Danger Ahead. Find the Red Flags in The Growing Green Momscape.

(In the wake of the recent MotrinGate Twitterstorm, it’s clear that marketers better dig deeper to understand emerging trends in the powerful Momscape.)

There are 82 million Moms in the U.S. opening their purses to spend some $2.1 trillion a year — about 15% of our country’s entire economy. From Baby Boomer ’soccer Moms’ to the Gen X and Echo Boom ‘iMoms’, Mom is making 85% of all household purchase decisions, carefully weighing the choices of products and services for the whole family including Fido and Fluffy.

These statistics are hardly a surprise to the marketers reading this article. Since the Mad Men days of dishpan hands and Kid-tested, Mom-approved cereals, Moms have been considered a lucrative target. But as the Mommy Market grows, so do the risks in trying to reach her.

The reason? Many of those 82 million purses are rapidly turning into ‘big green purses’, as the percentage of Moms showing a passion for all things eco heats up along with our planet. Moms are mobilizing, speaking out and feeling their power as consumers and as citizens. 89% of household Moms are online at least twice a day, massively marching across the Internet via social media sites such as CaféMom, BlogHer and Babycenter. Moms of all shades of green connect, communicate and take action online and in their communities.

But with all this link-love and Mamalutionary agitation whipping the Mom category into mania, marketers and brand builders need to be alert. There are red flags hidden in the growing green Momscape.

 

1. Brand Early, Brand Often. Reach Her Before She’s Officially A Mom.

“There is an interesting transformation that takes place for many women when they become pregnant,” explains Hilary Zalon, President and Founder of popular lifestyle destination for pregnancy and parenthood, TheCradle.com, which features a heavily trafficked ‘Eco-Cradle’ area. “When they were only taking care of themselves, they might not have thought twice about exposing themselves to toxins in household cleansers, drinking caffeine, using artificial sweeteners, etc. But once they become pregnant, they are no longer making decisions solely for themselves. Now, everything that goes into their bodies – and the decisions they make about the environment around them – affects another person. And this shift in perspective is quite profound.”

Kat Gordon, principal at Mom Marketing firm, Maternal Instinct, refers to pregnancy as ‘joining the sacred club.’ It’s at this pivotal point that Moms are most open to spending and also most open to learning and discovery; 71% claim to actively research products online. Marketers who understand this urgent quest for information about the safety and eco-impact of products up their odds of purchase and brand evangelism.

Red Flag Pregnancy and early Momhood is not the time for hip and cool green ad campaigns. Instead, make sure the Triple AAA’s are part of your new Mom messaging: Acknowledge + Appreciate + Authenticity.

2. We are not your grandma’s granola: Sustainable is sexy.
Woe unto any marketer who thinks today’s green Moms are decked out in hippie hemp and scorn any beauty product but homemade beeswax and Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint.

“I’m not tromping around Berkeley in my Birkenstocks,” said a Gen Y respondent in a recent ethnographic study conducted for a natural products company. “I don’t want to look crunchy. I can still look girly and be green.”

Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Founder of eco-chic site, EcoStiletto.com, wholeheartedly agrees. Her uber-stylish site is devoted to the secrets of smart and sexy green living. The thriving site frequently features eco-celebrities like Darryl Hannah and Gwen Stefani plus reviews of green goodies from kids’ organic cotton to petro-chemical free Australian shampoos.

“Forget the granola and granny panties–the idea at EcoStiletto.com is to look and feel totally stylish and sexy with things that just happen to be green! So we’ll call out a pair of organic denim jeans that make your butt look fabulous–but don’t take two-thirds of a pound of pesticide to produce. Or a fantastic organic lipstick–you’ll know the ingredients are sustainably sourced in the Amazon, but all the world sees is an incredibly sexy red pout.”

Red Flag Make sure you continually refresh your research. Keep your visual clues relevant so they resonate with your audience. Social networking sites and blogs deliver a powerful stream of fresh psychographics on a daily basis. Facebook’s targeted mini ads are an inexpensive and easy way to quick-test new concepts and copy.

 

3. Please don’t call me green.
Green, Natural, Organics, Eco, Enviro. Each of these seemingly interchangeable words comes with its own (loaded) subliminal meaning. The word that may be nebulous to one Mom may turn another one into a social media spitfire.

