Moms Matter – so Wake Up, Society!

Not sure if it’s a coincidence, but today I have two more sources of how important the “Mommy” voice is in marketing, public relations and communications’ activities. This follows up a previous blog I wrote after I attended the Ragan Conference and discovered the “Mommy Blog.”

I’m not really sure why I’m so fascinated with the Mommy voice. Sure, my son has a mother, and I had a mother. I suppose the sheer fact that this grassroots group has such an influence on our environment tells me how social media continues to demonstrate mainstream appeal.

The first reference is from a long-time colleague of mine, Emily Foshee, who distributed her e-Newsletter with a story on the importance of Mommy blogs. According to Emily:

“Moms control more than 85% of household spending in the U.S., and they’re increasingly using the Internet to purchase products for their families.  In fact, the number of Moms using social media has increased by 462% since 2006, according to a recent report by Babycenter.com entitled “21st Century Mom Report.”

Really? 462%? Astronomical! I love the fact that this group can – and does – have such a great influence on advertisers, service providers and others.

The second reference is a little more disturbing. I was watching Good Morning America today when there was a story by Elizabeth Vargas on Moms and drinking. Turns out stay-at-home Moms turn to alcohol to escape the day-in, day-out rigors of raising a family. This story was a promo to a larger 20/20 piece on the topic airing Friday evening, April 30.

Now, I’m not naive to think something like this doesn’t go on; of course, GMA did a good job of making me more aware of this trend (which is what the news shows are supposed to do, right?). I was just stunned that Moms would turn to drink to fill a void.

Again, I’m fascinated. How did this happen? Aren’t stay-at-home Moms (and Dads, for that matter) supposed to enjoy raising their family? Is this society’s fault or is it a symptom of the environment. Did boredom, stress or anything else contribute to it?

This piece made me remember our life when my son’s mother decided to stay home to raise my son (who is now almost 21). While she did not turn to alcohol as a relief system, she did feel less worthy than when she worked full time.

I suppose what I’m saying is that I’d like to see our culture change to give more credence to the Mom. This is a HUGE job – and my son’s mother did a GREAT job raising our son. However, I’m also quite sure I was somewhat insensitive at the time to knowing what she was going through.

Now, I’m much more aware. Moms matter.