© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved. © BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Perception vs. Reality Exploring the Disconnect
Between Moms and
Marketers
May 2016
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
Report Methodology
501 women trying to
conceive, pregnant and
moms with children up to
age 5 in the US recruited
through BabyCenter
In-depth Survey
Audience measurement,
national statistics and
estimates
3rd-Party Sources
18 sessions in
Chicago, San Diego,
San Francisco
Moms and dads
In-Home Focus Groups
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved. © BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
…that all moms
can relate to
Motherhood drives
major lifestyle shifts
Her time is no longer her own
12 hours of parenting time added
to her day; 13 fewer hours for
herself I never really put as much time
as I want to into a certain
thing, I’m always kind of trying
to balance, and I never really
quite feel like I do as well as I
wanna do. – Carrie
Fundamental values change
Time with family (+60%) trumps
time with friends (-58%)
Baby is precious, but pricey
$238K average cost of raising
a child to age 18
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016. BabyCenter Motherhood Transformations Study, 2014. BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, 2015 State of Modern Motherhood Report; BabyCenter Cost of Raising a Child, 2015.
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
How she responds to the changes
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality:
Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
Positive emotions
Negative emotions
76% 68%
58% 53%
42% 40% 39% 39% 38% 33% 33%
17% 13%
Expectant women and moms
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
Motherhood is a journey
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
1st Trimester 2nd Trimester 3rd Trimester Moms 0-12 mo Moms 13-24mo Moms 2-5 ys
Q: Which of the following words do you use to describe
yourself while pregnant / in motherhood?
Anxious
Emotional
Busy
Capable
Organized
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and
Marketers”, May 2016. BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, 2015 State of Modern Motherhood Report.
3 in 4 Millennial moms feel it is important to be “perfect”
IMAGE
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved. © BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Parenting continues to be
viewed as a competitive
sport 64% say parenting today is more
competitive than it used to be
47% feel social media contributes to the stress
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
-6%
13% 20%
46%
-23%
22%
-3%
45% Millennial Women % change March 2015- March 2016
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016. comScore Media Metrix multiplatform data, US, March 2015 vs. March 2016.
Is pressure driving Millennial women away from Facebook?
Total uniques
Total minutes
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved. © BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
If you don’t know her …you can’t reach her
3 in 5 say it is important that brands
portray them realistically
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, Mind the Gap: The Disconnect
between Moms and Marketers, May2016.
Life-stage deepens the disconnect
% that agree advertisers portray them realistically
Pregnant
21% Moms
16% Gap
-23%
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved. © BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
9 in 10 When I had my daughter
I thought I needed to start
using only chemical-free
and organic products.
– Vicky
Pregnant women and
moms re-evaluate
brands and product
choices
…that meet her
new needs
She seeks out new
brands
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insight Series: 2015 State of Modern
Motherhood Report, co-sponsored by IAB, February 2015.
The shift happen across multiple categories
Percent of moms who changed criteria
63% Groceries/Food/Bev
Apparel/Accessories/Shoes
Cleansers/Detergent 52%
48%
42%
41%
35%
Personal Care/Cosmetics
Financial Services
Consumer Electronics
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
0
50
100
150Birth
Starting
solid foods Focused on healthy
pregnancy, eating well
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Talk Tracker May 2016. Index is calculated based on average conversations containing the term (or a variation of the term), among BabyCenter Community Birth Clubs. [Search term: Organic. April 2015 – April 2016]
Category Spotlight Conversations about organics reflect the change
Conversations about “Organic”
We only give LO organic or local produce. Once we start LO on meat
we will make sure it's hormone/antibiotic free. – BabyCenter Mom
Co
nve
rsa
tio
n In
de
x
Introducing milk
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
Motherhood triggers purchases in the not-so-obvious categories
51%
39% 36% 34%
16%
A new car A new home Savings plans Life insurance A home renovation
Q: Which of these purchases were triggered
as a result of planning to / starting a family?
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
Safety, quality, and ease of use are her top priorities
Q: Thinking of your favorite brands, how
important are the following?
96%
95%
95%
85%
84%
72%
68%
61%
Consistent quality
Is proven to be safe
Ease of use
Has good product reviewsonline
Everyday low prices
Is recommended by friends
Is a brand that understands what it’s like to be a mom
Provides real-timecustomer service
% Very or somewhat important
+17% more likely to say a brand has
to be environmentally
conscious to be their favorite
than pregnant women
(55% compared to 47% for pregnant women)
Moms are
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved. © BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
9 in 10 Honestly user reviews are
so important to me, I
scour them on Amazon or
Babies ‘R Us. Anything
I’m doing I will look at the
user reviews and in fact
read them closely
– Alyssa
pregnant women and
moms say online reviews
are influential when it
comes to purchase
decisions
…to make informed
decisions
Moms crowd-
source opinions
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved. © BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality:
Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
7 in 10 say it’s important for a
brand to understand what
it’s like to be a mom
She rewards
brands that
understand her
Embrace the real
motherhood
52% say they prefer to see real
moms in ads instead of
actors
I pay more attention to ads
that feature an image of a real
mom. – BabyCenter Mom
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved. © BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality:
Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
Switch points
happen throughout
the journey
Be there in the
brand shift moments
9 in 10 agree:
once they find a brand
or product they love,
they’ll buy it again
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved. © BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
She wants real
information –
nothing phony
Make it easy for
her to make
decisions
Q: What can brands and
manufacturers do to help you feel
more ready?
68%
62%
59%
51%
Show real life scenarios
Show me how to use theproduct/demo
Give me a check-list ofwhat I will need in the
first year / during eachstage
Tailor educationalinformation/messages
based on my pregnancyor stage of my child
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs.
Reality: Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
© BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved. © BabyCenter, LLC. Confidential. All rights reserved.
Source: BabyCenter 21st Century Mom® Insights Series, “Perception vs. Reality:
Exploring the Disconnect Between Moms and Marketers”, May 2016.
Her voice makes
all the difference
Embrace and
amplify her influence
67% bring it up in conversations
When moms feel good
about a brand:
46% will post a positive review online
Top Related