December 2007: Moms

websites to watch - moms

MomLogic.com
Mom logic is the destination for thinking moms who don’t have time to think. An online community for mothers of all ages, the site aims to provide up-to-the-minute information about how breaking news affects their families.

Maya’s mom
A website where parents can share their experience, tips, and details about their kids lives, pictures, and favorite new words.

myLifetime.com
myLifetime offers an online space for women filled with community spaces, and distributor partnership from content providers like About.com, Glam, and Hearst.

Lunchopolis
Another mommy owned-and-operated start-up inspired by a void in the marketplace, Lunchopolis was created to help cut down on the 3.5+ billion pounds of lunchbox garbage generated each year. After noting that few parents (to their knowledge) pack their kids’ lunches with reusable cloth napkins, silverware, and Tupperware containers, two LA-based moms decided to create Lunchopolis. The insulated soft lunchbox is available in a variety of child-friendly colors and styles and features a refillable drinking bottle and stackable containers, making lunch more fun for kids and parents.

 
websites to watch - general

CASH Music
The Coalition for Artists and Stake Holders, aims to connect music artists directly with the fans and give them a chance to collaborate both creatively and financially. Fans will be able to remix artists’ music and post their own original works.

Shoeboxed
The service allows you to input all your receipts in one place. Users are encouraged to flaunt their purchases by sharing them publicly and then have others go nuts with the stereotyping feature.

Askville
A new service from Amazon where users can ask and answer questions on any topic.

 
blog trends

rmbr
A funware application designed to automate photo uploads and create games and create game that encourage your friends to tag your photos for you. It throws your photos and your friends' together in a shared mix, inviting everyone in the group to create captions, leave comments or doodle on the snapshots. In addition to providing a selection of games (which can be used as widgets on Facebook and other websites), rmbr will let users send pictures to or receive them from cell phones through a multimedia version of text messaging.

Veeker
Veeker is a free video messaging service that enables a camera phone owner to shoot video and instantly share it with friends. Videos are sent directly to the Veeker site, where, similar to Flickr, the creator can opt to keep it private or to share with the Veeker community. The “Veeks” or “video peeks” can also be viewed in other blogging and social networking sites that accept embed codes.

ZANNEL
ZANNEL is about life in real time - a way for you and your friends to share what you're doing, feeling, and seeing as it happens.

With ZANNEL, you post video, picture, or text updates from your phone to instantly start conversations. You can also follow friends, meet new friends, and watch videos on mobile and the web.

 
technology trends

Flip Video
The world’s simplest camcorder that fits in your pocket. It runs on standard AA batteries, connects instantly to any computer with built in software and a USB arm.

Dash Navigation
Dash Express Navigation, the next thing in GPS devices, offers connectivity via Wi-Fi that provides connection to receive the latest traffic and map updates. Local searches are powered by Yahoo. There’s even a Send2Car feature that allows you to receive addresses from your computer. Expected to ship in mid- to late February.
Mosh Mobile
MOSH mobile is the new FREE to use mobile service that let's users make free calls, send and receive text messages, surf the web and much more.

 
marketing - mom focused

Uncle Sam Wants You, But Ads Target Mom, Dad
For the Army, it's out with "Be all you can be" and in with "Buy all you can buy." The Army has been enlisting youths for decades by promising them money for college. Starting in January, it will try out a different sort of pitch in selected cities: offering up to $40,000 toward the purchase of a home or the creation of a business. more info

Welch's Juices Up Antioxidant Message
Welch's TV advertising used to be about cute kids with purple juice moustaches who loved the taste of grape. Today it's all about mom. Specifically Gen X moms who are taking proactive steps to boost the health of their family. more info

Art & Commerce: Modern Motherhood
More than four years ago, the Ms. & Mom Marketing Group at DraftFCB embarked on a research journey to find and more fully understand the women and the moms we marketers put into our creative briefs. more info

Research: Marketers Cite '08 Priorities: Gen X, Hispanics, Women
'Green' Also Gets High Marks, but Baby Boomers May Lose No. 1 Spot.
A new survey from a group of leading marketing executives shows that 88% of them say the baby boomer audience is still the most sought-after demographic. But in a surprising result, other target groups ranked almost as high. Gen Xers tied Hispanics for second (86%), followed by women (85%) and Gen Yers (84%). more info

