Women: Thoroughly modern mothers

Yet the statistics confirm that such images are outmoded; women account
for more than 60% of new car buyers and 80% of all consumer-goods
purchasing decisions, according to business author Tom Peters. In short,
they wield control over a high proportion of a household's budget.
Mothers are an even greater source of potential income for brands in
several key sectors. They spend 20% more on their weekly grocery
shopping than the average female main shopper and spent 8% more on their
most recent holiday, according to TGI.

It might seem safe to assume, then, that advertisers have taken account
of such data and are moving to a wider view of mothers and what they
buy, beyond house-cleaning products and nappies. However, according to
research carried out exclusively for Marketing in conjunction with
parenting community website Mumsnet.com and marketing consultancy Pretty
Little Head, this audience continues to suffer those hackneyed cliches
of old.

The study aimed to look at a broad range of brands and campaigns, not
solely those that clearly target mothers. It invited Mumsnet members to
take part in an online survey and discussion forum where they were
questioned about marketing and advertising, and asked to identify the
celebrities and ads that stood out (see boxes); more than 1000 mothers
responded.

While Mumsnet's members tend to be educated to degree level, fall into a
high-income bracket and be in their 30s, this AB demographic is one that
many brands chase. One of the site's founders, Carrie Longton, admits
that its members are also very opinionated. 'There is a different tone
on Mumsnet. It's not pink or fluffy, and it can be quite combative at
times,' she says. A comment from a Mumsnet member illustrates her point.
'One thing that really saddens me is the narrow focus of marketing for
women,' she complains. 'That in 2007 women are shown as being interested
mainly, or wholly, in domestic issues is pretty depressing. Women are
being portrayed as domestic angels, martyrs and slaves to their families
and husbands.'

When Mumsnet's members were asked whether they thought all brands,
including cars, technology and financial services targeted them, less
than one quarter agreed, but more than half disagreed. More than 80%
also thought that brands targeting women believe they are interested
only in baby, beauty or household products.

Indeed, those brands and sectors that target mothers as their core
audience, predominantly fall into the categories that view them solely
as house-cleaners, meal-providers and carers of children. Interestingly,
it was these brands and companies, which, in theory, should have the
most insight into women and mothers, that came in for most flak during
the survey. These criticisms invariably were levelled at those overtly
trying to target morthers by resorting to stereotypes that, ultimately,
patronised the audience. One comment posted on the Mumsnet discussion
forum emphasises the point. 'I hate the fact that manufacturers try and
make us think that the cleanliness of our loo or how our house smells is
important to our identity as women, and that the worst thing that could
befall us is a friend thinking our loo is smelly.'

An inherent problem with determining 'mothers' as a target audience is
that brands' strategies tend to treat them as a single, homogenous
group, which is, of course, inaccurate. 'There is a huge difference
between mums with babies and ones with older children. Mothers can be
non-working, working or part-timers,' says Helen Calcraft, managing
director of ad agency MCBD. In this case, the only common ground might
be that all are trying to do the best for their children. Nonetheless,
different views of motherhood are emerging - ones that are as likely to
be in the mould of Angelina Jolie or Madonna as the more traditional OXO
mum. There is also a growing acceptance that women are no longer
expected to, or indeed want to, forget about the things in which they
were interested before they had children.

'We are too reliant on classic demographics - the TGI view of the
world,' says Calcraft. 'It's awful stereotyping and even if you fit the
stereotype, you're liable to rebel. It's about mindset rather than
demographics.'

The use of famous mothers as brand ambassadors is another bone of
contention. Longton at Mumsnet admits that questions surrounding the
celebrity issue antagonise the site's demographic. 'I don't think most
aspire to be a celebrity parent. They don't say, "I wish I had her
parenting style". They look to their peer group for that,' she says.

