Invasion of Moms into the Virtual World

Recently, one of the many Facebook groups dedicated to mothers, newborns, and parenting discussed a new device that records a child’s movements during sleep.

This very interesting innovation prompted mothers to speak about the advantages and disadvantages of such a device, as well as what they need to help their newborns drift into a peaceful and sweet sleep. That single post on Facebook did not benefit the manufacturers of the mentioned device, but all players in the parenting business who got the opportunity, completely free of charge, to obtain exact data on the desires and needs of their target group. Finally, new mothers, especially first-time moms, consider the internet as a primary means of gathering answers to questions that interest them, whether it concerns new ‘bibs’ and pacifiers, literature, or the latest innovations that help them feel better in their role of life. Therefore, it is not surprising that brands have also sensed the invasion of moms on social networks and forums. Recently, marketing experts have been convincing clients that without the digital world, their products or services simply will not sell satisfactorily. Indeed, for the past few years, sayings like ‘if it’s not on Facebook, it didn’t happen’ or ‘if it’s not on Google, it doesn’t exist’ have been circulating.

Quick Access to Information The reason is simple: it is the most practical. While putting their child to sleep or ‘working off’ maternity leave, they can browse the internet or explore news using their smartphones. Any answer can be found in a minute on Google or similar search engines, and comprehensive and concrete information can be learned in virtual gatherings with other moms who spend their free time (when they catch it) on Facebook or on forums like the one from the Roda association in our country. Nothing and no one can replace that established system of recommendations and information exchange as interactive sites do, where users with the same or similar problems, experiences, or challenges gather. A recent study conducted in the United Kingdom shows that women who have become mothers, averaging 29 years old, are technologically aware, with 80 percent regularly using social networks and 78 percent owning a smartphone. This data is indeed surprising considering that the British average (all consumers) for regular social media use is 51 percent, and smartphone ownership is 39 percent. Croatia does not lag behind the West when it comes to the penetration of social networks and fast internet, so there would not be a significant difference between the British and Croatian averages, at least regarding the mentioned data. According to Marketing Week, new research has prompted some major brands to intensify their marketing activities online. For example, the British supermarket brand Morrisons signed a million-dollar contract with the social network Netmums, which is run, edited, and visited by moms.

Success of the Netmums Network This social network has designed a special advertising platform that allows brands (Morrisons signed the first contract) to promote their products, services, or campaigns, start discussions, encourage conversation, and receive real-time feedback. Considering that Netmums has 1.5 million members and four million unique and 27 million total visits per month, it is clear that investing money in such a platform is worthwhile. Brands, as they told Marketing Week from the Netmums network, clearly understand that it is essential to establish a relationship with their target group, in this case, mothers, and not just ‘stick’ ads. They have recently started collaborating with Kelloggs on a slightly different basis than with Morrisons, but it is certainly expected that in a very short time, more and more brands will flock to the site and try to learn as much information as possible about key consumers. Interestingly, experts who participated in the Marketing Week analysis noted that television is one of the favorite media for mothers in the study, but they pointed out that it should be taken into account that the program is mostly just background noise or that their children are watching it, and they rarely have time for concentrated viewing.

Without Emotions Or, as they vividly explained, mothers of newborns and preschool children consume media in small bites, which is why tasks and the virtual world are the most common choice. Besides time as a key factor in product selection, price or, more accurately, the price-quality ratio is also important to them, as they do not want to make mistakes when buying for their children. However, marketers need to be aware that mothers and pregnant women differ from those who are not in terms of the type of media they most often consume and the time they consume it, as well as what they seek from brands. Research shows that the greatest exchange of information with real or virtual friends begins in the evening, of course, when the children fall asleep. Brands can then learn the most about customers and access them most easily. It is also interesting that this target group is much more precise in what they seek from brands, so, research shows, they will ‘like’ a specific product or official page on Facebook if it offers them discounts and vouchers, if it organizes contests, and similar, and pay less attention to the emotional aspect of the customer-brand relationship. Therefore, young mothers will not be attracted by storytelling about the brand, but exclusively by concrete benefits, as mentioned, they do not have time for long chatting, and they will not be attracted by content that they do not consider meets their specific needs. If they need a longer conversation, they will ‘log in’ to some forum or specialized group on social networks, which are a great medium for listening to their needs and forming both marketing communications and product or service lines. In any case, it is expected that in the coming years, the number of moms ‘hooked’ on the virtual world will grow, which is an opportunity that brands simply cannot afford to miss.