Moms Depend on Web Search: Study
Eighty-nine percent of household moms use the Internet at least twice a day, and 86% say they rely on search engines to find Web information. And advertisers looking to sell to mothers should be sure to integrate search marketing into their campaigns, a new study from digital marketing firm DoubleClick found. more info

Six Months With Millions Of Moms
It's easy to understand why marketers want to connect with moms: mothers are the largest consumer group in the United States. According to BSM Media, they spend $2.1 trillion annually and control 85% of household spending. more info

 
interesting articles - general

Videogames Trumping DVDs in Q4
Halo 3 Sells More Units First Day Than Shrek the Third
As the last of the $300 million-grossing films streeted on DVD on Dec. 4 with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, retailers and wholesalers are mostly buzzing about the wild success of this year’s videogame titles. more info

Study: Chat Rooms Influence Holiday Purchases
More consumers are using chat rooms to make purchasing decisions about holiday gifts, according to a study just released from the American Marketing Association, Chicago. more info

Uncle Sam Wants You, But Ads Target Mom, Dad
Wall Street Journal
November 29, 2007

For the Army, it's out with "Be all you can be" and in with "Buy all you can buy."

The Army has been enlisting youths for decades by promising them money for college. Starting in January, it will try out a different sort of pitch in selected cities: offering up to $40,000 toward the purchase of a home or the creation of a business.

The new recruitment program, dubbed the "Army Advantage Fund," is meant to show parents and other adult "influencers" that Army service offers tangible benefits to young Americans. As the Iraq war continues, the Army is struggling to recruit enough new soldiers -- and such influencers are less and less likely to recommend military service to youths.

"If you want to get a soldier, you have to go through mom, and moms want to know what kind of future their children will have when they leave the Army," said Lt. Col. Jeff Sterling, the program's architect. "This is meant to answer that question in a tangible, concrete way."

The program is the latest sign of the military's growing use of marketing and other recruitment strategies from American corporations.

The Army's overall advertising budget has increased steadily in recent years, climbing to $174 million last year from $121 million in 2003 , according to TNS Media Intelligence, a New York research firm that tracks ad spending. The Army's ad budget is on pace to be even higher in 2007, according to TNS. A growing number of slick commercials touting military service air during National Football League games and other television programs popular among youths.

Taking a page from law firms and investment banks, the Army has already begun to offer hefty signing bonuses to recruits separate from the housing and business incentives. Those who sign on for four years of service can receive up to $40,000, with those willing to begin basic training within 30 days of signing their enlistment contracts receiving up to $20,000 more, depending on their specialty.

The aggressive marketing and large cash bonuses have helped the Army meet its recruiting goals, but barely. It missed its monthly targets earlier in the year, signing up 5,101 of the 5,500 recruits it wanted in May and 7,031 of the 8,400 recruits it sought for June. It exceeded its targets for the rest of the summer, however, recruiting 9,972 soldiers in July and 10,126 in August compared with goals of 9,750 and 9,600, respectively. The Army exceeded its overall goal of 80,000 for fiscal 2007 by recruiting 80,407 soldiers but only after allowing in a large number of recruits who had criminal records or who lacked high-school diplomas.

The recruiting strains are expected to grow in coming months, as the Army races to complete an expansion plan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently announced that the size of the active-duty Army would increase by tens of thousands of soldiers by 2010, two years earlier than planned.

Col. Sterling, who has a master's in business administration from Penn State, developed the idea for the Army Advantage Fund after reviewing internal Pentagon market-research data that showed a decline in the number of parents, teachers and coaches recommending the Army to youths.

According to a Defense Department market-research report, 23% of adults surveyed in June 2006 said they were likely to recommend Army service, compared to 36% in August 2003, shortly after the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. The report, by the Pentagon's Joint Advertising, Market Research and Studies division, attributed the decline "in large part to a fear that youth will face personal hardship, danger, and a lifestyle that is not attractive to them if they enlist."

The declines were likely to continue unless "something is done to improve the image and appeal of joining the military," it said.

Under the Army Advantage program, recruits signing on for three years will be eligible for a $25,000 payout. The total would rise to $35,000 for those willing to serve four years, and $40,000 for those committing to five. The soldiers would be eligible to receive the money as soon as they finish their initial Army service.

