How to connect with moms based on "insight crowd sourcing".

1. Going beyond clichés and stereotypes to better
understand her hopes, dreams, values and
vulnerabilities. Ultimately to better connect with her.
May 2014
What every marketer
should know about
today’s moms.
Motherhood is….
All
rights
reserved,
Ulli
Appelbaum
2013

2. Copyright
©
2014
Ulli
Appelbaum.
All
rights
reserved.
Unless
otherwise
indicated,
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materials
on
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by
Ulli
Appelbaum.
All
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No
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Therefore,
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form
or
by
any
means,
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or
otherwise,
is
strictly
prohibited
without
prior
wriGen
permission.

3. What this
presentation is
about.
Understanding
what
resonates
with
today’s
moms
-­‐
beyond
stereotypes
and
clichés.
Inspiring
brands
to
beGer
connect
with
moms
by
solving
real
mommy
problems.
Helping
brands
play
a
more
meaningful
role
in
moms
lives.
Helping
marketers
idenEfy
fresh
ways
to
look
at
and
engage
moms.

4. The marketing
community has a huge
opportunity to make
things better. And make
more $$$.
of moms feel that advertisers
don't really understand what it's
like to be a mom.
73%
of moms feel like marketers are
ignoring their needs.
60%
of moms think advertisers are
doing a poor job at connecting
with them.
80%
Source:
M2Mom.com

5. Brands still focus on
motherhood “ideals” and
stereo-types and usually
miss the mark.

6. Mommy’s culture however
has evolved and changed.

7. The result is a major gap
between moms own
narratives and expectations
and the social norms
embraced by most brands.
Brands that will close the gap
first will win.

8. 8
but first…

9. Who is this guy?
And what does he know about
MOMS?

10. Strategist
20+ years of global experience in
brand strategy and customer
experience design.

11. Proud dad & husband
Lola, 5
Fynn, 5
Leo, 3

12. Entrepreneur
Co-founder of
www.wemothers.com, a start-up
focusing on moms emotional
wellbeing.

13. Community Manager
I’ve built a community of 7000+
moms (total $ investment = 0) and
I have been listening to them for
the last 2 years.

14. 14
The research.

15. The research.
Over 1200 Facebook posts capturing
insights, truths, needs, vulnerabilities, jokes,
aspiration about motherhood.
Delivered in a Facebook friendly format,
“digital posters*”.
To our community of 7000+ moms.
posters
*To learn more about digital posters visit www.ulliappelbaum.com

16. How it works.
• Moms see one of our posts (digital posters)
• They decide in a split second whether the content
(the post) resonates with them and whether they
want to engage (“like”, “comment” or “share”) or
not.
• This methodology measures moms’ “blink”
reactions. No rationalization, social filtering or
forced conversations, just real spontaneous and
visceral reactions that show moms hot buttons. A
real temperature check of what resonates with
today’s moms.
• Facebook provides the analytics that allows us to
measure the strength of the reaction and
engagement.

17. Quick facts
Digital posters posted
1200+
Moms reacting to those posts
7000+
most engaging posts are the focus
of this presentation
Top 10%Top
10%

18. 18
Let’s dive in
31 truths that
resonate
with today’s
moms.

19. Moms daily experiences often
clash with the cultural “ideal” of
motherhood.
Mommy Truth:

20. Moms reject the notion of the
“perfect” mom. So why do brands
insist on maintaining these
stereotypes?
Mommy Truth:

21. Once you’re carrying a child,
suddenly the world has an opinion
on each and every choice you make,
despite the fact that they have less
than nothing to do with your
decisions
or the outcome.
Most moms hate unsolicited
advice & dread being judged.
They’ll get plenty of both (also
from brands).
Source:
Mommy Truth:

22. Once a woman asked me whether
I planned to breast-feed my baby,
so I asked her whether she shaved
her vagina. Oh, I’m sorry, you don’t
like personal, none-of-your-business
questions?
A harmless and well-meant
question can quickly be
perceived as judgmental (Moms
are first and foremost women
after all).
Mommy Truth:
*
Source:
Motherhood
Comes
Naturally
(and
Other
Vicious
Lies),
Smokler,
Jill

23. Because
as
wonderful
as
motherhood
is,
it’s
also
the
hardest
job
in
the
world,
and
we’d
all
go
crazy
if
we
couldn’t
laugh
at
ourselves*.
Moms often use humor when
sharing their experiences. It’s a
way to relieve tension, to bond
and remain sane.
Mommy Truth:
*
Source:
Motherhood
Comes
Naturally
(and
Other
Vicious
Lies),
Smokler,
Jill

24. Motherhood is this place at the
intersection of heaven and hell.
Mommy Truth:

25. Moms will tell you that yes,
motherhood is fulfilling but in the
same breath they will bond over
how tough it is. Listen.
Mommy Truth:

26. Mommy Truth:
Motherhood is like riding an
emotional roller coaster. And
emotions drive behaviors.

27. The pre-dominance of positive
moods ensures the reproduction
of our species. But most of these
are often overlooked by brands.
0
2
4
6
8
10
Proud
Happy
Excited
Overjoyed
Calm/content
Awed
Elated
Serene
Mood
frequency
for
the
past
30
days
Source:
Wemothers
LLC
Mommy Truth:

28. Mood
frequency
for
the
past
30
days
0
2
4
6
8
10
Tired/Exhausted
Overwhelmed
Worried
Frustrated
Anxious
Upset
Cranky
Angry
Sad
Confused
Bored
Depressed
Desperate
But motherhood is also a world
rich in negative emotions.
Negative emotions are actually
often stronger at driving behavior.
Source:
Wemothers
LLC
Mommy Truth:

29. Welcome to a life of ongoing
chaos.
Mommy Truth:

30. She will rationalize her
shortcomings (an opportunity for
brands).
Mommy Truth:

31. A mom will develop her own
measures of success.
Mommy Truth:

32. It’s about the little successes.
(Removing chaos and achieving
tidiness trumps achieving
squeaky cleanliness.)
Mommy Truth:

33. A mom will redefine her
standards and the compromises
she’s willing to make.
Mommy Truth:

34. I confess that most days,
I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing.
Everyone thinks I have it all together—
good wife, good mom, successful career—
but I really don’t. I’m ready to stop
pretending to be perfect nowMany moms will have this
nagging feeling of inadequacy
and not knowing what they are
doing.
Mommy Truth:
*
Source:
Smokler,
Jill,
Confessions
of
a
Scary
Mommy:
An
Honest
and
Irreverent
Look
at
Motherhood:
The
Good,
The
Bad,
and
the
Scary.

35. Her confidence and attitude
however grows and changes with
the number of children.
Mommy Truth:

36. Many of them will struggle with
their self-images. Or stay in a
state of denial.
Mommy Truth:

37. Moms will often struggle between
who they used to be and who
they have become. Are you
talking to the woman or to the
mom?
Mommy Truth:

38. Being a mom means that
someone else will always come
first.
Mommy Truth:

39. And moms turn their sacrifice into
a virtue and a celebration.
Mommy Truth:

40. Moms never get a break, ever.
It’s 24/7 job. Duh.
Mommy Truth:

41. Being a mom means always
being exhausted.
Mommy Truth:

42. Weekends become “week days
with less breaks and more messy
people around”. And vacations
stop being vacations & become
“trips”.
Mommy Truth:

43. It’s so bad, that even daily chores
carried out alone become a
vacation.
Mommy Truth:

44. So it’s not surprising that moms
crave breaks from their daily
routine.
Mommy Truth:

45. And moms will go to great length
to take that break.
I
lock
myself
in
the
bathroom
and
act
like
I
have
diarrhea,
but
really
I
am
si@ng
in
there
reading
magazines
and
playing
on
my
phone.
My
husband
keeps
pestering
me
to
see
a
gastroenterologist.
Mommy Truth:
I
joined
a
gym
just
for
the
free
day
care.
I
drop
the
kids
off
and
read
magazines
and
blogs
in
the
locker
room.
*
Source:
Smokler,
Jill,
Confessions
of
a
Scary
Mommy:
An
Honest
and
Irreverent
Look
at
Motherhood:
The
Good,
The
Bad,
and
the
Scary.

46. By
golly,
I'm
taking
myself
to
a
movie
tonight!
Ge@ng
out
of
bedGme
duGes
thanks
to
my
wonderful
husband.
Score!
KrisEne
on
Facebook
Mommy Truth:
The joys of being a mom include
“not being a mom” for once. A
fresh opportunity to celebrate
motherhood.
I
love
my
kids.
Don't
we
all?
But
do
you
know
what
else
I
love?
I
also
love
all-­‐day
Kindergarten
and
early
bedGmes.
I
love
Moms'
Night
Out
and
Date
Night
with
the
Hubs.
But
I
especially
love
anything
that
gives
me
five
minutes
of
uninterrupted
peace
to
myself
to
JUST
PEE
ALONE!
*
Source:
Smokler,
Jill,
Confessions
of
a
Scary
Mommy:
An
Honest
and
Irreverent
Look
at
Motherhood:
The
Good,
The
Bad,
and
the
Scary.

47. Hidden
in
the
pantry
in
a
box
labeled
“flour”
is
top
-­‐of-­‐the-­‐line
chocolate
and
a
few
joints.
I
rarely
resort
to
it,
but
it’s
a
comfort
knowing
it’s
there.
Every loving, dedicated and
sacrifice-making mom also has a
dark side (often in the form of
chocolate) that she selfishly
hides from others.
Mommy Truth:
*
Source:
Smokler,
Jill,
Confessions
of
a
Scary
Mommy:
An
Honest
and
Irreverent
Look
at
Motherhood:
The
Good,
The
Bad,
and
the
Scary.

48. Which explains moms hysterical
love for wine. It symbolizes me-
time, letting go & bonding.
Mommy Truth:

49. But no seriously, don’t mess with
a mom’s ME-Time. A mom will
turn on you in a heart beat.
Mommy Truth:

50. 50
For more information www.ulliappelbaum.com