This post from a CafeMom member says it all:
“The other day my husband and a friend were talking and I was referred to as being “green”. The word rubs me the wrong way. I am annoyed by the connotation of trendiness and bandwagon jumping that “being green” implies. I also resent that along with the label of “green” comes a whole host of other assumptions from political, to parenting to what kind of car I drive. I don’t fit into a neat box and to borrow from the old, wise, Kermit the Frog, “its not easy being “green”.” When I wash my cloth diapers or mix my own cleaning supplies at home I don’t feel cool or hip. Every major company has jumped on the bandwagon and they produce overpriced products in slick packaging designed to draw in those who are seeking this new thing…this new lifestyle…this new buzzword.

Red Flag Eco-Moms hate being labeled. Their individualism is precious to them. Even though they often move collectively, and are influenced by popular opinion, they would prefer that some corporate entity not point this out to them. (Unless you’re Apple.) If you’re not Steve Jobs or even fake Steve Jobs, then understand the implications linked to each of these words and test them with your target. Watch for wear-out as well. Consumers are awash in green messaging and green imagery fatigue is growing.

4. Greenwashing: Blogging Against Barbie
Don’t even let a whisper of greenwashing seep anywhere near your product. Aside from the obvious evils of trying to market dubious environmental claims, it’s a no brainer: you’ll get caught. Consider Mattel’s attempt to push a new line of green Barbie accessories. In a few quick clicks, the BarbieBCause line wound up on Eco Child’s Play, a blog written by concerned parents with tips and advice on safe, non-toxic toys and clothing for children.

Red Flag Be cautious about your claims. Better to lag behind than jump on the green bandwagon without real substance and support.

 

5. Be Transparent . But Prepare for the Blogstorm
Companies need to understand they can start the conversation but they can’t control it.
Have a Plan B in case the tribes start unexpectedly pounding on their tom-toms.

A recent example: Camp Baby. Johnson & Johnson invited 50+ mom bloggers to attend an all-expenses-paid, three-day summit designed as a kind of brand building plus market research event. Unfortunately, the world’s premiere baby company didn’t anticipate ways in which the Mom Blogger weekend might backfire. News of a tiny problem with the summit spread like head lice in July. The problem? Babies were banned at Camp Baby.

To date, there are 97 outraged comments on Mothergoose.com. “To expect a new mom to ditch her newborn for three days is crazy,” said one Mom. “That’s unfortunate that [J&J] can’t see what a mistake they are making.”

Red Flag Many marketers start their WOM campaigns with the best intentions. But lurking underneath is the expectation that these efforts will unfold in the same manner as paid advertising. Check your inner control freak at the door.

 

6. Mixing Marketing with the Spiritual and Political Side of Green
The passionate stance of many green Mom sites and companies stems from the fact that green is often viewed as a movement, a cause, a holistic choice or sacred path. Phrases like ‘we believe’, ‘we’re on a mission’ ‘kinder to the earth’ ‘tell companies you won’t’, ’speak up and be heard’ are an integral part of the unique language of eco-moms. Outrage, anger and disruption are frequent themes. Share, not sell is the mantra behind sites such as Green Mom Finds, SafeMama, and CoolMomPicks, where the aim is to save busy moms time and energy by finding products and services that are better for children and families.

Sites like Moms Speak Up, is a collaborative blog: “We are women, parents, consumers, voters and much, much more and we’re fed up with the “business as usual” attitude of politicians & greedy corporations. It’s time for us to speak up and be heard!” The Mamalution is “a movement of passionate & dedicated mothers on high alert who are tapping into their instinctual wisdom to save the day!”

Red Flag Learn the language of green Moms and use it carefully. Or, rather than brand into the bloggy buzzsaw, Diane MacEachern’s Biggreenpurse.com is a savvy and refreshing blend of consumer activism, common sense and ideas for using the clout of a million women to effect change.

 

7. Confessing Your Eco-Sins

On Earth Day this year I gave a speech to a women’s group on the subject of Confessing Your Eco-Sins. I brought along a big poster of a prayerful Father Al Gore and one by one, women ‘fessed up to numerous guilty green sins: from craving a sizzling steak to long steamy showers and secretly hoarding paper towels.

From this experiment, I learned firsthand that green Moms are wracked with eco-anxiety. Their every choice is scrutinized; Mom is not only tasked with protecting the environment in general but keeping loved ones safe.

