Connected Mums Research
July 2010
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Motherhood has changed
An increasingly connected network –
with real clout
British Housewives have the biggest internet habit in the
world, spending 47% of their leisure time online*
Spending power – the Mum Pound
Women are responsible for 83% of household spending
decisions
Mums under pressure
Even though they do not work in the corporate world,
they are still ambitious and competitive, wanting to be
the best at their “profession”
* TNS Digital Life Survey, 2009
A ‘Mum Mafia’ has emerged
Happier to define
themselves as
„Mums‟ but not
„Housewives‟
A more connected
network than ever
before
..A force to be
reckoned with
Online & offline too
Mums are powerful consumers
Women are responsible for 83% of
the household spending decisions
Women are responsible
for 62% of decisions
behind new car
purchases
Responsible for 90% of
food purchases
Responsible for 80% of
healthcare spending
decisions1!
1: A.T. Kearney Research
Modern motherhood has its own pressures
Competitive Mums
78% say one-upmanship
Celebrity „bump at the school gates is
watch‟ glamorises & “ridiculous”, but they “just
fetishises pregnancy can‟t help themselves”1
alongside „ticking
clock‟ articles Yummy Mummy
phenomenon
31% claim brands appear patronising and often
perpetuate the “super mummy” myth2
1: Daily Telegraph, 10 June 2010
2: Joshua G2/ Marketing Week
Polestar mums research
• The nature of motherhood has changed dramatically
– „A lifestyle choice‟
– Starting point of a career
– More visible, more connected
– More pressured, higher expectations
• Polestar‟s 2010 research set out to ask UK mums directly
how they have responded to these changes
About the research
• Methodology: Anonymous online survey
• Sample: 100 ABC1 Mums with an internet connection,
living in England
Regionality Age profile
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
20-29 30-39 40-49
Broadly, Connected Mums are in work and at a
senior level – but the nature of work is very varied
Working status
On maternity leave & plan
to return to work
On maternity leave & don't
plan to return
Working full time
Working part time
How would you describe your professional
30 level?
Self-employed
Stay-at-home mother
25 Before…
Unemployed 20
15
10
5
0
Senior Middle Junior Support N/a
management management
How Connected Mums view their role
Celeb mums have But motherhood is still
It‟s far more acceptable to
changed how hard graft (94%) & less
define yourself as „a mum‟ (93%)
motherhood is perceived respected than „work‟
than as „a housewife‟ (19%)
(62%) (67%)
How Connected Mums view themselves as a group
All agree: 89%
All agree: 66%
All agree: 81%
All agree: 90%
Mums are more Mums are more Mums are more
connected influential valued as consumers
Where Mums connect online
Around half of those
Social Networks:
using the Mums networks
2 key players claim they get
something different from
Mums Networks: each site
More fragmented usage
Networked behaviour: varying degrees of
involvement
Mum networks are valued.. But only up to a point
Mums enjoy the reassurance
that comes from connecting But they in no way replace
with other Mums real life connections
These career women have found motherhood has
its pressures, too
Money
Desperate
Housewives
• 69% expect money to be tighter next year
• 85% are „house-proud‟ • 63% worry about money
• 69% like baking for visitors • 60% spend more on clothes for their children than for
themselves
Looking Good
Parenting Skills
• 71% wanted to shift the baby weight, fast • 88% compare notes on child development
• 69% feel pressure to look good milestones
• 62% report competition between mums • 61% say they are made to feel there is a
• 83% say „no way am I mumsy‟ right/wrong way to be a Mum by gurus like
Gina Ford
Peers can be a source of pressure as well as support and a
real-life support network comes from multiple sources
How Connected Mums feel motherhood has
changed them
Conclusions - Professionalising the role of ‘Mum’
• Expectations on being a „mum‟ have never been higher
– Pressure to run & manage a household and its finances....
– ....be an excellent parent
– ....return to work / start up a business
– ....whilst still looking good
• Yet, with status & pride in the role on the up, and their
increasing influence recognised, Mums are grasping the
initiative using the full range of tools at their disposal
Conclusions - The Connected Mum
• Actively using the technologies & skills learnt in professional life
to help them skill-up & cope with the stresses of modern
parenthood
• Online networks play a critical role
• Staying connected
– Over 70% feel more reassured by belonging to these networks
– 80% would recommend them to friends
• Reassurance & influence
– Online networks support their desire to gain & transfer knowledge
– One in ten uses them to drum up support around issues
– Around a third posts questions and comments
• Use of online networks is fragmented & not homogenous
• Draw on a variety of different networks rather than dominant sources
• It‟s not all about community sites such as Mumsnet - product & service
brands have a valued role to play
Conclusions – The Connected Mum
• Primary source of support networks remains off-line
• It‟s here that they draw on immediate support of family, friends &
neighbours
• Critically for brands, face-to-face advocacy outstrips online
by 7 to 1
Implications for brands
• Modern mums are an audience of immense value & influence
• More connected than ever, they offer the ultimate advocacy
opportunity
• There‟s a genuine opportunity for brands to be part of their network
if they empower mums with tools and add value to their lives
• Think beyond community based online networks – they are only part
of the solution
For more information contact:
Kiran Kaur: kirank@polestarcommunications.com
+44 (0)207 089 6591
Megan Butler: meganb@polestarcommunications.com
+44 (0)207 089 6589