Digital Mom A two-part report published by Razorfish and CafeMom : Page 6part 01 TM According to Nielsen NetRatings, there are 32 million women in the U.S. who have children under 18 and go online, which translates to about 40% of all women online in the U.S. today. This changing segment carries so much weight in the household: moms are typically the key influencers and purchasers for both themselves and their families. But have moms changed with the media landscape? What is the role of digital technology in their lives? 4 To answer these questions, Razorfish surveyed 1,500 online moms who are reported users of at least two Web 2.0 technologies and have actively researched or purchased online in the last three months, a group we call “digital moms.” Through our research, we set out to answer the following questions: Who is the digital mom, and how is she using digital technology? Do her habits differ by age? How does she manage her interests vs. her child’s interests? What are her motivations for engaging in social media and other emerging channels? What channels does she respond to best, and does this differ by interest/vertical market? How should marketers engage her? What we found was that moms are the ultimate multitaskers; they are leveraging digital and emerging technologies more than ever before, but in ways you may not expect. Digital Moms are Mainstream and Multidimensional How moms prioritize and balance the roles of self, mom, wife, employee, and friend may differ, but one thing is certain: digital technologies are making things easier. According to our survey, more digital moms today interact with social networks (65%) and SMS (56%) than with news sites (51%), and just as many can be found gaming online or via a gaming console (52%). These findings demonstrate just how mainstream these new channels have become. Digital moms are multidimensional in their online behaviors, and their interests extend beyond parenting. Digital moms are more likely to connect with friends than with family using digital technologies, and they are not afraid to seek advice or companionship from known or anonymous friends. Additionally, interests like Clothing/Fashion and Cooking/Food remain the most popular, and consistently so, regardless of a woman’s age; while other category interests like Baby/Parenting, Telecommunications, Medication/Medical Condition are lifestage-oriented and change as their children grow. The Digital Divide: Age Matters, Both the Mom’s Age and the Child’s But which technologies digital moms use most depends on factors including the age of the mom, the age of the child, and motivation. Moms under 35 are significantly more likely to leverage newer communications platforms like social networks, SMS, and mobile browsing; while moms 45 and older are more likely to utilize informational tools like online news, consumer reviews, and podcasting. Interestingly, online video consumption (41% vs. 36%) and gaming (57% vs. 51%) are highest among moms with children 12 and older (vs. moms with children under 12), and this group is also more likely to be online monitoring their children. Razorfish believes that motivations such as interacting or monitoring their children online, as well as the likely differences in leisure time activities among moms of children 12 and older, might play a factor in the adoption of these technologies. Connecting with Digital Mom through Emerging Technologies by Terri Walter, VP Emerging Media, Razorfish, with analysis by Ella Chinitz, Senior Consultant, Consumer Insights Group, Razorfish TM moms are the ultimate multitaskers 05 Digital Mom 2009 4. Findings project to 84% of online women with children under 18 in the household, as per Nielsen NetRatings @Plan Winter 2008/2009. Publication List |
