The Digital Mom Force

Sarah Ferguson has her own social network and rumor has it that Steven Spielberg may soon join the virtual bandwagon with one for users who’ve had or who are interested in sharing paranormal and extraterrestrial experiences, moms included.
Some argue the market for social networks is saturated yet we hear of a new web community targeting mothers every week and not just in the United States. Marketers obviously look into ways to market to us moms in a stealthy way, or at least without making it so obvious. Social networking fatigue may begin to set in at some point, just as it is happening with general social networks, especially if moms continue to be targeted with ads when all they want is to meet and socialize with other moms online. Between March 06 and March 07, social network visitors increased 54%, while between January 07 and January 08 the increase was merely 8%, much below what was expected. This is definitely not a good sign for social networks but it could be a promising one for targeted communities and another indication that niche is the way to go.
We tend to get the mainly the American perspective of things in the US. So while trying to find out more about mothers’ online habits in other markets, I found an interesting, if a bit dated, report by the European Interactive Advertising Association. The Report, Digital Mums Take Control on the Web, shows that digital moms regularly access social networking sites, enjoy contributing to online ratings and get involved in blogging. They survey also shows digital mothers are more frequent online shoppers than those without children.


The blogosphere is increasingly echoing messages of users rejecting advertising in social networks and marketers cannot be oblivious to that. The EIAA also includes tips for advertising to moms online.

- Avoid simplifications: today’s moms don’t conform to any specific stereotype and should not be categorized too simply.
- Think about what media digital moms use: their children’s interests and age will be reflected in their choice of media and online habits.
- Web Communities and Social Networking: take advantage of the varied online environment in which more and more mothers are engaging in conversations, developing content themselves and communicating through their own sites.
- Traditional values still matter: keep that in mind.
- Look at environments: access whether the online environment you are considering is appropriate and will really appeal to mothers.

While the report data applies to European moms, many of the recommendations could well apply to any market. It would be interesting to look into how mothers are responding to the web elsewhere.