Posts Tagged "Economy"

While moms, without question, remain the major decision makers when it comes to household purchases, dads are becoming more involved in the process than in the past.

A 2010 Yahoo survey of 2,400 U.S. men ages 18 to 64 found that more than half identified themselves as their household’s primary grocery shopper. According to these dads:

• One-third clean and cook
• 83% bring up brands in conversations with friends
• Two in three chat about brands on social sites.

2011 research by Ipsos among 2,800 moms and dads found that dads are the major players when it comes to entertainment. The research showed that they:

• Spend 50% more time than moms with their kids online
• Are 50% more likely than moms to take the kids to a movie
• Are also more likely to take the kids to theater, sporting events or concerts

Although I come from a household where it’s dad who does most of the grocery shopping (and is the far better cook), I find some of these stats hard to credit: How dads perceive their involvement and how the women in their lives view it has historically shown a very wide gap. Far more evidence is needed before I’m convinced dads are really talking about detergent brands on social networking sites.  A recent New England Consulting Group survey of 200 men and women indicated that 70% of consumer-package-goods volume is still purchased by women.

While the numbers may be off, there is no denying that dads are in fact more involved these days in purchasing. The reasons are largely two-fold: The poor economy of recent years stranded some dads at home, where – especially if their wives are working – they are naturally assuming more day-to-day responsibilities, including shopping. The other factor is that this generation of dads is just naturally more involved in their kids’ lives – and therefore has more of a role in buying products and services for their youngsters. (An article in this Sunday’s New York Times highlighted another indicator of involvement: More men are not only joining their local school PTAs, but in many of the top-rated public schools across New York City, running them.)

Moms, when it comes to purchasing everyday household goods, who wears the pants in your family these days?

Marketers, have you shifted your focus to include dads in your outreach?

Are you a coupon queen?

Moms love coupons. Stats show that coupon and discount-themed blogs are among the most popular for women.

And no wonder. According to the USDA, a household of four spends between $524 and $1,014 per month on groceries, toiletries and cleaning supplies. As one way to manage those costs, couponing redemption increased 27% to 3.3 billion in 2009, and the total value of all CPG coupons distributed in the U.S. in 2010 reached $485 billion, up 13.9% from $426 billion the prior year.

Moms, do you regularly use coupons? Do you do so now more than in the past, and will you continue to do so once the economy improves? What kinds of products do you use coupons for?

If you think parenting grinds to a halt once your kids hit 18, think again.

According to a new study by the Kitchens Group, a public opinion research firm in Orlando, FL, more than half of Baby Boomer moms are still supporting their adult children financially and 60% are the go-to persons when their kids are having a problem. This contrasts dramatically with Boomers’ own experience:  86% of 46-65-year-old women reported being fully independent of their own parents by age 25.

Nine percent of  Baby Boomer women with offspring over the age of 18 reported having adult children living back home for an indefinite period.  Twelve percent were responsible for their adult child/children’s financial well being, and 31% said that they had children who returned home, relied on them, but expected to become independent.

Hmmm. CollegeBoy graduates next year. We shall see….

Some of you know that my son is currently studying and working in China, and that when we visited recently I was struck by how few children there were on the street. This led to a post about China’s one-child policy. So I thought I’d share an article that ran in today’s New York Times, about a change in that policy. It said, in effect, that China’s slow population growth rate has moved the government to offer some families the opportunity to have a second child, but those families are often choosing not to.

The reason: They don’t feel that they can support another child in the way that they would like.

I wondered: How has the recent state of the economy impacted the decision of American moms to have, or hold off on having, more children?

Your thoughts?

I love a good idea — especially one that combines convenience with the opportunity for moms to earn money! And so I am delighted to announce that Child’s Play Communications is now representing StorkBrokers.com, a new service that offers a simple solution for moms and dads looking to de-clutter their living spaces and make extra money from home.

The website helps parents find new value in their child’s old and unusued items by providing instant access to a marketplace of previously owned children’s goods. For those who choose to sell on the site, it means additional income. For those who buy, it saves money. StorkBrokers saves times on both ends, and also gives green-minded parents a way to recycle.

At Child’s Play, we’ll be providing traditional media relations as well as social media support.

Welcome, StorkBrokers!