• by Holly Pavlika , Columnist, January 3, 2014

Every year, a multitude of research is done on today’s moms. Has much changed since marketers turned their focus on her and her trillion-dollar spending power? We’ve seen some shifts, but surprisingly, a lot of factors remain the same. 

One major change is her dual-screen usage, which brings unique challenges to brands looking to capture her fractured attention. Time spent between her career, household chores and childcare also continues to evolve, impacting today’s family dynamics. Moms’ use of social media across every platform as a means to connect and source information is still greater than the general population’s. Moms are still the early adopters of smartphones, which is likely the first thing they check each morning. Simplicity and easy solutions remain high on her list of needs. And of significant note, let’s not forget that she is better educated than ever before. 

Following is a year in review of 2013’s most interesting research and insights into today’s mom: 

BabyCenter and comScore

Moms feel social media makes life better and consider their smartphone their “back up brain.” She has a propensity to sleep with her smartphone next to the bed. It’s the first thing she checks in the morning, multiple times throughout the day, and is the last device she checks before bed. 

• Moms in general are nomophobic: the fear of being without their smartphone

• Moms are four times more likely to check social media sites using a smartphone

• Today’s moms consider posts from another mom to be 55% more influential

Nielsen: Latina Power Shift 

2013 brought the rise of the Latina mom in social spaces. Latina women control about $1.2 trillion in spending power. Brands will need to merge product with Latina lifestyle stories to bridge Latino culture and leverage the highly social Latina mom. 

• They are adopting technology faster than U.S. females in general

• Almost one-quarter of all U.S. births were to Latina moms in 2011

• They are ambicultural: blending both English and Spanish language and both cultures into their daily lives, striving to simultaneously be Latina and American 

• Latinas are very connected and will require cross-channel messaging to be reached

Arbitron and Edison Research: Moms in Media

Moms’ Internet usage has almost doubled since 2008. There’s no doubt she is the most social audience online today. She is the queen of multi-tasking, juggling multiple devices often at the same time.

• She gives one-third of her day to media between the Internet, newspapers and TV (a total of 8 hours, 37 minutes a day!) 

• She needs Wi-Fi and has multiple devices connect to it: smartphone, laptops and tablets

Weber Shandwick and KRC Research: Millennial Moms 

Millennial moms are more digital and more social than the general mom population, making them a highly-sought after audience. They are more likely than average moms to spread information about apparel and retail stores as well as electronic devices and services

• They are twice as likely to be a single mom

• They are asked for a product recommendation an average of 9.6 times per month (vs. 6.3 times for moms overall)

• They report they are sought out more often than other friends as advisors on a wide range of topics

• They would pay for help with life management

Pew Internet Mom Breadwinners

Mom’s role as breadwinner is changing. For many, there is no opt-out clause, and they have no choice…they need the paycheck. Today’s mothers are either the sole or primary source of income for the family – a record 40% of all households with children under the age of 18. But this is not without  controversy.

• Total household income is higher when mom is the main breadwinner

• Married moms are increasingly better educated than their husbands 

• She is more and more likely to be a single mother who was never married

• 79% of Americans feel moms should return to their more traditional roles

Brands still need to work on “getting it right” for her.

2014 will bring a continued focus of attention on moms, yet brands will need to remember that there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” for today’s mom. In order to market effectively to today’s most engaged and influential audience, brands must invest strategically in digital, social and mobile not only to connect with her, but to stay ahead of her early adoption and heavy media and social consumption.