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Word-of-Mouth Matters Most for Moms

FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Laura Fortner
SVP, Marketing and Insights
CafeMom

CafeMom is an online community where moms socialize and share advice and information. Laura Fortner, SVP of marketing and insights, oversees the marketing, business development and research teams at the site.

Ms. Fortner spoke with eMarketer about what mothers expect from brand marketers online and why social networks are important.

eMarketer: How does a woman’s shopping behavior change when she becomes a mother?

Laura Fortner: Her life changes in dramatic ways. There are three major shifts that pertain to her shopping behavior: One, she’s got at least one new person in the household with a lot of brand-new needs. Two, given all the demands that parenting is exacting from her, she has a lot less time for researching and shopping than she did before, on top of having new products to look into for her new baby.

And third, we’ve seen a shift in the information sources she goes to for shopping information and the brands she goes to—and trust is very important here. We find that word-of-mouth and connecting with other moms is a very important new resource for women entering motherhood.

eMarketer: Why is word-of-mouth so important to moms?

Ms. Fortner: In today’s fragmented media world, there are so many sources of information coming at moms, and so many places she could go for information, that really being able to find filters that she trusts is very important. In her new time-constrained world with a lot of priorities and a lot of information gathering, moms really prefer value and trust one-on-one communication sources.

eMarketer: Do you see any differences in the online shopping behavior of millennial moms [ages 18 to 34] versus older moms?

Ms. Fortner: In our “Digital Mom” study that we did in partnership with Razorfish, one of the things that we looked at by age was the effect of that on various digital channels and information sources she went to. Technology habits are different, certainly, between age ranges.

The real standout for the millennial moms is that you’re seeing relatively higher usage of social networks and mobile, certainly a greater preponderance of texting and mobile Web browsing. That’s not to say the older moms aren’t doing it, just that more of them in the younger age range are doing it more frequently.

eMarketer: How do moms want to be approached online by brands?

Ms. Fortner: In interacting with brands online, four qualities really stand out for moms. First, being respected and understood by the brands.

Second, moms like companies who listen to the feedback they provide. Offer them opportunities to really weigh in on the product as it stands today or where it may be able to go in the future, and make them feel like they’re partners in that process.

Third, honesty is very important.

And then, finally, in terms of how the brands connect with her, being able to find the information or offer she wants or needs, when or where she needs it, is really important. There are so many channels of information coming at her, really being able to find that at the right time is important.

eMarketer: How important are social networks to moms’ purchase decisions?

Ms. Fortner: They are an increasingly important resource. Moms are going to online friends—people like themselves who feel like friends—just as an easy go-to resource. Being able to go to one place and get many opinions at once, versus going to, say, a brand site and getting one point of view or consumer review, is another benefit.

Most important is that in a social network you have the ability to get personalized shopping recommendations from people who know something about you, and that’s not something you can get anywhere else.

You can go to Amazon.com and read a product review, but you’re not going to be able to ask somebody who knows you “If I’m choosing between the BlackBerry and the iPhone, and you know what I’m like and what my communication style is and my habits, what would you recommend?”

We have plenty of moms at CafeMom who ask for stroller recommendations. “I want to hear from a suburban mom who’s got a newborn and a 2-year-old. What double stroller makes the most sense?”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS!

Three-quarters are fans of a brand

Marketers going after moms on social networks such as Facebook know by now that users rarely embrace ads in environments where they are focused on socializing with friends.

Data from lucid marketing and Lisa Finn shows that most mom Facebook users feel neutral about ads on the social network, compared with about 36% who actively disliked them. Only a tiny percentage of respondents reported liking ads on Facebook.

Moms were much more receptive to marketing in general, however—at least when done on their terms. Though most moms used Facebook primarily to keep in touch with friends and family, and only 10.4% said they focused on checking out companies or products, three-quarters were fans of at least one company or brand.

Further, some 16% of mom Facebook users followed more than 10 companies’ fan pages. Respondents named parenting-specific pages as their favorites, along with restaurant, grocery and entertainment pages—especially kid-oriented ones.

