Emergence of Gen Y Mom

by David Stutts, Director of Brand Planning for Luckie & Company

A couple of years ago marketers had to shift their mom mindset from the Baby Boomer Soccer Mom to Gen X Domestic Goddess Mom. Well, guess what? It’s think time to rethink mom again and start paying attention to Gen Y moms. There are 80 million Gen Y members and over 9 million are already moms. Because of Gen Y’s sheer size, it’s likely to be a bigger baby boom than the period after World War II.

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Gen Y moms’ attitudes values and beliefs were shaped during their formative years in the prosperous 1990s. As teens they had stylish decorated bedrooms and spent spring break in places like Cancun, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. They’ve always had their own computer, TV, DVD player, cell phone and MP3 player. Mass affluent brands were standard gear. As young teens were pampered with manicures and pedicures and drank $3 lattes on their way to high school.

As moms they’re likely to push their infants in $700 Bugaboo strollers and carry $300 Kate Spade diaper bags. Appearance for both themselves and their children will be very important. Gen Y moms also grew up in an era of teamwork (versus individuality/do-it-myself for Gen Xers). They have very strong relationships with their mothers, many of whom are Boomers, and these Boomers moms will likely play a big role in helping Gen Y mom raise her children. Boomer mom will be a highly trusted source of not only child-raising information, but also brand/product/service information. Their teachers and parents always told them they could do no wrong. They were taught to voice their opinions and expect results when they did so. They are not “control freaks” like their Boomer moms were, but they like to be in control. Individuality is important, but not at the expense of group structure. The Internet will continue to be a huge player in daily life. Gen Y moms will use it to broaden their circle of friends (or tribes as some have called them), joining social networks and blogging their experiences with like-minded moms. Information and insights gleaned from these trusted social networks will be very powerful and generally hold much more value than all but the most focused marketing messages. While it may seem overwhelming to think about how to communicate and connect with Gen Y moms, in reality it should be fun and exhilarating to engage the first truly digital-native generation and interact with them on terms they set versus the terms brands have always set for the preceding generations. To use a sporting metaphor, it’s not just a new ballgame, it’s a new sport.

Some things for marketers to think about as this approaching tsunami of Gen Y moms rapidly gains momentum:

1. This is the most marketing-savvy generation ever seen. This coupled with their
mastery and reliance on the Internet for word-of-mouth information from moms
in their social-networking circles, will leave traditional marketers with a very
challenging proposition for creating brand connections.

2. Their Internet and social-networking savvy has created a generation of moms
who are used to being (and expect to be) involved in the creation of ideas and
content. They don’t want marketers selling to them; rather they want to be
invited and engaged by brands. They know they have a strong voice and
expect marketers to listen and adapt to them, not the other way around.

3. Gen Y moms will be looking for ideas and inspiration that can help them create a
healthy, active and rewarding life for their families.

4. No matter what generation they are from, most moms never feel they have enough
time in the day. For marketers speaking to Gen Y moms, it may not be so much
about trying to create time as it is about showing an understanding of the lack of
time and asking how they can help.