Col. Sterling said that soldiers wanting to put the money towards a mortgage would likely be asked to send paperwork showing they were in the process of actually buying a home, while those opting to use the money for a new business would be asked to show they had registered the company with state tax authorities. He said that soldiers would keep the money even if the deals fell through.

Military officials plan to market the new program by placing ads in magazines, radio shows and TV programs for older audiences. The Army has hired McCann Erickson Worldwide, a division of advertising giant Interpublic Group, to develop the advertising campaign. A McCann Erickson spokeswoman referred questions to the Army, which declined to provide examples of the advertisements.

"We know most 18-year-old kids don't think about mortgages yet," Lt. Gen. Michael Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, said recently. "We're going after the influencers."

The program, long in development, has sparked controversy inside and outside the Army. Many older officers and outside experts are uncomfortable with giving large financial incentives to join the military.

"When the military offers money for college, it specifically attracts the self-directed, ambitious people the Army most wants," said Cindy Williams, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who specializes in military-manpower issues. "This would seem to attract people who are already thinking about settling down and leaving the Army, which is a very different kind of person."

The Army had originally planned to roll out the program nationally, and early market-research projections suggested it would attract as many as 3,000 new recruits a year. Now the Army is going to make the program available in five cities -- Montgomery, Ala., Albany, N.Y., Seattle, San Antonio and Cleveland -- in what Col. Sterling called a "controlled experiment." The experiment is likely to draw, at most, a few hundred new recruits each year. If the test run does well, the effort is then expected to go national, he said.

Col. Sterling, who is retiring from the Army early next year to join the business world, said the new effort could eventually include other recruiting incentives, such as college funding for dependents of military personnel and money for health-savings accounts, tax-free programs that allow Americans to set aside money for future medical needs.

"In marketing terms, the Army's core product -- military service -- is a tough sell right now," he said. "That means the Army needs to develop new ways of reaching people. We need a new kind of competitive advantage."

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Welch's Juices Up Antioxidant Message
November 2, 2007
AdWeek

Welch's TV advertising used to be about cute kids with purple juice moustaches who loved the taste of grape. Today it's all about mom. Specifically Gen X moms who are taking proactive steps to boost the health of their family.

This change in strategy was reflected in Welch's new ad campaign that kicked off last night. The new ads, from JWT, New York, claim that Welch's grape juice has twice the antioxidant power as orange juice. The 30-second spot shows a girl explaining to her dad that she's protecting herself from the monsters in her bedroom closet by setting glasses of Welch's grape juice on the floor. "Don't worry daddy, the antioxidants will protect me," she says.

"The key is we have a brand that is dead-on for the traditional wants and needs for today's mom," said Chris Heye, CMO of the Concord, Mass.-based company. "We needed to increase the relevancy of our juices and we have a message that does that."

Welch's is also making a shift in its marketing spend. It will focus more ad dollars than ever on the Web, social networking and public relations efforts. "There will be a heavy emphasis on dialogue and engagement with the consumer," Heye said. "We think we had a successful campaign in the past that talked to mom, but now we want to talk with mom. So we're certainly going to a lot of new places where we have a better chance for engagement to dialogue with her on that message."

Welch's measured media spending was $20 million last year and $6 million between January and August 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

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Art & Commerce: Modern Motherhood
Brandweek
December 10, 2007

I'm a mom, not a moron. That rather harsh statement crystallized for me, a mother who is also a marketer, while reviewing our latest research about moms.

More than four years ago, the Ms. & Mom Marketing Group at DraftFCB embarked on a research journey to find and more fully understand the women and the moms we marketers put into our creative briefs.

What we found was a large group of women with children who would like to tell us to get a life. These women with children are tired of old stereotypes, of being portrayed as one-dimensional "moms" who either work and have no time, or don't work and have nothing but time. They are women with children who are married, single, working, doing, experiencing and, importantly, are fed up and often offended by the simplistic views painted of them.

Wanting to know more about these modern moms and what they'd like to see from marketers recently led us to conduct in-depth interviews with 50 mothers in four U.S. cities.

