“Mom-fluentials,” a targeted group of women with children who use the latest technologies to share feedback about a product, brand or service have powerful influences over the purchases their families, friends and colleagues make online or offline, according to a survey released yesterday by Burson-Marsteller in partnership with polling firm Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates.
In general, these women are word-of-mouth agents, using a number of online and offline channels to communicate their opinions about products and services they like or dislike.
For the survey, a total of 1,016 online interviews were completed in May 2006 with online mothers with children 17 years and younger. Among the respondents, 502 online mothers were identified as “Mom-fluentials.”
When making purchases, 46 percent of Mom-fluentials are first concerned with quality; 19 percent were concerned with price, according to the survey.
In addition, 86 percent of Mom-fluentials read retailer e-mails at least several times a week, versus 74 percent of average online moms. They are twice as likely to forward coupons than typical mothers who go online for information. And, 68 percent of Mom-fluentials are more likely to read text messages from companies they know versus 41 percent of typical online moms.
The survey found that these mothers are significantly more likely to share their experiences with their peers through wireless or online channels than average online moms. When sharing a positive story, Mom-fluentials are four times more likely than average online moms – 32 percent vs. 8 percent – to send text messages. They are more than twice as likely to contribute to an opinion website and seven times more likely to reach out to others through networking websites such as MySpace, LinkedIn and Friendster.
Blogs and podcasts have enormous potential to reach and influence these moms about products and services, according to the survey.
Ninety-four percent of these mothers believe the information they read on blogs is credible. Nearly half – 49 percent – of these mothers have listened to a podcast, and seven in 10 are interested in creating their own podcast for personal interest topics. More significant to marketers, Mom-fluentials continue the conversation offline. Nearly 93 percent report they have in-person discussions about the products, brands and services they use with friends and family members.
