I’m probably too late. Some “savvy” marketer is probably already zeroing in on them. He’s determined that these are echo booming, millennial Y’s that love self expression, are more likely (and this is obvious) to have more children earlier in life. They are parenting oriented and not as anal as their X’er counterparts but brands are big in their lives and they have no idea that the future steadily approaches. (Not my conclusions, this is from a qualified study. Honest.)

I can hear the marketer licking his lips now, as they will build a program that plays on the emotional press revolving around this recent and tragic off line event. Hell, we can turn it into a game to be played by children of all ages. Because that’s what it was. Stupid is as stupid does, Forest…

I wish all 17 girls the best of luck. Hopefully they and the community will embrace their new lives with love and affection.

It seems that every day someone is claiming discovery of a new niche of moms. And, we often joke about the myriad useless facts that revolve around moms and in the name of relevant targeting. You can’t step sideways without someone working at establishing their credibility and spewing forth official sounding and worthless trivia.

But, put together a couple stand alone facts, like how there were 111,190 births to women over 40 in 2005 and 10% of births that same year were from (kids) 15 – 19 years of age and you can make some sense of it all. Conclusion; approximately 88% of births in the US are to moms between the ages of 20 – 39.

This makes things mildly challenging for anyone targeting an event (motherhood) and age. Why? The behaviors of the two generations that occupy that space are pretty different. Those behaviors originate in the attitude of the people in each end of that spectrum and how you achieve relevance in their world might never be more complex.

Fortunately, (or not), there is commonality. Both generations are miffed about the amount of advertising that is thrust at them from every corner. Really, I’m not lying. Seventy three percent (73%) are tired of marketers (us!) directing ads at their kids. Nearly half feel that marketing and advertising is out of control. Emphasis on “…out of control.”
(Yankelovich & Strottman International Study)

Now, that’s information worth chewing on. We’ve been espousing for some time that Interruption is a dead art, (Now, 3 out of 4 moms agree…) To some, unfortunately, it’s still a dead horse that needs frequent re-killing. Those that practice interruption will soon learn that the upcoming generations of moms do want great brands…just not the ones that accost them and leave bruises. Think “cool and “unique…”

By the way, 17 new moms in Gloucester didn’t make a dent in the more than 400,000 births to (kids) under the age of 20 each year. Still…

We (us at Lucid, that is) have been mulling research into how the evolution of the Internet has been reflected in people’s behavior. Perhaps it is as simple as asking, “What did you do then? What do you do now?” In one way, we are trying to track this evolution toward Web 2.0, but the answers have been elusive. Therefore, I suspect it requires a more exact science. Or a better question…like, “What behaviors change as users are attracted to and participate in social networks?”

Then, lo and behold, Universal McCann completes an extensive study involving 17,000 active Internet users in 29 countries, shedding light about online social behaviors. (Universal McCann’s “Power to the People, Social Media Tracker Wave 3)

There’s a lot to digest in the work and we won’t do more than scratch the surface here. My immediate interest was captured early on with how the Internet has become the social media of choice; or has it?

A wonderful summary follows:

“Social media is an important shift, as it summarizes the importance of interaction, the consumer and the community. The term emphasizes the idea that as a collective it can have as much impact as any traditional media platform.

In truth, to claim social media as “new” is slightly misleading. From the beginning, the Internet was founded on message boards, chat rooms and peer to peer communication. What has changed is the mass involvement that modern social platforms inspire.

Contributing to the Internet has never been as accessible and less technical. Innovations in web development, computing technology and the proliferation of broadband have come together (to) drive monumental consumer take up. This is why the phenomenon of social media is important now – it has the potential to impact on all our media consumption therefore shifting the emphasis from professional content producers to the consumer.”

You don’t need the study to validate that people are generating content, more now than ever before. Per the study, 73% of people have read a blog. And what are those blogs about? They’re about family and personal experiences. For brands, this can be very revealing. Interaction with brands is a personal and relevant experience for many. For those that write, these interactions are the stuff of life and the seeds for publishing.

The implication is for business to do more than dabble in the medium. It is apparent that the rules for customer service have shifted in favor of the consumer. No longer do they need to accept mediocrity – their opinions can be expressed without reservation, and in many cases without any semblance of manners. The attacks can be brutal and semi-honest. Hell hath no wrath like a consumer scorned.

Need more to cement the idea firmly in place? Here’s standing proof that brands/businesses must meet the consumer head on in the “space.”

Social media impacts your brands reputation

– 34% post opinions about products and brands on their blog

- 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs

So with this all in mind, we come to realize that the use of the Internet’s social capacity is not new but merely becoming more powerful, potent and ever present. With that comes the strain on weak consumer facing systems and any inability to meet the consumers’ expectations. A less than positive experience invites the avalanche of negative press, in a world where you can’t call the publisher to remind her how much your brand spends on advertising. Aaahhh, a topic for another day.

ComScore Media Metrix, estimates there are 30 million moms between the ages of 25 and 54 with one or more children at home. Mothers represent 44% of all adult females who go online.

As a parent it is practically a requirement to have Internet access. Pew and the US Department of Commerce both report that 87% of households consisting of a married couple with children under the age of 18 have Internet access. Among non-family households, it drops down to only 58.5%.

Moms are online and in a big way.