Boots was one brand that fared well in the Mumsnet survey, ranked by
respondents as second, behind Marks & Spencer, as a brand that 'did a
good job' of marketing to mothers. Its success will be welcome news to
the retailer, given that about 80% of its customers and more than 90% of
its Advantage loyalty-card holders are women.

According to Lara Purcell, head of beauty and seasonal marketing at
Boots, the brand avoids cliches by building campaigns around genuine
customer insight, and ensuring its advertising is honest and
straightforward. 'Our approach is customer-led, so we can be confident
that we are talking about relevant issues in an appropriate tone of
voice,' she says. 'In marketing beauty, it is essential to hit the right
balance between aspirational and attainable beauty in terms of the woman
we cast.'

Purcell believes many brands fail to demonstrate they understand what
women want. 'The bulk of women featured in FMCG advertising have little
relevance to the average women. If you are bombarded with images of
flawless, super-slim, famous women, it can feel depressing rather than
inspiring.'

Perhaps one reason Boots fared so well was because the retailer has not
fallen into the trap of sticking with a single formula. 'We review each
campaign on a multitude of measures, such as the relevance of the
insight, level of enjoyment, clarity of the message and how the ad made
the customer feel about Boots,' says Purcell. 'We don't always get it
just right, but we do try and learn what to improve on.'

Not surprisingly, the beauty industry came in for a torrent of criticism
in the Mumsnet research, with the exception of Dove. Its 'real beauty'
positioning and use of women across a range of shapes and sizes in its
ads has given it stand-out from the size-zero, flawless models that are
the norm.

Indeed, Longton admits that Mumsnet members like to see women 'who look
like they eat'. One respondent chided marketers for using 'overly thin
women who have had cosmetic surgery, especially when they are pretending
they are mothers'.

The common denominator between Boots and Dove is that they have
succeeded in treading a careful line so that their communications appeal
to all women - mothers and non-mothers alike. This demonstrates an
understanding that the arrival of children does not exclude an interest
in looking good.

Tamara Gillan, managing director of consultancy SPF15, has worked with
Superdrug on marketing that had a similar aim. 'It targeted single girls
and "yummy mummies". Both are interested in beauty and we drew them in
equal numbers with the same campaign,' she says.

Car insurance is a less obvious female market, which made the launch of
Sheilas' Wheels, a brand aimed at women, in October 2005 all the more
notable. Its pink image and annoyingly catchy ad theme tune have ensured
high standout, but not universal popularity; it was ranked twelfth in
the list of brands that have failed to market well to mothers.

However, Chris Bowden, marketing director for Sheilas' Wheels, believes
it has avoided the stereotypes. 'From the onset, the brand aimed to
speak to women in a way that no other car insurer had done before. We
wanted to bring originality and humour to insurance, which is often seen
as dull and a somewhat resented purchase,' he says. 'Our research shows
that through our kitsch advertising, the brand has on the whole
transcended issues regarding patronisation of women. The brand is about
the empowerment of women.'

The findings of the Mumsnet survey certainly highlighted an unresolved
problem in that mothers continue to feel patronised by much of the
advertising aimed at them. So why are brands still getting it so wrong?
A common conjecture is that it is the result of the male-dominated
hierarchy in agencies and client companies alike. Niall FitzGerald,
former chairman of Unilever and senior manager responsible for Persil
during the Persil Power debacle of the 90s, once famously said he knew
the company had got it wrong when out of 30 of the company's finest
brains, who were trying to work out how to handle the rotting-clothes
crisis, not one of them did their own laundry. They simply did not
understand their consumer.

Gillan, too, gives the argument some credence. 'The industry is staffed
by male account planners and creatives,' she says. 'Producing campaigns
is not rocket science, but it does make a difference. It's the subtlety
of communication that really connects. But there has, of course, been
good stuff created by men.'

But Jane Cunningham, co-founder of Pretty Little Head, says it's less to
do with the gender of those behind the products than it is to do with a
lack of knowledge. 'There's a huge opportunity to target mothers, but a
lack of genuine understanding of what persuades them to buy things.'

