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Alpha-Woman Defined

• Busy• Involved, juggling responsibilities (work, home, school, social)• Active participant in a community of friends/family/collegues/neighbors• Busy• Passionate about their families and memory keeping/caching• Seeks out quality lifestyle brands• Busy• Creative, proactive, savvy in the use of digital photography• Willing to spend more money/time for something well designed• Busy• Cultural influencer, in the know, “turns other people on to things”• Coordinator, motivator, scheduler, igniter• Busy!

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The Mom Market

• In order to best appreciate the power of mothers as consumers, simply visit apopular park in your town. Within minutes of sitting next to a sandbox you’llhear mothers compare health coverage, gather input on baby foods, critiquethe hottest family vacation destinations, and utter their two cents on thelatest political race.

• Their toddlers (Oshkosh overalls, Vans shoes, or Old Navy t-shirts) play nearby.Lined along the sidewalk is an assortment of Peg Perego and Bugaboo strollers,and Little Tikes riding toys. All an example of the spending power of mothers.

• From the diapers on their babies, to the organic chicken they serve for dinner,to the minivans that line the parking lot, moms spend money and, thankfullyfor consumer marketers, moms love to talk about where they spend it. In noother segment of consumers is word of mouth more powerful.

• Mothers love to talk, compare, and share. If you’ve won the admiration of amother, you can be assured she’ll spread the word.

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Understanding The Mom Market

Mom's Money• According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an average-income family will spend

$165,630 on a child by the time the child reaches eighteen years of age. (U.S. Departmentof Agriculture, Expenditures on Children by Families, Washington, D.C.: GPO, June 2001.)

• As a group U.S. women constitute the number three market in the world, with theircollective buying power exceeding the economy of Japan. (Connie Glaser, “The Women’sMarket Rules,” Competitive Edge, 2001

• Eighty percent of all checks written in the United States are signed by women. (FaithPopcorn, EVEolution: Understand Women: Eight Essential Truths That Work in YourBusiness and Life, ( Dimensions, 2001.)

Working Mothers• By 2005, the percentage of women in the labor force is projected to rise to 61.7 percent,

while the number of men in the workforce will decline from 74.9 to 72.9 percent. [9to52000]

• Regardless of their employment status, almost nine in ten women (88 percent) agree thatthey are responsible for taking care of the people in their families, and 94 percent saythat they feel very or somewhat valued by family and friends for fulfilling responsibilitiesat home. [Whirlpool 1995]

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How to Reach The Mom Market

Brands spend billions every year to capture attention of the mom market, but 70% ofmothers feel companies are not doing a good job at speaking to them. So what works?

• Word of MouthWord of mouth is the strongest form of marketing within the mom market.

Fifty-five percent of mothers say they rely on recommendations when making purchasesfor the home. The number jumps to 64% when it comes to buying a product for theirchild.

• OnlineMoms are online seeking information and spending money on the Internet.

Seventy-one percent of mothers said they were very likely to use the Internet for productinformation, advice or general information.

Only 6 % of moms say they have never purchased a product online.

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5 Myths about Today’s Mothers

1. Fewer Women are Returning to Work - The US Census Bureau might indicate thatmore women are staying home after giving birth but they aren't doing it without earningsome type of income. Generation X moms specifically are industrial women. Two out ofthree who remain in the home to raise children are also starting a home-based business.2. Soccer Moms are the Most Influential Groups of Mothers - The Mom Market today iscomprised of three generations of women raising children: Boomer moms, Gen X momsand Millennium moms.3. Moms are Just Purchasing Diapers, Strollers and Bed Slippers Eighty-five percent ofmothers surveyed refer to their role in the home as CEO or CFO, purchasing everythingfrom cars to banking services. In addition to acting as a purchasing agent for the home,six million momprenuers also manage the buying decisions for small businesses. Ninetypercent of moms will use the same products for work as they do at home.4. Women Do Not Want to be Identified as Mothers in Ads and Commercials Womenwith children want companies to recognize their multiple roles in life. The mostimportant role being: mother. Although all moms are women, not all women are moms.5. Marketers are Doing a Good Job Speaking to Mothers Seventy-percent of mothers donot believe marketers are speaking to their needs. When you consider that mothers arethe largest consumer group in the US, this means that companies are leaving a lot ofmoney on the table when they miss their mark with moms.

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The Moms : 3 Generations

The Mom Market today is comprised of three generations of women raisingchildren: Boomer Moms, GenX Moms and Millennium Moms. Together, thisgroup of women control $1.7 trillion in US spending annually.