Chief among what we found is that moms today are multidimensional in ways far beyond the historical great divide of "working" or "non-working." It's not where she spends her day but how she mothers her children that is a more telling indicator for marketers.

There are three identifiable segments of modern moms:

Sacrificers: These are women most reminiscent of the moms featured in many TV commercials. They pretty much live for their children. They do, do, do—immersing themselves in their children's activities, often at the expense of themselves, seeing their children as an extension of themselves. They believe a "bad" mom is a missing mom and consequently choose not to work; they're all about the family unit … and not much outside of it.

Hardworking dominants: These women are hardworking all-around, truly in survival mode, trying to better themselves and to give their kids a better life than they had. They are in charge, the "chief home officer." These moms work primarily for financial reasons and seek to "take care" of their children, hoping they in turn will grow up to be balanced and successful.

Experientials: These women seem to have achieved "evolved motherhood," in which their roles as a woman and mother are in balance. There are layers of complexity in their lives. Their goal is to create interesting children through exposure, experience and quality time. They see their children as individuals in their own right and see themselves in the same way. They frequently work because they "need" to, i.e., not for financial reasons (often it is non-paying work) but because work is simply part of their DNA.

Regardless of their mothering style, these 21st century moms are different from those who came before, and to reach them marketers need to change many current perceptions.

There are no perfect moms and they are not happy being portrayed as such. "The moms on TV are not the moms on the playground," as one put it. "[Marketers] set the bar too high. Sexy and skinny is not part of my life. It adds to the pressure, and I already have enough to worry about."

Perfect families, too, are a myth. Moms see the "calm, interactive family with everyone sitting around the dinner table quietly talking and enjoying each other" as a complete joke. Their reality is most often grab-and-go meals with those around the table complaining, interrupting and experiencing more distractions than discussions. Marketers may repeatedly put families in a pretty magazine spread, but that's not where they live.

Surprising for marketers, moms cook. And they are weary of being told they don't have to. Moms want the choice: to cook, or not. Away from "scratch" towards "semi-homemade" or "assembled" may be a better message.

The bottom line: Moms are not who marketers think they are and we are not giving them what they want. What do they want? A dose of reality that taps deep into her emotional space.

Here are some truths about modern moms:

Moms are in love with their kids. The touchy-feely part, the affection, the hugs. At the end of the day, that's what makes motherhood worthwhile.

Nutrition is a concern, not an obsession. Marketers may be obsessed with it, but moms are not. They believe in balanced, self-governing, street-smart nutrition.

Moms want some everyday fun ... like baking cookies or making Jell-O Jigglers. They love the imagination that goes with being a mom; it's why they got into it in the first place. No woman ever signed up to mop up milk spills all day.

A fun and attainable dose of getting away is a must. Suave's print ad featuring a woman with a turban of dirty laundry piled high atop her head indicates the reality that, yes, I'm a mom, and I spend an inordinate amount of time doing laundry, but I need a few minutes to do my hair, too.

The environment is important to moms. They'll buy from companies who are responsible, but their real interest is in what they can do. They want education from marketers on how to do their bit.

In truth, the world of modern moms is full of exciting possibilities for marketers. Better connections can certainly be made. Loosen the boundaries and give her some freedom. Affirm her choices, remove the "shoulds," let her have fun, and help her experience her reality, not ours. She is a mom, not a moron, and she will thank you.

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Research: Marketers Cite '08 Priorities: Gen X, Hispanics, Women
'Green' also gets high marks, but baby boomers may lose No. 1 spot.
Brandweek
December 3, 2007

A new survey from a group of leading marketing executives shows that 88% of them say the baby boomer audience is still the most sought-after demographic.

But in a surprising result, other target groups ranked almost as high. Gen Xers tied Hispanics for second (86%), followed by women (85%) and Gen Yers (84%).

The Top Marketing Trends for 2008 survey was commissioned by the Marketing Executives Networking Group, Old Saybrook, Conn., a body of some 1,700 members at the vp level or above.

Anderson Analytics, Stamford, Conn., which conducted the survey, said the focus on baby boomers makes sense. "They have the most purchasing power right now," said Tom Anderson, managing partner at Anderson Analytics. "Plus the upcoming generation, which is a pretty spoiled generation in terms of getting it all, has a huge influence on what their parents and grandparents buy. So it makes sense to target that demographic."

