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As important as motherhood is, it is clearly not the only thing defining mums
By Katrina McCarter
New research reveals brands are failing Australian mums
H
ow do you feel about the fact that the people who make up 63 per cent of your target market don’t think you understand them? Even worse, they are responsible for more than 80 per cent of consumer spending decisions. Who are they? Mums! Women who are making buying decisions for themselves and their families, and influencing each other’s buying choices. At the upcoming World Infant Aquatics Conference (WIAC) on the Gold Coast (which is part of SPLASH! Week), I will be speaking about the key mistakes marketers are making, and what Australian mums want from brands.
Millions of mums
Mums are the powerhouse of the Australian economy yet they remain the most misunderstood, misrepresented and undervalued consumer segment in the country. With more than 6.2 million mums in Australia – responsible for spending $132 billion every year – marketers who ignore them do so at their peril.
Latest research from Marketing to Mums reveals that brands are failing to connect with mums – that figure of 63 per cent represents the percentage of Australian mums who believe that advertisers don’t understand them. There is growing dissatisfaction from mothers around the country who are fed up with the lame, irrelevant marketing efforts being directed at them. This growing disconnect between advertising and mums’ reality is, in part, explained by AdNation research released last year which revealed the people working in advertising agencies are young, tech savvy and less likely to have children than the average Australian. How can these people manage to relate to the day-to-day life of a mum, create campaigns that appeal to her, communicate with her and maintain a good brand relationship with her?
Getting social
It is of vital importance for the success of brands that they invest now in gaining a
better understanding of the social media habits and communication style and preferences of Australian mothers. I’ve been studying mums for two decades. I have eighteen years’ sales and marketing experience working across diverse industries including grocery, hardware and online – always targeting mums as the purchaser. I also have a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and an MBA (International Business). However, my real learning happened when I became a mother myself. I left my corporate role to enjoy a five-year career break to raise my three children. As a stayat-home mum I spent hours in the park listening to the frustrations and challenges facing mothers. Six years ago, I launched an online shopping platform for mums called bubbler. com.au. I grew this to a community of 150,000 mums before selling eighteen months ago. During this time, my insight into Australian mums really accelerated and I gained a deeper understanding of mums’ lives. I learned how to engage mums to June/July 2018 SPLASH! 51