• Baby Boomer Moms– 41 - 59yrs (individuality, tolerance, self-absorption)

• GenX Moms (aka Urban Mom/Yoga Mom)– 28 - 40yrs (diversity, savvy, pragmatism)

• Millennial New Moms (aka GenY/Echo Boomers)– 27 and younger (authenticity, authorship and autonomy)

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Baby Boomer Moms

• Having Children later, education and career first, then kids• More established in life financially, socially, emotionally• More aware of health and wellness issues, brands, trends• Able/willing to spend more $$ on children, provide “best” opportunities• Many of the most high-profile female executives are also wives and mothers. They include

Anne Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox; Meg Whitman, president and CEO of eBay; Betsey Holden,co-CEO of Kraft Foods; Shelly Lazarus, chairwoman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather; GeraldineLaybourne, chairwoman and CEO of Oxygen Media; and Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo presidentand CFO, to name a few.

• Survey of 187 attendees at Fortune Magazine's Most Powerful Women in Business summitfound 71% were mothers with an average of 2.2 kids each.

• Boomer Moms want solutions to ease the frenzy without sacrificing involvement or warmconnections

• Those who had kids in their late 30s early 40s face the same issues as younger moms --plus, menopause, retirement planning, and health concerns further complicate thepicture

• “You can have it all, you just can’t have it all at once.”

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GenX Moms

• Not content to be lunchbox-packers, they want to make motherhood apersonal statement

• Magazines like Brain, Child, Hip Mama, and Mamalicious unflinchingly face --and embrace -- the reality about what it means to be a mom.

• Bigger spending than previous generations is fed by an attitudinal changetoward motherhood. Superfit mothers-to-be flaunt their bulging bellies incropped tops and low-rise jeans. You can still be “you” and a mom too!

• "These mothers aren't buying products so much as extending their lifestyle totheir children," says Linda Murray, editor of www.babycenter.com

• GenXers are a highly research-driven generation. You’ll find them onlinelooking for straightforward information from authorities as well as peers

• Authenticity attracts Gen X Moms, kill the hype and super-sell. Straight, smarthonest talk tweaked with fun will connect with this group.

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Millennial New Moms

• STAMPED (Stressed, Tech-savvy, Achieving, Multi-tasking, Protected, Entitled and Diverse)• The newest mom on the block, she is also the first generation to use technology to

seamlessly blend work and life• 92% of women age 18-24 are or plan to be mothers, with 1 in 3 already mothers.• The yearning for a good marriage is a dominant value among Millennials, and 30% of those

surveyed say they want three or more children.• "Never before has motherhood been celebrated as it is today. A new generation of self-

sufficient, successful and family-focused women is reinventing motherhood and we areseeing the impact of this change everywhere.”

• William Strauss and Neil Howe, authors of “Millennials Rising”, predict there will be anecho boomlet based upon Millennials reversing the 1990s trend towards smaller families.They have also observed that Millennials show a greater interest in family, religion andcommunity and a rising obsession with the safety and education of children.

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Day-in-the-life

Baby Boomer Mom (age 46, 2 teenage kids)

7:00am Up and get ready for work. Get kids off to school. Did they finish their homework? I sure hope so…

11:00am In the office for a day full of meetings. Phone call from Jane, she got in a fender-bender in the school parking lot and is hysterical. Super-mom to the rescue. Again.

1:00pm Back to work. Need to get a lot done since I’ll be ducking out at 5:30 to be at David’s baseball game by 6:00pm. Hope I can finish in time!

6:30pm A little late to David’s game, maybe he didn’t notice. Doubt it. Need to remember to pick up groceries and cake for Jane’s birthday party tomorrow. Oops -- I haven’t found her a gift yet!

8:00pm Can’t believe we’re eating so late, what would my mother say?! At least we’re all here and the take-out pizza is decent. Wish we had more daylight hours together as a family…

10:00pm Where’s my book? Never mind, too tired to read any way, must sleep.

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Day-in-the-life

GenX Mom (age 34, 1 toddler)

7:00am Up and getting dressed for a big presentation at work, plus getting daughter up,and changed, and fed for her full day at daycare. She doesn’t want to take off herpajamas today. Too frantic to care about that, drop her at daycare in her PJ’s, race off to work. Hope there is time to pick up a coffee on the way!

10:00am Presentation over - whew. Husband calls to remind me of his softball games thisevening -- good thing he called because I truly forgot. Need to make sure I canget out of the office by 5:30 in order to pick up daughter before 6:00pm.

5:45pm Pick up daughter, and dry cleaning. Run errands to grocery store, need to get backhome quickly as bedtime is fast approaching, and I want to spend some”quality”time with her, reading and playing.

7:00pm Dinner is a late, and Dad is gone, but we’re having fun eating together and singingsongs. Need to tell husband that she knows all the words to Twinkle-twinkle now!

8:30pm Finally got her to sleep, time to get caught up on some work before bed,maybeeven get a chance to read the New Yorker that arrived 3 weeks ago?

11:00pm Exhausted. Must sleep. I wonder if my little one will wake up again tonight? Please no more midnight calls for Mama, I can’t do it…

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Day-in-the-life

Millennial Mom (age 28, 1 infant)

4:00am Didn’t I just feed this child 2 hours ago?! I can’t believe how tired I am, this is truly unreal…and I’m so in love!

