Posts Tagged "Research"

Twins are the new trend when it comes to U.S. births. As of 2009, the last figure available, 1 in every 30 babies born here was a twin, compared to 1 in 53 in 1980, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

The twin birth rate rose by more than 2% a year, on average, from 1980 through 2004, leveling off briefly that year to less than 1% annually then rising nearly 2% again from 2008 to 2009.

In 2009, twin rates increased in all 50 states, with the most significant jumps in lower New England, New Jersey and Hawaii. In Connecticut, twins now account for nearly 5% of births.

Nationally, 3.3% of all births were twins in 2009, up from 2% in 1980.

The greatest increase in twin rates was for women 40 and older. They are more likely to use fertility treatments and to have two embryos implanted during in vitro fertilization, whereas younger women are more likely to get just one.

About 7% of all births for women 40 and older were twins, compared to 5% of women in their late 30s and 2% of women age 24 or younger.

Rates doubled for whites, rose by half for blacks and by about a third for Hispanics. Historically, black moms have twins most often, but white moms have almost caught up.

Are you a mom of twins? In what way has that influenced your purchasing decisions? Marketers, are any of you focusing on this growing market?

Moms, perhaps the most discerning of consumers, are shopping differently, according to a just-released Google study called the “Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT).”  The study addresses changes in consumer shopping habits overall, but in great part focuses on moms. In his compelling presentation delivered at the recent BabyCenter 21st Century Moms press conference, Jim Lecinski, Chief ZMOT officer, Google, explained how moms and others are increasingly “pre-shopping” using social networking and the Internet to determine their purchase choices–a point this blog has made many times. This shift is one that today’s marketers targeting moms must pay close attention to in order to deepen their engagement with and foster trust among this highly influential audience.

Becoming a mom is a key driver to this online research: The study shows that 73% of women change their purchase criteria and reliance on social media after joining motherhood. “Women have deep sharing habits,” said Tina Sharkey of BabyCenter, who also spoke at the 21st Century Moms session, citing heavy reference to product reviews, articles,  conversations and discussion boards. In fact, moms on average will consult 13.3 sources before actually buying, according to the ZMOT research. Whereas in the past, moms would make purchase decisions within what some marketers call “two moments of truth”–the first”moment” at the store shelf, and the second at home during product trial–today, the path to  purchase is no longer direct, but more like a giant zigzag, which poses new challenges to marketers.

As an example of how the ZMOT applies to a “real” mom, I will share the experience of a member of the Child’s Play Team Mom network. After her husband lost his job, this mom became obsessed with finding the best deals on line via coupon and deal sites. Instead of routinely heading to the nearest mall to buy back-to-school clothes and supplies for her kids, she first made a shopping list, and then went online to scope out the latest styles and best prices. After reading other moms’ reviews of the brands and items she was considering, her choices shifted somewhat. Additional recommendations from moms in her weekly playgroup also had an influence. As she became ready to buy, she printed out store coupons. Then, on the day she was planning a store trip, she discovered special online discounts for a few of the items. I will bet that many of your customers pre-shop in a similar fashion.

Later this week, I’ll talk about how companies can make the most of this Zero Moment of Truth when marketing to moms.

Intriguing piece on “the single mom” in this week’s Advertising Age. It appeals to me both because it takes a different view of the cliched “harried and hassled” single mom and because one of my closest friends became a single mom 22 years ago, long before it became a common choice.

The gist of the  article: Single moms are a force to be reckoned with. Today there are about 10 million of them in the U.S. with children younger than 18;  about 40% of all children now are born to single mothers. But these moms are older than what one typically imagines (average age, 39) and almost one-third have the support of a live-in partner.  While they do tend to have lower household incomes than their married counterparts, about 80% work.

The circumstances of their pregnancies also often defy perceptions. “That old fashioned idea that a single mother is someone who got pregnant by accident or didn’t want a child is just not true anymore. These days there are plenty of single moms by choice,” said Dana Points, editor in chief of Parents/American Baby.

She also pointed out that “Millennials seem to downplay the importance of marriage related to the importance of parenthood.” 2010 Pew research  found that 52% of Millennials think being a good parent is “one of the most important things” in life, compared to just 30% who said the same thing about a successful marriage.

Interestingly, in a recent Women at NBCU study,  55% of single moms agreed to the statement, “I consider myself to be a very traditional mom.”  The same study divided single moms into four groups: Girl Interrupted, Dream Girls, Survivor Mom and Secondlife Moms, each with its own very different set of experiences, influence and value to marketers, whether it’s the young Girl Interrupted’s digital communications skills or the older Survivor Mom’s brand loyalty.

For more, visit here.

Single moms — which of these four categories best describes you? Marketers, how are you targeting this  growing market?

Here at Child’s Play, we keep our fingers on the pulse of what moms are doing, especially in social media. For that reason, last month we launched a study to understand specifically how moms are using Twitter. The results made their debut last week in Engage: Moms, and I would like to share that article with you here.

How are moms using Twitter?

Earlier this month, Child’s Play Communications asked that question of our Social Savvy research panel, comprising moms active in the social media space.  We are announcing the results here. The responses, from 317 moms, provide a clear indication of what moms like about Twitter and when and how they prefer to use it. Marketers trying to reach moms via Twitter may want to consider these key findings:

• Moms tweet a lot. The highest percentage — 36.3% of moms — report tweeting 10-20 times a day.
• Midday means more conversation. Most moms indicate that the hours from noon-3 are the most popular for both tweeting (30.5%) and reading others’ tweets (24.8%). 
• Information is queen.  The No. 1 reason most moms tweet (43.2%) is to share information about products for kids and other moms – a fact that should be of considerable interest to companies and agencies alike. This is followed most closely by moms’ wish to interact with other moms (21.8%). The response shifts just slightly when moms are asked why they read other people’s tweets:  While 63.0% do so to get information about products for themselves and their kids, more – 67.5% — read tweets to interact with other moms.
• Moms want to see you tweeting. Asked how they decide whom to follow on Twitter, the vast majority – 78.2% — said they follow companies that interest them. Furthermore, 95.7% of moms who follow those companies do so to find out about new products, discounts and coupons.
• Tweets drive sales. The best news for those marketing to moms is that 73.1% of moms indicate that they actually purchased a product as a result of another mom’s Twitter recommendation.

 Other research questions looked at the types of products purchased following a Twitter recommendation, the popularity of Twitter parties and their impact on purchasing, what moms think of sponsored tweets, and moms’ specific Twitter experiences, positive and negative.

The conclusion: Today’s moms look to Twitter for information in a major way, and smart companies will use the space to reach this important demographic effectively.

Moms, do you agree with the results of the survey? Marketers, what has been your experience reaching moms through Twitter?

So much for the idea that only women are programmed for parenting! A new study has found that men are biologically wired to care for their children.

Northwestern University researchers followed a large group of men in their 20s and discovered that their testosterone levels fell after they found partners and became fathers. The men studied were 22 when the study began, 26 when it was completed. While testosterone declined in all the men studied — normal, with aging — the largest declines were in married or partnered men with children, compared to men who remained single.

Among men who became fathers during the study, the drop in testosterone levels was about twice as much as among men who remained single. Men with newborns had even lower testosterone levels than those who had slightly older children. And fathers who reported caring for their children 3 or more hours a day had lower testosterone levels than fathers who were not involved in child care.

The conclusion? “It really suggests men are hard-wired to be directly caring for their kids,” said Christopher Kuzawa, study co-author. Lower testosterone levels could help dads better manage the demands of parenting and enable them to become more nurturing.