For that same reason, marketers are also eyeing Gen Xers. "They know this audience is savvy in identifying and getting what they want," said Anderson.

In a nod to one of the current hot buttons in marketing, Anderson noted that the "green" issue was one that members volunteered an interest in without being prompted. "Green Marketing" was cited as important by 32%. "When we asked which 'Guru' they recognized, time and again Al Gore's name came up," said Anderson.

"It's all over the media right now," said Joe Dell'Aquila, managing director at Continental Consulting, Stamford, Conn. "It makes sense that marketers would recognize [green] as a growing trend."

In other areas, the survey found that more than half (52%) see China as the region with the best future opportunity for business. A distant runnerup was India (20%). Few of those asked saw Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Latin America, Brazil, Russia or Mexico as having comparable opportunities.

MENG is comprised of senior level marketing professionals who have reached at least the vp level in their company; 84% of them have Fortune 500 experience. The survey was conducted between Oct. 19-Nov. 20.

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Moms Depend on Web Search: Study
Promo Xtra
August 23, 2007

Eighty-nine percent of household moms use the Internet at least twice a day, and 86% say they rely on search engines to find Web information. And advertisers looking to sell to mothers should be sure to integrate search marketing into their campaigns, a new study from digital marketing firm DoubleClick found.

The study, “Searcher Moms: A Search Behavior and User Study” found that offline sellers can benefit almost as much as e-commerce merchants from the access search gives to the mother demographic. Seventy percent of mothers use search engines to research an online purchase, but 57% said they also use Google, Yahoo and their ilk to study up on offline buys; 64% use search engines to locate brick-and-mortar stores for their shopping.

Specific to consumer packaged goods, 72% of the moms said they use search engines to compare CPG prices at different outlets. Seventy-one percent reported using online search to turn up product information, and the same proportion searched to find retail locations.

“Manufacturers and marketers targeting this audience through any kind of advertising campaign should be sure to integrate a well-planned search campaign,” said Scott Haiges, president of ROI Research, which conducted the study with Microsoft. “Sixty-four percent of women reported using a search engine to gather more information after seeing an advertisement.”

DoubleClick operates an online ad networks and is parent to Performics, a search engine and affiliate marketing firm. The company is in the middle of an acquisition bid by Google.

The survey studied the Web behavior of around 1,000 U.S. mothers, both in general search and in regard to eight product categories.

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Six Months With Millions Of Moms
Marketing Daily
December 13, 2007

It's easy to understand why marketers want to connect with moms: mothers are the largest consumer group in the United States. According to BSM Media, they spend $2.1 trillion annually and control 85% of household spending.

What's more difficult is figuring out how to connect with moms. Part of the problem is moms are busier than ever-shuttling kids, organizing activities and volunteering, in addition to managing households and jobs. Equally important and ominous, moms are growing wary of marketers and marketing messages--they can smell a hidden agenda from a mile away and often tune out commercial come-ons.

So where do today's moms go for trusted advice and support? Where do they share opinions, discuss topics, express preferences and simply vent? They go online, connecting with each other in online communities, and any marketer interested in what's on the minds of moms must find a way to tap into these authentic conversations.

We spent six months networking with millions of moms across the Internet, observing conversations in blogs, social networks and online communities, and interacting with them in our own online community developed to help marketing and research organizations tap into the mom market. We participated and we listened, and most important, we didn't hide our marketing affiliation. We were upfront and earned their trust. Then we transformed these conversations into the marketing insights, new product opportunities and lessons outlined below.

Lesson 1: Moms Are In Control.
Moms don't always feel that institutions, public figures, authorities or marketing organizations have their best interests in mind. They believe their circumstances are unique and that they're the only ones equipped to make decisions for their family. Many comments reinforce the notion that the government is out of line in mandating anything for personal health or raising children; many moms are highly skeptical of "organic" claims or "green" products; and many believe marketers use scare tactics to promote health products for kids.

Implications:
• Use trusted, peer mothers in your marketing
• Make moms experts on subjects so they can make informed decisions
• Give moms the information they seek without "spinning" it

Lesson 2: Moms Are Sharing Leisure Time With Kids. More moms are participating in leisure activities with their kids to understand them, keep track of their interests/activities and to have fun. They're opening their own accounts on MySpace.com; they're playing video games with their kids; and they're taking them to thrift stores to teach the value of money.