The survey found mothers on Facebook savvy about marketing and skeptical of offers that seemed to good to be true. They expected companies to be straightforward and respectful of their time, and indicated a great interest in special offers and deals exclusive to Facebook, such as coupons they could send to their friends on the site.

“Facebook is fertile ground for marketers to engage mothers and drive sales, but it needs to be done on their terms,” said Kevin Burke, president of lucid marketing, in a statement. “They have no time for brands that don’t ‘get it,’ but they do embrace brands that play by their rules.”

They say never work with animals or children but who can resist those cherub like faces? Here are a handful of hopefully helpful pointers that one can try when it comes to framing tots and toddlers:

1. Most children will have the patience of a fly so start by netting the ‘safe shots’ first, such as a few well composed, nicely lit portraits with a 50mm prime, before diving into the most adventurous ideas. Suggestions for such could be to: opt for some tight crops of the tot’s face, vary depth of field to avoid distraction, or get creative with shutter speed to some exciting ‘movement’ effects. When their attention levels start to dissipate, try following them around. Not only do you get a glimpse into their world but this can make for some beautifully natural shots. When kids are happy playing on their own opt for a zoom such as an 18 – 200mm to cater for up close and at a distance shots.
2. When kids are cute it can effortless to forget technique and become shutter happy; click, click and click some more – before you know it you’ve expired a 4GB memory cards and have a heap of blandly identical images. Limiting yourself to 20-40 shots forces you to focus on strengthening your composition, as it helps you to decide what it is important and challenges you to be more creative.
3. A towering adult is obviously a daunting prospect for a tot and the bird’s eye view perspective is only going to yield so much value. A better idea is to drop down to their level is ideal and emphasis the smallness of their stature, reinforce the connotation of innocence and if you catch them looking up you’ll be amazed at how big their eyes can appear, subtly increasing the ‘aw’ factor.



4. Some kids just don’t want to sit for photos. Give them a prop, toy or a task to focus their attention and you’ll be amazed by the results. There are lots of things you can try; baking cakes, gardening, building sandcastles, following a treasure trail – anything to get them to relax and this is where an on-hand parent can be of great use; helping the child to relax and bring them out of their shell. If they still don’t want to play ball catching infants at their most naughty, angry, sulky or upset can still make for powerful portraits. Be aware that cheesy grins may cause the eyes to crinkle and the impact may be lost, so catching a shot whilst the child is off guard but in good spirits is a solid antidote for this.
5. As with any portrait consider your scene. Be sure the light falls evenly and flatteringly, backdrops featuring bright colours and interesting textures add interest and declutter your scene of distracting items. On a really bright day it can be hard to get even light, so place your subject in a shaded area such as a doorway, porch, entrance to a tent, or even under a garden table. Take an exposure reading from their face and the result will be a portrait with flattering light without the need for flash or reflectors. Alternatively if there is no shade, try taking a shot of the child walking away with the light behind you – often these shots can reveal more about their personality than the front.
6. The beach is a wonderful location for photographing children at play. Their actions are natural and the backdrop provides a sense of place whatever the weather. Avoid shadows and squinting in super sunny conditions by bringing along a parasol or improvise with a beach towel, shooting them under the shaded area.



7. The clothes the child wears will have an effect on their mood and ultimately – your shots. Everyday casuals are ideal for relaxed natural shots, whereas formal wear can go either way; exude maturity or sulk because they dislike stuffy dresses and suits. Costumes are perfect for bringing out the imagination gene in your models, resulting in energetic and tangibly fun frames.
8. Black and white images can do wonders for pictures of newborns, whereas tot shots are often better left in vivacious colour. However if you are keen to emote a calmer, softer connotation open up Photoshop travel into the Adjustments menu and either reduce saturation, hit desaturate or travel into Gradient Map and select the B&W option. Employing a high-key effect in Photoshop can also add an angelic feel to portraits of your little cherubs. Take a beautifully lit image and open it in Photoshop. Head for Adjustments and select Curves. Gently lift the line twice near the bottom and once near the top to generate a shallow ‘S’ shape. This will alter the contrast and brighten hues, but do this process in small increments as too much and you’ll lose details.
9. Creating a shallow depth of field is wonderful for focusing attention on the child sitter. If you’re uncomfortable with using manual, flick your shooter into Aperture Priority and opt for a lovely wide aperture such as f4 or f5.6. Focus on your subject and incorporate the backdrop into the frame – use something interesting or colourful here. Alternately throw the child out of focus by aiming at an object in their hands instead.



