How to Build Your Brand’s Mombassadors: Pinterest, Coupons and Mobile!

With Mother’s Day flowers still on the kitchen table and the card still taped to the fridge, I can’t help but reflect on the “mommy” demographic, which has always been a critically important target audience for marketers. It’s no secret to Dad, the kids and the rest of the family (including the dog!) that Mom is the decision-maker, not just at home, but also in the marketplace. In fact, with $2.1 trillion in spending clout, a mom’s brain is “built for shopping,” says Forbes.

And in many ways, digital shopping is built for moms. Digital moms are empowered with mobile devices, and they’re no longer a segmented group reached only through niche sites. Whether it’s searching for a healthy recipe, finding reviews on a local repair shop or looking for medical insight, moms are heavily dependent on search engines. In addition, “mommy bloggers” are now thought leaders, and many moms find information in online communities like CafeMom and Cool Mom Picks.

Moms as “Mombassadors”

According to another new study by Performics, moms are active and engaged users of social networking sites, compared to other women. They’re more likely to visit these social media sites regularly, trust what they read their about their favorite brands and make a purchase – such as a car, clothes or travel – based on social media recommendations.

What’s more, moms are recommendation engines. Once a mom discovers a brand or company she likes, she is more likely to become a brand ambassador. Mothers were 34 percent more likely to recommend companies and brands through social networking sites and 25 percent more likely to talk about companies and brands they follow. This is probably a reflection of the finding that almost two-thirds of moms believe they can influence companies by voicing their opinions on social networks.

Let’s face it: moms like to talk about their likes and dislikes, including passing on brand information. (“You should see this deal I got today!”) Thousands of women are online generating brand buzz and acknowledgement, but remember: This kind of WOM doesn’t happen overnight. It takes an integrated media approach to fully understand what makes moms want to engage and how best to get them talking up your product/service.

Moms are Most Engaged on Pinterest

Pinterest is a rising star and already has the attention of top brands across the board. Moms have taken to Pinterest quickly as well and according to Nielsen, they’re 61 percent more likely to use the network than the average American.

Better yet for marketers,

“Digital Natives” Switch Between Devices and Platforms Every Two Minutes

It appears that the first generation of consumers who cannot recall a time without mobile technology may be living a kind of digital “bright shiny object syndrome” —which in turn impacts how they process and absorb information (and marketing messages).

In a groundbreaking study commissioned media colossus Time, Inc., researchers at Innerscope Research used biometric monitoring devices (sophisticated technology that remotely measures human emotional responses to different stimuli) and point of view cameras  to study the behaviors of two kinds of people: “Digital Immigrants,” or adults who experienced the advent of mobile technology and came to adapt it, and “Digital Natives,” those who have grown up with cordless phones,  television remotes and a wide range of other wireless gadgets.

The subjects of this study underwent 300 of monitoring in order to gauge their emotions and actions while using various types of technology available to them.

As Betsy Frank, Chief Research & Insights Officer for Time Inc., explained, “Using biometrics, we were able to drill down even deeper to the emotional experience and subconscious behavior of these audiences.”

The research showed that: 

Marketing to Gen Y

One of the most difficult aspects of creating effective marketing strategies for Generation Y is finding two sources that actually agree on who this group represents.  But because most agree they are some 80 million-plus strong and will soon comprise the largest percentage of workers in the US, it’s critical for marketers to understand what makes Generation Y tick, and how to reach them.

Also known as  Millenials, Connecteds, the Internet Generation and Echo Boomers (due to the fact that they are the children or grandchildren of Baby Boomers), Gen Y typically refers to people born between the late 1970s and 2000, with some demographers narrowing that even further to include only those born after 1980 and before 1999.  Regardless of which span of years you focus on, the general agreement is that Gen Yers share certain distinct characteristics that include: 1) a high-level of tech savvy, 2) a low interest in traditional media and 3) a tendency to eschew many of the brands that their parents and grandparents were loyal to, in favor of brands that their parents and grandparents may be completely unfamiliar with.

Naturally, this combination of factors can test even the most creative marketer’s mettle. But, its also gives us the opportunity to think out of the box and develop effective, engaging marketing campaigns that Gen Yers can “totally” relate to.  For example, consider how this group has grown up during a time of almost dizzying technological advances, all the way from vinyl records, video cassettes and pagers to CDs and music downloads, DVDs and Blue Ray, and smartphones.  Barely any device they use for communication or entertainment existed 20 years ago, and those that did seem prehistoric when compared with today’s gadgets.  So it should come as no surprise that this age group prefers to watch movies, listen to music or get their news commercial free.  The fact is they can.

Technology isn’t the only thing that has influenced and helped shape the Gen Y spirit and approach to life. News stories such as the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair, the fall of both the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union, the death of Princess Diana and the acquittal of O.J. Simpson, the 9/11 attacks and shootings at Columbine High School have most definitely played a part in how they think and what they consider important.  As a result, this generation tends to rely more on word of mouth and real-time communication for their information, while also supporting political and charitable causes, craving comfort  (in attire as well as in their work and living surroundings) and putting a high priority on connection to friends and family.

The fact that they abandon the “old school” apparel, beverages and entertainment preferences of the generations before them is perhaps the most predictable of the Gen Y behaviors.  What generation, particularly in the US, hasn’t done the same?  If anything, we should find this product rebellion reassuring; it’s the hallmark of an age group trying to establish and define itself.

So what do we marketers need to do to get our messages through to this high tech, hyper connected, casually dressed, socially entrenched generation?  Here are some suggestions:

Social and Mobile Activity May Put Consumers at Risk of Identity Fraud

Today’s consumers are empowered with technology and supported by legions of friends and followers across a variety of social media platforms. But, there is a downside to all this digital communication. As more and more people worldwide embrace social media sites both personally and professionally, they’re also increasingly exposing themselves to identity theft and fraud.

Javelin Strategy & Research just released its ninth annual study on identity fraud (defined as obtaining someone else’s personal information for illegal financial gain), and the findings were troubling:

Four in Ten US Mobile Subscribers Now Use Smartphones

With the increasing sophistication of smartphones, the growing popularity of tablets and the ever-expanding ubiquity of wi-fi, the future of mobile marketing is not only bright, but blinding.

In its most recent annual report on this topic, comScore highlighted a number of factors that point towards nothing short of a mobile marketing groundswell.  Take a look at these key findings:

• The number of people who use mobile devices to surf the internet, download information or access apps continues to grow.  More than four in ten American (42 percent) and EU5 (44 percent) mobile phone subscribers now have smartphones.
• During 2011, growth in the use of mobile apps in the US and EU5 (comprised of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK) exceeded growth in mobile browsing, with the retail category coming in second only to health-related apps.
• More than 50 percent of US smartphone owners used them for retail research, such as price comparison while shopping at a brick and mortar store, demonstrating an increasing comfort level with the technology at their fingertips.
• Speaking of comfort level,