Implications:
• Appeal to the whole family
• Help moms turn tasks and chores into fun family activities

Lesson 3: Moms Are Making Up For Shortcomings In Education At Home.
Moms are concerned about perceived shortcomings in the educational system and are findings ways to make up for them at home. Many feel standardized tests hurt children by not recognizing their individuality, and they feel they must step in where their child needs help. Others are beginning to combine public schooling with home-schooling or are monitoring specific skills and supplementing schoolwork with additional exercises.

Implications:
• Acknowledge moms' roles as educator
• Be moms' partner in parenting and education with programs and marketing that motivate and encourage learning
• Use packaging/labels as lessons

Lesson 4: Moms Want To Raise Good Citizens.
Now, more than ever, moms want to raise children to be responsible, balanced adults who express their individuality. Moms believe these qualities are more important than good grades and are continually looking for ways to nurture these values.

Implications:
• Help moms lead by example with healthy products and programs that promote philanthropy and wholesome ideals
• Reach kids with your messages through fun, safe programs that moms trust

Lesson 5: Every Activity Builds Character.
Moms see every activity as a way to build kids' character and help them become good, healthy people. For example, many moms let kids start picking food or toiletries, within reason, at an early age. Others believe giving kids a cell phone can help teach responsibility. Still others see sports as a way to teach self-control and improve one's body and character.

Implications:
• Give moms ideas for character-building activities that incorporate your products and services
• Help kids learn responsibility and independence with products that make it easier for them

Lesson 6: Moms Take Pride In Creativity.
Moms like to think of themselves as creative. Some are proud that their cooking never tastes the same twice, while others find creative ways to make a 10-year-old to eat vegetables. And some see parenting as an evolving exercise in creativity, requiring them to learn new techniques and overcome new challenges.

Implications:
• Provide ways for moms to be creative using your products and services
• Give moms an outlet for friendly competition where she can share the creative ways she has used your products and services

Lesson 7: Moms Want Kids To Be Kids.
Moms are concerned that society is driving kids to grow up too fast--they want their kids to enjoy youth and they want to cherish this time too. Many feel society pushes moms to use specific products, for example, encouraging moms to potty train kids early so they'll use more pull-up diapers. Moms even expressed skepticism about doctors' orders, citing cases where month-to-month developmental guidelines tended to hurry kids and push them to achieve sooner.

Implications:
• Provide moms with ways to cherish motherhood
• Focus messaging and innovations on achieving a simpler, more hands-on style of parenting
• Help kids be kids with activities and products that are simply fun

Lesson 8: Moms Want Better Packaging.
Moms want packaging that is environmentally friendly and they make purchasing decisions with this in mind. The "three "Rs" are key to moms: reduce, reuse, recycle. If the packaging does not support these, moms lose faith in the brand.

Implications:
• Make packaging eco-friendly
• Educate moms about recycling, biodegrading and composting, and take the mystery out of these terms
• Be an environmental leader and company that moms hold up as an example for others to follow

Lesson 9: Daily Workarounds Are Opportunities For Innovation.
Moms solve unmet needs with creative workarounds; understanding these workarounds creates new opportunities for innovation. For instance, some moms use a can of cola in the washer with jeans to get out grease and blood; some use a toothbrush with Comet on white sneakers; and some have found that kids eat vegetables served frozen without dressings or sauces.

Implications:
• Step inside moms' day-to-day lives to identify unmet needs
• Identify workarounds that are opportunities for new products and services

Lesson 10: Moms Will Let You In.
In the right environment, moms are interested in sharing their opinions and ideas with companies. They want to collaborate on new products and services that will meet their needs-especially when they feel their voice counts.

Implications:
• Give moms a platform and a voice
• Let them know you want to hear them
• Show them the impact they have on your products and services

When it comes to participating in and leveraging online communities of moms successfully, there are two basic approaches. The first is to build your own focused online consumer community. By creating a community, you can monitor the site and stir discussion. The second approach is to become involved in existing online communities, such the Moms Insight Network from MarketTools, where more than 10,000 mothers come together to share ideas and seek advice on important issues. Existing communities provide an economical vehicle to learn from and collaborate with connected moms.