7:00am Baby’s up, so I guess I’m up too. Toss on some fresh clothes, back a diaper bagand take the stroller for a drive to the coffee shop, maybe some caffine will improve this early morning situation?

12:00pm Need to call my husband, the baby just laughed and smiled at me! Finally somepayoff for all this hard work and sleeplessness. Where’s the camera?

3:00pm Baby’s finally napping for a while, hopefully enough time to jump on the computerand upload some cute photos of the baby smiling. Want to email them to grandmaand grandpa.

7:30pm Late dinner with our little family, finally someone else is here to hold the baby fora few minutes while I simply sit. So amazed at this new lifestyle we’re living in. I never could have predicted that we’d be eating takeout, watching TVand hanging with the new baby on a Friday night. Life is different now!

2:00am Oh man, I have so much more respect for my mom! Good thing this kiddo is so cute, otherwise I’d be tempted to turn in in for a refund…I’m so tired.

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The Seven Stages of Motherhood

Each stage of motherhood has its own challenges and opportunities…

• Stage One, covers pregnancy, birth and the "fourth trimester" - the first few months ofmotherhood when physical changes continue along with emotional and lifestyle ones.

• Stage Two, the fourth month through the first birthday, it’s a time of finding your footingand finding yourself.

• Stage Three, the toddler years, is a time of letting go

• Stage Four, the preschool years, is one of trying to do it all

• Stage Five, "Reading the compass to God-Knows-Where" when the child is between sixand ten

• Stage Six, "Living in the Gray Zone”, the preteen years.

• Stage Seven, the teen years, "It gets easier...and then they leave."

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Brands

• What can we learn from successful brands who also market to Alpha Women?– Apple, JCrew, Aveda, Nike, PCC, Land of Nod– Target, Bugaboo, Whole Foods, Lucy

• Use of color palate, embracing and leveraging high design, friendly voice• Those who are successful create a clean, calm space to rest in, and be soothed

by, feels like a reward• Subtlety is key, life is already loud enough, your brand should not add to the

“noise” of a Mothers life, but instead invite them in to stroll and be served• Noticeable without being obnoxious, sophisticated without being aloof

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Leveraging Current Trends

#1

Age 35 -- How can you reach a 19-year-old undergrad, a 31-year-oldon the career path, and a 47-year-old who's raising a toddler-with justone message? Market to all of them as if they're 35. From using Botox,to postponing retirement, boomers refuse to grow older. If youtargeted them at their true ages, they'd balk. Surprisingly, youngerpeople are also generation hopping. They're rejecting the belly-baringfashions and embracing sensible, preppy outfits. With the moremature seeking a return to their youthful selves, and young peoplelooking to the future, age 35 has become a golden median.

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Leveraging Current Trends

#2

Snobization -- Middle-class Americans are turning to premium labels,and day spas, once considered a luxury, are popping up all over theplace. Starbucks is often cited as the originator of "snobmoddities":everyday items that have been turned into chic, luxury must-haves.These items aren't always expensive. Instead, they're smallindulgences. You can see accessible luxuries at Target with ToddOldham dorm décor and Michael Graves sleek kitchenware. "We live ina consumption society and a meritocracy, thus our identity is shapedby the things we consume.”

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Leveraging Current Trends

#3Life Caching -- Today's boomers and seniors cherish the grainy super-8films. But future generations will instead hoard memory cards full of blogentries, digital photos and the first websites they ever built. As we clickto save every moment of our lives, data will become the stuff thatmemories are made of. Memory making has been big business for a while.Scrapbooking has been one of the hottest trends in recent years-the $2.5billion industry doubled since 2001, according to the Hobby IndustryAssociation, and is still growing. But businesses that can provide creativesolutions to both physical and digital life caching are the ones that standto gain from this trend. One million Memory Maker Photo Bracelets (abracelet that wearers can insert several photos into) were sold in sixmonths. Friendster, myspace.com and other online communities are hugefavorites with the Millennial crowd especially.

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Leveraging Current Trends

#4LOHAS -- Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. $228.9 billion marketthat includes 30% of US adults (63M people). Focused on healthy lifestylechoices, and personal development -- think Whole Foods, Patagonia, LunaBars, Origins, Yoga/Pilates, Prius, Organic Cotton, Acupuncture, Odwalla,Ben & Jerry’s. LOHAS was a perimeter movement until recent popularityof organic products and holistic wellness activities. Now, LOHAS hasmoved fully into the mainstream in part to celebrity attention, and theoverall trend toward natural and organic products and foods/beverages.

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How to translate into action?

• Be Authentic– Own your position, and back it up– No apologies

• Speak to Age35– Speak the language that will nail your target right in the center– Communicate respectfully, and maximize email/work of mouth channels

• Re-evaluate Your Design– At a your price point consumers expect great quality, and well designed

pieces, consumers want to be pleasantly surprised and make a “find”– Be less traditional, more high-design, it warrants a greater price point

• Meet on the Street– Get out there, no more hiding behind the website– See and be seen, interact, make a statement, show involvement