Motherhood is a beautiful thing. A quick delve into the Google Image archives for ‘new mums’ and you’re sure to be overwhelmed by pink cheeks, tiny knitted boots and fresh-faced women warmly caressing blue-eyed babies.
Brands targeting the new mums category are often guilty of seeing motherhood through rose-tinted spectacles, and therefore alienating their audience. On the flip side, in trying to empathise with new mums, they can also tread a step too far. Take the Mumsnet backlash to SMA’s ‘You’re Doing Great’ ad, for instance. Angry parents took to the online forum to vent their frustration about a brand that had failed to accurately represent their experiences.
It’s a fine line for brands to walk, particularly as the new mums category is changing. The rise of sites like Mumsnet is just one example of how things are being disrupted. Parents are rallying together, identifying new information sources, and juggling parenthood with very busy lifestyles. Brands that fail to engage them are missing out on big opportunities.
If we look at the figures, first-time parents collectively contribute nearly £500m to the UK economy annually. An average couple can spend £1,600 during pregnancy alone.
To be able to matter to new mums, brands need to cut through the noise, filter out the fluff and work out what really makes them tick today. So how can this be done?
Take a stroll in their shoes
One of the biggest brand pitfalls is focusing too much on the cute bit: the new baby. While bringing baby home is usually seen as the pinnacle moment, it is just one step in the journey new mums make, from planning to birth and beyond.
At PSONA, we believe in ‘method planning’. Like method acting, this involves walking in consumers’ shoes to understand them on both a physical and emotional level.
This approach formed a lens through which I viewed my own pregnancy. I wanted to understand how brands see motherhood – and whether or not new mums are getting what they need.
What we found is that brands fixate on the joyous aftermath to their detriment. There are actually six key stages, like the 12-week scan and the 36-week mark when mums usually stop working, that act as purchase triggers. Brands need to see new motherhood as a meandering, emotional experience punctuated by these different stages and plan their strategies to incorporate and join up each of them. That way, they will position themselves closer to the customer, help ease the journey and earn the right to be present post-pregnancy and beyond.
Share their experiences
Mothercare, for instance, is turning its fortunes around after unveiling a new marketing strategy that aims to capture all the exciting experiences new parents have and facilitate them in-store and online.
New parents’ mindsets usually change when they know a baby is on its way, from making healthier food choices to shopping for products and services that simplify their day-to-day lives.
In-store, Mothercare has introduced children’s play areas and cafés stocked with healthy produce. By transforming the shopping environment into one where parents can relax and socialise, the brand is repositioning itself as one that understands its customers’ needs.
The same goes for Mothercare’s digital agenda, from its simplified website and handy app to helpful content output like essentials checklists. In-store staff are equipped with iPads, and e-receipts have been introduced to help ensure the shopping experience becomes joined-up and personalised, while growing the company’s database.
Get with the programme
Social media has given people the means to demand facts and transparency, and a platform on which to call brands out. The new mums category is no different.
Buying decisions might be driven by practical concerns like cost and delivery, but personal values play an equally important part. In particular, new mums demand authenticity to ensure they are armed with the best products, services and accurate information as they enter a new life stage.
Amazon Family is therefore another great example of a brand getting what matters to new mums. As well as simplifying pre-birth prep via easily navigable baby wish lists, it provides a platform that encourages price comparisons and reviews.
During my own pregnancy, I turned to peer-to-peer recommendations, online forums and my friends via the likes of WhatsApp to validate what brands were telling me or to find the best bargains. I wasn’t alone. Traditionally new mums turned to their own mothers and immediate family for advice (so brands were passed from generation to generation), but the conversation is becoming more inclusive. 71% of new mums rank friends as their most reliable source of information; and 91% use social media at least once a month.
Brands that undo the rosy filters and approach new mums with integrity and authenticity are far more likely to be welcomed into this club. It’s one thing recognising how new mums perceive themselves and operate on a day-to-day basis is changing. Brands need to actively represent and facilitate it, open conversations, educate people and reinforce social bonds.
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