Whichever approach you use, there is no debate that moms are an increasingly influential market and that they are moving online in record numbers. Companies that learn how to successfully tap into the conversations moms are having online will have a marked competitive advantage when it comes to concept testing, product development and overall marketing to moms strategy.

For additional information, ideas, and insights about this topic, please visit www.markettools.com or www.bsmmedia.com.

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Videogames Trumping DVDs in Q4
Halo 3 Sells More Units First Day Than Shrek the Third
Video Business
December 17, 2007

As the last of the $300 million-grossing films streeted on DVD on Dec. 4 with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, retailers and wholesalers are mostly buzzing about the wild success of this year’s videogame titles.

For instance, on its first day on shelves on Sept. 25, Halo 3 is estimated to have sold about 2.5 million copies, topping first-day sales approximations for Shrek the Third. Transformers, however, sold more—about 4.5 million DVD copies in its first day. Sales estimations were not yet available for Pirates.

DVD is still considered a hot gift item, believe retail executives, but it doesn’t carry the same wow factor as certain new games—such as Halo 3, Guitar Hero III and Rock Band—that are starting to maximize the capabilities of next-generation consoles.

“The games that are coming out now are starting to take advantage of the new technologies,” Bob Geistman, senior VP of sales and marketing at Ingram Entertainment, said of systems such as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. “Guitar Hero and Rock Band—the demand hasn’t slowed down. Weeks after the games launch, demand is as great as it was before, so the consumer base is expanding.”

Mia Snyder, WaxWorks VideoWorks game buyer, adds, “It’s just something different. The games are also mainstream. I’ve had grandparents over 40 telling me they want a Wii. Then there’s my mom who personally has bought more videogames this year than she has in her lifetime. And under my tree, it will be more games than DVD.”

Geistman predicts many consumers can’t afford both the hit games and DVDs and are likely having to prioritize their shopping.

“Intuitively, you think that consumers have a finite amount of money to spend,” he said. “One has to hurt the other. Studios are becoming cognizant of the fact that they need to plan their DVD releases around games” to avoid unnecessary cannibalization.

Video stores, normally a bastion for DVD, also are feeling the videogame heat. Year-to-date, Halo 3 is the best-selling title, period, among game and DVD releases for indie rentailing Video Buyers Group, notes president Ted Engen.

If current trends continue, Engen expects many VBG members will swap out catalog DVD shelf space for videogame space.

“If you’re looking at sheer growth, games are outperforming video,” said Engen. “With the launch of these consoles, the gaming business is really starting to accelerate.”

Comparing fourth-quarter 2007 with the same 2006 period, VBG games sales/rentals are expected to climb 20%, and DVD should lift about 5%.

Several high-profile DVDs are still scheduled to street through to December, possibly giving games a run for their money, including Dec. 11 releases High School Musical 2, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Bourne Ultimatum.

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Study: Chat Rooms Influence Holiday Purchases
Brandweek
December 13, 2007

More consumers are using chat rooms to make purchasing decisions about holiday gifts, according to a study just released from the American Marketing Association, Chicago.

The AMA polled 1,174 people online last Sept. 20-21. Among those surveyed:

• 47% of all respondents said they would go to a social networking site to download coupons or search for gift ideas if those services were available;
• 45% said they would visit a social networking site to find out about upcoming sales in stores or discounts on products;
• 22% said they would read or write a product review on a blog.

“People looking for ideas are inundated with [advertising] messages,” said AMA CMO Nancy Costopulos. “They’re looking for alternatives and opinions for shopping.”

Costopulos said peer-to-peer influence trumps any ad message. “They’d much rather listen to each other as opposed to traditional media ideas and marketers,” she said. “They’re looking for ideas and product recommendations from those who’ve already bought.”

The AMA survey also found a rising interest in cause-related marketing and products.

One of every three consumers said they would be more likely to buy a product or service if they knew that a certain amount of the purchase price was being donated directly to a cause or campaign.

Women, in particular, are more sensitive to cause-related marketing efforts because they’ve been exposed to it longer,” Costopulos said. “Take the issue of breast cancer, for example. It’s been promoted for years, so if a woman sees a product that will help the cause, she’ll be more inclined to buy it.”

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