And now there’s additional pressure — or is it additional support? Instead of Cabi, Bliss or Tupperware parties, now there’s the Eco-Mom party, where the cocktail chatter revolves around CFLs, shopping locovore, and carbon-offsetting that trip to Disneyland. The brainchild of Kimberly Danek Pinkson, the California-based Eco-Mom Alliance sounds like one part “Hints from Heloise,” one part political self-help group and one part eco-Stepford Wives. The burgeoning nonprofit already has about 9,000 members around the globe, including not just the United States but also Australia, Hungary, England, France and Brazil. Springwise says the group may be training women to lead EcoMom events worldwide, as well as readying an official EcoMom seal of approval for commercial products.

Red Flag With Moms already scared out of their wits by SLS and #7 plastic bottles, marketing that makes them feel guiltier is likely not to work, especially in this equally scary economy. Solid information is the antidote to anxiety.

8. Points for Trying

The only red flag: Don’t ignore the opportunity to show that slow and steady corporate responsibility can make an impact. Moms notice and respect the baby steps companies take to improve their commitment to eco-responsibility, particularly when it involves encouraging and supporting green employee values. Adding a carbon-offsetting program like Terrapass for business travel is a small step but a worthwhile one.

Moms also notice and respect when brands resist creating buzzy advertising in favor of real facts and empathy. They also notice and respect companies who partner with non-profits and charitable organizations like the new kids’ game Emerald Island has done with its Trees for the Future donations.

The good news is that if you should happen to crash into a few of these Red Flags, the new field of Eco-Therapy is booming.

Shoot The Focus Groups? Not This Time.

It took more than a half-century for focus groups to die. From their invention in the 1940’s via noted sociologist Robert K. Merton through their glory days in the 80’s and 90’s, last century’s leading qualitative methodology had a great run. It wasn’t until 2005 or so, when then Yahoo CMO Cammie Dunaway plotted to ‘kill’ all the focus groups and author Douglas Rushkoff dubbed them ‘useless’ that the death knell officially sounded. Yes, there was a sputtering revival or two. (Online focus groups) But CNN finally nailed them completely with this year’s Election Coverage of perpetually undecided voters, ‘moderator’ Soledad O’Brien, and the ratings-friendly perceptual analyzer dials decorating the screen in happy primary colors.

Which is why (as a veteran Focus Group moderator and advocate) I was so surprised and gratified to read the latest news on last weekend’s wildfire VOM (Voice of Moms) aka Motrin Gate. Ad Age details the frenzied timeline plus the general take-away, including this paragraph:

Ultimately, Ms. Presnal (key Mommy blogger) said she sympathizes with J&J’s plight after having received at least two e-mails from (VP) Ms. Widmer last week. Reading from one, she noted that J&J had worked with focus groups of moms in developing the campaign.

“We listened extensively to moms, the insights about their lives, and how their pain impacts them,” Ms. Presnal said, reading from Ms. Widmer’s e-mail. She continued from the e-mail: “I think where this went wrong was the creative expression we used. … The tone was intended to be real and lighthearted, but it came off as irreverent. … We did conduct focus groups with moms. But truthfully they probably weren’t extensive enough to uncover this.”

Mon dieu! Amazingly, the ‘creative’ is getting blamed here. No quotes about how ‘useless’ or ‘dishonest’ the Focus Groups were. The only perceived glitch in the groups is that J&J believes they didn’t do enough of them.

With hundreds of Focus Groups under my moderator’s black belt, I certainly understand both the limitations of the tried-and-true and the temptation to switch to the newer, sexier Social Media Research methodologies.  I am deep into shiny new things myself: Twitter Product Parties, Hybrid Chats, Buzz Audits and Crowdsourcing Polls.  In fact, more than half of my research requests in the past 6 months have come from clients itching to jump on the intriguing Social Media Research bandwagon.  There’s good news from key social networking fronts: both Facebook and Linkedin have big plans to help researchers get uber-targeted, fresher data.

Still, I have to defend the original concept of Focus Groups, which I firmly believe is still viable — when effectively designed and conducted.

Guru’s Note:  Stay tuned for Part 2: Five tips to bring your (traditional, that is, f2f) Focus Groups into the 21st Century.