10. Get creative with shutter speed! Chuck a pair of wellies on the pint size model and have them jump around in puddles. You could freeze water splashes and stop the action using a shutter speed of 1/250 or above or blur the child mid air with a slow shutter of around 1/60 (but you may need to ramp up the ISO in low light). Alternatively mix the two effects with a rear curtain sync to make the most of a long exposure whilst firing a flash – the result is a frozen subject with the motion trailing behind.
11. Newborns grow rapidly and their features can alter as a result. Photograph at regular intervals to chart this change. Whilst they are very young you’ll find it is easy to capture stills whilst they are asleep. For the best results position the baby in a well lit room or near a large window diffused with a thin white sheet. Cropping in close for segmented body shots of newborns is quite clichéd but the results can be breathtaking: toes, feet, hands, legs, face, etc. Why not use these as a series or pick the best three to form a triptych?
12. Shooting children in groups multiplies the stress levels but increases the opportunities to be experimental. Ask them to interact by holding hands, rubbing noses, playing a game s, running towards the camera, jumping off a bench – anything that unleashes their personality! The encyclopaedia of expressions and characteristics that will no doubt explode out of the frame will definitely be worth the hassle. Expose for the faces and lock focus on to one of the cheeky grins for sharpness.

Topping the list of idiotic things to share on Facebook, 18-year-old mother Rebecca Davey of Southend, Essex (in the UK), posted a photo of her six-month-old son Ollie with an unlit cigarette in his month.

The Daily Mail reports that the smoking baby photo alarmed a few online friends, who reported Davey to the local authorities.

The Facebook () photo, which was eventually removed (although later posted by the Daily Mail), prompted Essex police and social services to inquire about the well-being of the baby. They ultimately found that the child was not at risk.

Davey returned to the scene of the crime (Facebook) to offer her insightful analysis of the situation in a special language understood by her fellow friends and status updaters.

Davey wrote, “Some w***** reported me to the police abwt picture off ollie.”

Which was followed up by the ever-so eloquent sentiment, “Why Would SomeOne Do That To Me U Ollie No was taking U Yur Mine for lyfee Darlinggg Mummy Loves You .”

Once supporter wrote, “Some ppl r nosey f****** aint they!! dw ur a good mum they wont hassle u 4 long!!!”

While another pondered, “What chance has the kid got if the family behave like this?”

We hope that Mashable () readers are savvy enough to know that posting a photo of your child smoking a cigarette online — unlit or not — is unwise. Should that not be case, let this be one lesson learned through the example of Rebecca Davey.

How do you feel about this? I sure do not play with any bumps or bruises on anyone head! Do you take this concussions serious enough?

Mon, Jan 18, 2010 (HealthDay News) — Children who suffer a concussion don’t just have a minor head bump, but a brain injury that parents, coaches and teachers need to take more seriously, Canadian researchers warn.

Parents often believe that concussion injury is mild and doesn’t involve damage to the brain, said lead researcher Dr. Carol DeMatteo, an associate clinical professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario.

However, “concussion really is a brain injury — there’s no question about that,” she said.

“The term concussion is used frequently, but there are no real guidelines in using it with children,” DeMatteo said. “This means that many different types of injury of different severity can be called a concussion. This leads to misconceptions by families and coaches and teachers and children themselves.”

Instead of using the word “concussion,” these injuries should be called mild brain injuries and that may help these children get the care they need, DeMatteo added. “We only have one brain, so let’s help kids look after theirs.”

The report is published in the Jan. 18 online edition of Pediatrics.

