Having a conversation with Rose Cameron, Chief Strategy Officer at Euro RSCG, is what playing tennis with Maria Sharapova must be like; every time you think she can’t top the last great idea she shared, she sends another one back at you.
I talked to Rose recently as we both prepared for M2Moms – The Marketing to Moms Conference in Chicago next month.
Millennial and Boomer moms look more alike than different
Cameron has been looking closely at the Millennial mom. As she described her findings, she also described some striking similarities between this younger woman and her own Boomer mom.
Let’s look at one important category: work.
Cameron describes this new generation of Millennial moms as “mom-preneurs,” women who aren’t in an office but aren’t “stay at home” moms, either. Cameron calls them the “work at home” moms, who are doing consulting, blogging, web-designing, or crafts. Their work ethic is not what defines them; instead it’s their values.
What makes Millennials different from Gen Xers (and women aged 28 different from women aged 40) may actually make them similar to Boomers.
Finding meaning through work is a critical goal for women over 50. Many of them have worn multiple professional hats during their adult lives, and many are struggling now to strike the right balance between professional satisfaction (and salary) and the claims their families place on them. And many of them are patching together 2nd and 3rd careers as nutritionists, consultants, and small-scale entrepreneurs (I can’t bring myself to call them “Boom-preneurs”).
Millennial moms look to Boomer moms for advice
Given that these women share similar goals and a similar vision, it is not surprising that they can connect with each other differently than previous generations of women whose ages were 30 years apart.
As Cameron said, “When we asked Millennials what they turn to their parents for the most, the word they chose the most was ‘advice.’ In the past when we assumed younger generations would dispose of their parents’ brands, the reality is that these people choose brands based on their parents’ advice.”
This comment echoed what I once heard from a millennial blogger Sasha Halima: “If you want to market to me, market to my mom.”
It’s surprising how much I keep hearing about this new connectedness between Millennials and Boomers. Yet no one ever shows women from both generations in one ad; no one ever thinks that a millennial wants to hear from a woman in her 50s. That’s a shame.
It’s time for some marketers to start speaking to these two women with the same mutual respect, and in the same voice, they so often share with each other.
Kudo's to you Alicia! Wow you've accomplished quite a lot in your life and you will with dating too at some point. Hang in there! Hugs back! Lisa
tried this (as well as the Garnier tinted moisture) in vacation last week ... Liked the Garnier better, but this provides more coverage and does indeed stay on through everything ... not heavy or greasy ... covers my rosacea. Not sure it will be my e
My parents divorced when I was ten and I always felt like my lack of self esteem most have something to do with my Dad's absence but then one day when I was in my firths my mother said or did something that made me realize she was emotionally abusive
Holy crap! What a sad story. Congrats on overcoming that hurdle. Wow.
How I would handle it. FIrst, I would get into therapy; that could go a long way to helping you and your difficulties.
Second (boundaries are necessary in life)..when your kids call for advice, I would FIRST ask them what their thoughts are an
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