filter by tag: moms

The producers of TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” might just be on to something. A recent study from lucid marketing found incentives go a long way in motivating moms to refer a brand or website to their friends and families. That's good news for companies looking to engage with moms and leverage their many relationships with like-minded friends.

Of the various incentives available, moms found coupons to be the most appealing; however, just throwing a coupon into the mix won't help brands build a meaningful relationship with this target. There are several ways to do it effectively:

• Online Contests: Drive product trial during online contests through couponing. It can be as simple as providing a downloadable coupon for every consumer who enters your contest. For those consumers who didn't enter, providing a coupon during the voting phase to reward them for getting involved and supporting their favorites can also be effective.
• Customized Blogger Content: Try developing creative contests, giveaways or promotions that will resonate with your target blogger's readers. You can then offer product samples and/or coupons as part of the prize package, making it a win-win for your brand and the blogger.
• Cause Promotions: Reward consumers who participate in click-to-donate cause promotions with a downloadable coupon. It’s a simple way to remind consumers that your product is tied to this meaningful call to action.

Today's mom plays a powerful role when it comes to creating strong word of mouth for a product or company, and when used effectively, couponing can be an effective engagement tool for marketers.

--Stephanie Doherty, Vice President

Your weekly glimpse into the world of new media

Social: Just because your company uses social media, doesn’t mean people are talking about it. Well, burger chain Red Robin and Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati are doing something about that. After taking a post-meal survey in-restaurant, Red Robin invites diners who opt-in to post recommendations on their Facebook pages, which Red Robin then posts on its own page. In a similar call-to-action, Ducati rewards fans who disseminate a branded quiz, found on its new social networking site, with points that can be redeemed at Amazon.com.

Video: Rather than rely on consumer-generated videos to promote its new Fresh Ideas pre-sliced deli meat, food brand Sara Lee went out and hired actresses and comediennes posing as over-worked moms who manage to fit the sandwich meats into their busy days. The three video spots, available on YouTube and Facebook, feature mini, day-in-the-life vignettes of crazed working moms.

Research: Looking to jump on the iPhone app bandwagon? A recent survey from Compete Smartphone Intelligence reports smartphone owners’ favorite types of apps are entertainment, games, music, social networking and weather. Want more good news? Nearly a third (30%) of all smartphone owners are comfortable receiving targeted marketing on their phones.

Mobile: Speaking of apps, Finnish cellphone maker Nokia is promoting its latest customizable phone, the N97, by allowing consumers to create their own apps. Creators of the top 10 apps will win a free phone pre-installed with their creation.

Misstep: New media are rapidly gaining in popularity, but it seems they’re missing the boat when it comes to being a source of daily news. According to the First Amendment Center, Americans still consider traditional media the top source for news. A VERY distant second are the Internet, Twitter and social networks.

Our favorite: Red Robin and Ducati. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Driving fans to your social network is only half the battle. So engage your consumers and put them to work as brand ambassadors.

Congratulations to Facebook for reaching the 300-million-user milestone (and for turning a profit)! Its power and reach are undeniable, and as a community it would rank as the world's fourth-largest country. None of us needs convincing of its historic growth, influence and vast potential for marketers. But, in a virtual world where nothing should surprise: When and how did Face book turn our parents into social media mavens? When my own mother recently called and said, "You will not believe who sent me a friend request," I went from Facebook believer to certified apostle.

Image Credit: TIME

Mom is not the exception – Baby Boomers are connecting to Facebook in droves. A TIME magazine article earlier this year looked at the evolution of the site from virtual college hangout to an online Boomer party – during the first half of 2009, the number of people in their 50s on the site more than doubled. Older Facebook users now represent about 10 percent of the total 77.7 million registered U.S. members according to iStrategyLabs data. Forrester Research released a report earlier this year revealing the percentage of older Boomers consuming social media has reach 60 percent!

The numbers do not lie – AARP, an organization driven to “enhance the quality of life as we age,” has both national- and state-based Facebook fan pages with thousands of members interacting and posting comments and photos. While more traditional marketing efforts still have a place in reaching mature audiences, consumer programs should, and now must, integrate social media vehicles as a key driver to connect with and create a two-way dialogue with Boomers.

-- Byron Calamese, Director

On Monday, as my team and I were finalizing pitching assignments for our mommy blogger media list, we came across this post from Momdot.com advocating mommy bloggers join in a “PR Blackout Challenge” for one week in August.

On her blog, MomDot founder Trisha posted:

“With the allure of giveaways, reviews, and blog trips, Mom Bloggers have turned from what they love the most, their family, into working directly as public relations for their captive audience. It boils down to knowing your worth and then standing up for it…We want to see your blog naked, raw, and back to basics. Talk about your kids, your marriage, your college, your hopes, your dreams, your house and whatever you can come up with for one week.”

As PR professionals working with a juvenile products client, my team spends a good amount of time identifying mommy blogs and fostering respectful, involved and professional relationships with these bloggers. We love our mommy bloggers, and we hope they love us, too. Yes, we offer gear because we hope it will be positively reviewed, and yes, we hope it will be used in reader giveaways and as contest prizes. We do this not because mommy bloggers have a “captive audience” but because we believe in word of mouth, and we know that moms are each other’s allies, whether next door or via the World Wide Web.

The whole point of blogging is the sharing of information, whether it be the amount of dirty diapers your husband (didn’t) change, the “surprise” redecoration your twins did with a set of permanent markers and your new white couch or, drum roll, the amazing new lightweight stroller that saved the day on a recent trip to the zoo or the hook-on high chair that allowed mom and dad to sit in a white-clothed restaurant and enjoy a real meal that didn’t come in a Styrofoam box.

I understand that mommy bloggers likely get hundreds of spam-type emails from marketers (and PR folks) every week, offering coupons and links to giveaways, with the sole strategy of online saturation/domination. But, mommies…that’s not me or my team.
So, my own plea to my mommy blogger friends: don’t participate in the PR blackout —participate in a brown-out. Delete the spam emails and canned requests for free publicity, and maybe throw away your calendar of deadlines. Your real PR partners will operate on your schedule, because we know you. We’re friends.

--Lisen Syp, Account Supervisor