For the study, DeMatteo’s group reviewed the medical records of 434 children seen at McMaster Children’s Hospital for a brain injury. About a third (32 percent) were diagnosed with concussion.

The researchers found that, compared with other brain injuries, children diagnosed with concussion spent less time in the hospital and fewer days out of school. They were also more likely to go back to school shortly after leaving the hospital.

If children go back to school or sports too soon after a concussion they are at an increased risk of having another head injury, DeMatteo noted. “Kids are twice as likely to have another head injury within a year if they have [already] had one,” she said.

DeMatteo believes that children should see a doctor if they are showing signs of a concussion, such as fatigue, headache, memory problems, disturbed sleep or mood changes.

These symptoms can affect school performance, and returning too soon to sports can increase the risk for another injury, she said.

Most importantly, having a subsequent head injury can boost the odds of doing permanent damage to the brain, DeMatteo noted.

Gillian Hotz, director of the Pediatric Neurotrauma Program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said parents are often relieved to hear that their child has “only” suffered a concussion.

But concussion is only a catch-all term for a spectrum of non-structural brain injury, Hotz said. “Most kids who have a concussion, rest — the headache goes away, the symptoms go away, and they’re fine,” she said.

“But, you have to be very careful,” Hotz said. “If there is damage on a CT [scan] or prolonged unconsciousness then it’s in another category, not a concussion.”

Concussions do need to be taken seriously, and injured children need to be seen by doctors before they are allowed to return to school or sports, Hotz said.

“If a kid goes down and has symptoms during a game they are pulled. They need to be cleared by a medical professional before they return to play, and not that game,” she said.

“Concussions are cumulative so we are going to have a lot more severely injured kids if we don’t start putting some of these policies into place,” Hotz said.

– Steven Reinberg

U.S. law forbids the use of lead in children’s toys and jewelry.

In taped remarks to be delivered Tuesday in Hong Kong, Inez Tenenbaum warned that her agency would keep a close watch on the imported products, the Associated Press reported.

“I would highly encourage all of you to ensure that toy manufacturers and children’s product manufacturers in your country are not substituting cadmium, antimony, barium, in place of lead,” Tenenbaum said in a transcript of a speech to children’s products manufacturers, exporters and regulators. “All of us should be committed to keeping hazardous or toxic levels of heavy metals out of … toys and children’s products.”

On Sunday, the AP reported that some Chinese manufacturers substitute cadmium for lead in inexpensive charm bracelets and pendants sold in the United States. That prompted U.S. officials to launch an investigation.

Along with being a known carcinogen, cadmium can hinder brain development in very young children. Youngsters can get persistent, low-level doses of cadmium by biting or sucking jewelry with a high level of the toxic metal.

HealthDay News

Mon, Jan 11, 2010 (HealthDay News) — The presence of the toxic metal cadmium in Chinese-made children’s jewelry is being investigated by U.S. officials.

Product safety authorities pledged to “take action as quickly as possible to protect the safety of children,” the Associated Press reported.

The move comes after lab tests showed that the cadmium content of some pieces of children’s jewelry ranged from 84 to 91 percent by weight, and that some of the items easily shed the heavy metal, according to the AP.

Along with being a known carcinogen, cadmium can hinder brain development in very young children. Youngsters can get persistent, low-level doses of cadmium by biting or sucking jewelry with a high level of the toxic metal.

On Sunday, the AP reported that some Chinese manufacturers substitute cadmium for lead in inexpensive charm bracelets and pendants sold in the United States.

– HealthDay News

Fri, Jan 15, 2010 (BabyCenter News) — McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, has announced a recall of two types of children’s Tylenol.

This recall is part of a larger product recall that includes various over-the-counter drugs — including adult medications — made by McNeil.

The drugs are being recalled due to reports of an unusual, moldy, musty, mildew-like odor. In a small number of cases, the odor has been linked with symptoms like nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea.

The types of children’s Tylenol being recalled include:

* Children’s Tylenol Bubblegum Meltaway 30 count (NDC Code # 50580-519-30, UPC Code # 300450519306), lots AHA069 and SPA022
* Children’s Tylenol Grape Meltaway 30 count (NCD Code # 50580-518-30, UPC Code # 300450518309), lots AHA023 and AHA057

The lot numbers are printed on the side of the bottle label.

