Millennial Mothers More Apt Than Other Mothers to Filter Out Advertising, Social Media Noise

Christine Wilson – Founder / MtoM Consulting

The amount of pressure mothers tend to put on themselves can lead to high levels of stress, especially when images of other mothers who seem to be doing everything right are so readily available on social media and advertising. Christine Wilson, founder of MtoM Consulting, spoke with eMarketer’s Stephanie Wharton about how millennial mothers are better equipped to filter out the unauthentic noise.

eMarketer: What social channels are most popular among millennial mothers?

Christine Wilson: Instagram is growing very rapidly with millennial moms. Instagram is definitely a younger, trendier place to be within social media.

There was a lot of buzz around the fact that millennial moms were potentially racing away from Facebook because their moms where there, but we’re finding that not necessarily true. Eighty percent of our respondents answered that they use Facebook “many times a day,” whereas Instagram was the second highest at only 20% for many times a day.

They still find value in Facebook. A lot of it is habit, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that their friends are there, so they still have a lot of connections. Once you become a mom, you want to share information about your child with more than just your friends—you want to share it with your parents, aunts, uncles—people who might not be on Instagram.

eMarketer: Does the always-on aspect of smartphones and social media have the effect of making mothers feel increased levels of stress?

Wilson: When we talk with millennial moms, they often express that they feel less pressure to do everything because they are always connected, and that [digital is] more of a problem-solving tool. They feel like they can use digital as a way to get more done. They can grocery shop from their phones, check their email while they’re sitting at the park. They can do so much from their phones. They can keep track of their child and share information on the fly.

“We know that with social media, 80% of what we share is about ourselves, but when you sit down and have a conversation with someone, you only share about yourself about 30% to 40% of the time.”

Amazon and Amazon Prime have changed the way that moms can have instantaneous gratification. You can order toilet paper with a couple taps, and it’s there the next day. You can have diapers at your doorstep in no time. We’re not having to throw kids in the car at the last minute to run out to the store because we forgot something.

eMarketer: What about images and updates from other mothers on social media? Do those rouse feelings of inadequacy?

Wilson: The inherent nature of women and the pressure we put on ourselves as moms can exacerbate a great deal of stress. We know that with social media, 80% of what we share is about ourselves, but when you sit down and have a conversation with someone, you only share about yourself about 30% to 40% of the time. There have been studies to show we get a kind of high from the experience of oversharing on social media, and we love to present ourselves in a very positive way. Clearly, people who are on the receiving end of that are going to try to measure themselves against others.

We do find that this affects millennial moms a little bit less because they are more capable of weeding through what’s really happening on the other side.

eMarketer: How receptive are millennial mothers to mobile advertising?

Wilson: We’re seeing a lot more integration of advertising into more authentic channels. Millennials are pretty aware of what the noise is all about, and they are quick to filter out the things they find to be unauthentic. They filter out the noise, and they focus on the brands that they feel understand them and that relate to them. They also are looking for brands that are talking to them.

Forever 21, for example, has made a concerted effort to focus on Snapchat. They hire young influencers to wear their products and document it on Snapchat. That has really helped in the retailer’s identification and trust by this younger audience.

“If the ads convey something that is going to make life simpler or less stressful, then it will become something they’re interested in hearing about.”

Moms are always looking for a brand that’s going to make their life easier. If the ads convey something that is going to make life simpler or less stressful, then it will become something they’re interested in hearing about.

eMarketer: We hear that mothers don’t want to be perceived solely as just being mothers, and have their broader identity submerged. How does this affect their digital usage?

Wilson: Moms definitely don’t want to be 100% immersed in mom language, mom conversation, mom blogs and mom groups. She wants to look at fashion, recipes, news, technology, and she’s also got her business side.

The first time you are pregnant or when you first have your baby, there is an immediate rush for information because you’re thirsty for knowledge. You’re trying to understand more of what you don’t know. There’s so much data out there and so many opinions to weed through.

There becomes a point at which being a mom becomes a little bit more of a piece of what you’re doing in your life, especially as you’re having your second child and so on. You don’t want that to be all that you’re doing online, so you’ve established a little more of your personal community with moms you do things with. Your digital space becomes more about who you are, what you’re looking to do—whether it’s looking for a great place to eat out or planning a family vacation.

Courtesy of eMarketer