you can increase your mother-focused sales.

We recommend “Trillion Dollar Moms” to advertisers, marketers, and people interested in public relations.

About Maria T. Bailey and Bonnie W. Ulman

Maria T. Bailey is a radio host of the Mom Talk Radio, runs the magazine for women executives BlueSuitMom and is the CEO of a marketing firm that serves major entertainment clients.

Bonnie W. Ulman heads an Atlanta based consumer research and communications company.

“Trillion-Dollar Moms Summary”

Some time ago, “thinking outside of the box” was the only thing you needed to ensure sales and success.

However, that is no longer the case.

In the modern world, you will need to create a new box.

In other words, you need to stop spending time and effort on products and promotions which are familiar and overused.

You also need to stop overlooking moms, like many companies do, since moms are one of the largest consumer group, which if you know how to target well, will boost your sales and skyrocket your success.

However, just targeting moms is not enough. You need to change the notions you have about mothers since their roles are no longer the same as they used to be.

Society has created various labels to differentiate between certain generations of moms.

For example, moms born during the late thirties and early forties, otherwise known as the Depression Era, are called Silver Birds.

Silver Birds are mothers of Baby Boomers, which were born post-WWII.

Then come the younger generations of mothers: Gen X, born in the late sixties and the beginning of the seventies, and Gen Y, born from the seventies to the nineties.

These groups, as you can notice, are labeled according to the significant events of their eras. However, in the modern society, the age-related boundaries’ significance decreases with each day.

We are not saying that generational issues are no longer significant, but women’s social networks, such as co-workers or neighbors, shape them more than the age-group they are in.

The new Gen X and Gen Y moms hate to be called “Xers.”

They are self-reliant and highly capable. They grew up seeing their Baby Book mothers stretched between home and their careers, and many of them were children of divorced parents because of this.

So, they decided to walk another path and restructured the home vs. work equation.

How?

Well, they use technology to support them in creating profitable home-based businesses, which give them the flexibility they need. An increasing number of moms raise their children during the day and earn money online at night.

When it comes to their characteristics, it is safe to say that they seek individuality.

They love personalized clothing or jewelry, as well as do-it-yourself things. They seek stability, since they had a turbulent childhood, and do everything they can so they raise their children in a complete family.

Gen Y moms, on the other hand, grew up in families that spoiled them, giving them big allowances and mani-pedis. They are surrounded by technology and connect with their social circles via the internet.

Since they are comfortable with using technology, they prefer jobs that allow part-time, flexible schedules.

Their focus on technology does not mean that they lost their traditional values – on the contrary, they emphasized their families. Having that in mind, we can expect many of these moms to decide to home-school their children.

The common characteristic of Gen X and Gen Y moms is the need for flexible schedules and mom-friendly corporate benefits such as childcare subsidies, telecommuting or job sharing.

If they do not get what they need from the company, they are not hesitant, and they move on.

The same thing happens when they shop – they seek for companies which support their family values.

So, to gain a more significant market share, companies need to understand the amount of significance contemporary moms place on integrated lifestyle.

Hence, when you market your products, remember that modern moms have dual roles, and are in many cases owners of home-based businesses.

But what are the exact ways you can make Gen X and Y moms interested in your products?

Explore all channels of marketing dialogues, such as magazines, newspapers, catalogs, magalogs, direct mail and online communications.

Decide which formats to use, but make sure you pack your messages in a few of them and add how-to ideas as well. These moms respond positively to periodicals that address quality-of-life concerns.

Details are significant as well. Pay attention to the shape and packaging of your product, the cleanliness of your stores and bathrooms, the layout of the shops, and your company’s community programs.

Gen X and Y moms have seen it all, and you need to put effort to impress them and keep them as your customers.

Key Lessons from “Trillion-Dollar Moms”

1.      Gen Y Mothers’ Characteristics
2.      Categories of Modern Grandmothers
3.      Basic Themes Which Are the Foundation of Homes and How You Can Use Them to Your Advantage

Gen Y Mothers’ Characteristics

• • They prefer trendy, but original merchandise

• • They seek for relevant products

• They are skeptic since they grew up with advertisement, so brand names are not significant to them

Categories of Modern Grandmothers

• • “Traditionalist” – Keepers of stability and rituals.  

• • “Empowered” – Seekers of careers, adventures, and experiences

• “Enlightened” – Blend the two other roles.  

Basic Themes Which Are the Foundation of Homes and How You Can Use Them to Your Advantage

• “Time”: Highlight the time and energy your product or service can save.
• “Family Enrichment”: Convince your customers that your products can advance kid’s cultural, educational or athletic skills
• “Health”: Assist keeping the family’s wellbeing.
• “Value”: Moms have a sharp eye for quality, benefits, and performance, so make sure to top them.
• “Solutions”: Moms love products and services that answer nagging issues.

Like this summary? We’d Like to invite you to download our free 12 min app, for more amazing summaries and audiobooks.

“Trillion-Dollar Moms” Quotes

Our Critical Review

“Trillion Dollar Moms” is a book full of useful examples of successful strategies that you can use, as well as of some bad advertising campaigns. You can expect to find sidebars, graphs, and sidebars, which can get repetitive at times, but make the content easier to grasp.

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.