McNeil is recalling all product lots with any chance of being affected, even if they haven’t been the subject of any consumer complaints.

The company has determined that the odd smell is caused by trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA), which is a known breakdown product of a pesticide and flame retardant used to treat the wooden pallets that store and move the medicine bottles.

In addition to the recall, McNeil says it will stop shipment of all products that use materials transported on these wooden pallets and require all of its suppliers to discontinue using the pallets.

The recall comes after McNeil received a warning letter from the United States FDA. The agency criticized the company for failing to react quickly enough to consumer complaints.

(Editor’s note: BabyCenter is also owned by Johnson & Johnson.)

Fri, Jan 15, 2010 (HealthDay News) — Oral contraception may decrease bone density in young women, a new study suggests.

Those taking birth control pills for more than two years, and those on the low-dose estrogen pills appear to have the greatest risk of decreased bone density in the spine and whole body, according to the researchers.

“I think the evidence is still emerging on this association, but our findings suggest that low-dose oral contraceptives with long-term use have some impact on bone density,” said study author Delia Scholes, a senior investigator at the Group Health Research Institute of Group Health Cooperative in Seattle.

The findings were published in the January issue of Contraception.

What isn’t entirely clear from this study of women under 30, explained Scholes, is what the long-term impact might be. Researchers don’t know if the lower bone density findings are easily reversible just by stopping the use of oral contraceptives. They also weren’t able to study if the lower bone density in these young women would translate to a higher fracture risk later in life.

But, “if oral contraceptives are indeed causing the approximately 5 percent lower spine bone density for oral contraceptive users versus non-users that we observed in our study, and if that impact is not reversed with oral contraceptive discontinuation or with other factors that may occur across the life span, a 5 percent lower bone density after menopause is associated with approximately 50 percent more osteoporotic fractures,” said Scholes.

Almost 12 million American women are currently using oral contraception, according to background information in the study. And, the use of oral contraception is highest in women under 30, reports the study. That’s important because the 20s are generally a time of peak bone mass production.

However, little is known about the effects of oral contraception on bone density. Previous studies have had conflicting results, with some showing no effect or a benefit on bone density while others suggest that oral contraceptives may inhibit bone mass accrual.

The current study was comprised of 606 woman between the ages of 14 and 30. The researchers reviewed oral contraceptive use, the duration of use and the estrogen dose in the contraception, and compared this to bone mineral density tests. The bone density test measured bone density in the hip, spine and whole body.

When the researchers compared oral contraceptive users to non-users they found that women taking oral contraception had average bone mineral density levels that were 5.9 percent less for the spine and 2.3 percent lower for the whole body. There was a trend for lower bone density in the hip as well, though this trend didn’t reach statistical significance.

The researchers also noted a trend toward lower bone density in women taking oral contraceptives containing lower doses of estrogen, with the lowest readings in women taking formulations containing less than 30 micrograms of estrogen.

The researchers found no effects in the 14- to 18-year-old age group. However, Schole said it’s important to note that contraceptive use was less in this age group than for the women between 19 and 30.

Scholes said the researchers suspect that the hormones in birth control pills are likely affecting normal hormone levels — perhaps lowering normally circulating estrogen levels — which then affects bone production.

“The studies on oral contraception and bone density have been conflicting,” said Dr. Beatrice Chen, director of the Center for Family Planning Research at Magee-Women’s Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “Although this study adds to that information, I don’t think young women should be scared into stopping birth control. Talk with your doctor about your own risk factors, and the risks and benefits of using oral contraception.”

Chen said that studies on longer-term birth control, such as Depo-Provera, have shown that when the contraception is stopped, bone levels quickly return to normal.

If you’re concerned about your bone health, Chen said that there are steps you can take to help prevent bone loss, including: consuming adequate calcium and vitamin D, participating in weight-bearing exercise and quitting smoking.

– Serena Gordon