She explains that when it comes to men's and women's hardwiring, in
terms of men it is about being analytical, logical, using competitive
claims, product one-upmanship and status, while for women it relates to
shared purpose, collaboration, sensory and aesthetics. The latter set,
says Cunningham, is not so prevalent in marketing. 'There is a poor
understanding of the female audience at this profound level, resulting
in a mismatch.'

But there are some brands that elicited positive feedback. Much of the
advertising Mumsnet members like best is not overtly aimed at them, such
as Sony, Skoda and Honda. Even in the more traditional male markets,
some brands are recognising the power of the female shopper. The use of
Nicole Kidman in ads for the Nintendo DS being a case in point.

Olivia Johnson, planning director at Hooper Galton, believes that part
of the problem is a lack of courage on the part of clients and agencies
alike, who become trapped by a formula that works even if it is not
particularly liked. 'There are lots of patronising campaigns where the
dialogue is arched and staged, and the lifestyles are glib and unreal,'
she says. 'The patronising stuff concentrates on nappies, grocery brands
and cleaners.'

The challenge for brands is to identify the needs and aspirations of the
modern mother and understand the images and messages they respond to.
Invest the time to build a relationship with this audience and those
needs will become clearer, allowing brands to target campaigns more
effectively.

CASE STUDY - MARKS & SPENCER/ICELAND

- Good ad

Respondents to the Mumsnet survey named Marks & Spencer as the brand
that markets best to mothers. Indeed, its womenswear advertising has
been credited with helping to revive the retailer's fortunes.

'M&S uses celebrities in an empathetic female way. They're not just coat
hangers and none of them is perfect. M&S understands the tonality and
the importance of context,' says Jane Cunningham, co-founder of
consultancy Pretty Little Head.

However, one Mumsnet respondent was less convinced by the choice of
models. 'I love the M&S ads but it makes me laugh when people say that
their success lies in the fact that women can "identify" with Twiggy,
Erin, Myleene et al. I'd identify with the ad if it featured a knackered
old bint who needs her roots doing and has baby sick down her top.'

- Bad ad

Iceland's ad campaign starring Kerry Katona, was widely disliked by the
Mumsnet survey respondents. The negative response was no doubt due
partly to the AB demographic of the audience surveyed, to whom Katona
and her headline-grabbing antics would be anathema.

One comment, posted on the site's discussion board, said that the ads
used 'the most irritating woman-targeted strapline of all time: "That's
why mums go to Iceland".' It concluded: 'There are not words to convey
just how wrong this is'.

'I don't think Kerry Katona is a particularly aspirational person or
that women empathise with her. She's a celebrity for the sake of it,'
says Cunningham. 'The ads are about just showcasing products; it's not a
sophisticated narrative. It is set up as if it's Katona in her real
life, but nothing is shown that feels like that. Women are very good at
decoding falseness.'

DATA FILE - MUMSNET MEMBERS SURVEY



Would the use of a celebrity by a brand usually make you more or less

likely to purchase the product?



16% - More

46% - Less

38% - Don't know





If more likely, which celebrity would turn you off choosing a brand? (%)



Victoria Beckham/the Beckhams 20.8

Jordan/Katie Price 17.0

Kerry Katona 15.9

Jade Goody 12.0

Anyone from reality TV 6.3





If more likely, which celebrity would you find appealing? (%)



Davina McCall 6.8

Kate Winslet 2.4

Fern Britton 3.8

Jordan/Katie Price 4.4

Victoria Beckham/the Beckhams 3.1





I find much of the marketing targeting mothers ... (%)



Agree Disagree Neither



Persuasive 37 42 21

Appealing 25 46 29

Boring 64 20 26





Brands targeting women seem to think we're only interested in baby,

beauty or household products.



82% - Agree

8% - Disagree





I think all brands target me, including cars, technology and financial

services

24% - Agree

55% - Disagree