Engage moms with marketing magic

The key to selling more juvenile products is to target moms, and marketing expert Francie Brudner of Navigation Marketing told attendees at the Kids Today Conference in June how to do just that.

Brudner, who has 15 years of global marketing experience with companies like Disney and Mattel, told the gathering of retailers and manufacturers that offering quality product and/or services; having a unique selling proposition; building a strong brand identity both with the name and imagery like McDonald's golden arches and providing clear, concise communication are proven ways to target moms.

To achieve those goals with marketing, Brudner suggests building a solid mom connection, appealing to her aspirations, understanding the emotional hook, developing a brand essence and making your brand fun and easy to embrace.

Brudner said with 60% of moms working outside the home and still maintaining their roles in the home, they're looking for products for their children that make their lives easier or make them feel like they are better moms for using it.

New parents in particular are sponges for learning, she said, so tap into where they get their information to market your stores and products. This includes parenting magazines, word-of-mouth and the Internet, she said.

"Mom can become an ambassador of your brand if she's satisfied," said Brudner. "Mom has dreams as a parent. How can you help her reach them?"

Make her feel good about her role as a parent — she is just starting out and has big, romanticized dreams. Products like those offered by Baby Einstein help parents feel like they are giving their kids learning and fun at the same time. Brudner suggested manufacturers and retailers identify how their products and services relate to Moms' aspirations, then incorporate those ideas into marketing, catalogs, ads and more.

"Does your brand make her feel confident, delighted, cared for, proud, content?" she asked. Adding functionality to a product is good, but the marketing has to reach her on an emotional level.

There is a reason why so many ads feature laughing or sleeping babies, she said. They make parents feel content and they want to provide similar experiences for their own kids. She showed an example of a bathtub thermometer found on the Internet. The photo of the thermometer itself created no emotional investment, but if the display featured a woman bathing her child, then the ad would be more effective.

Brudner praised companies like Babystyle, which has a Web site that engages parents with pictures, descriptions and lists of top selling products in each category and Boon, which turned something as simple and useful as a tub scoop into a fun, multi-use design with its Frog Pod.

Some of the best marketers create images or logos that immediately identify their company, like Target's dog and bull's-eye logo or Leap Frog's frog icon and "Learn Something New Every Day" slogan.

"Good communication is key," Brudner said. Packaging should have photos that tell a story instead of cluttering it up with too much copy.

Product instructions also should have pictures, too, she suggested.

Francie Brudner