Cannes : Yahoo! , the premier digital media company, and Starcom MediaVest Group, shared findings from their year-long, global study, ‘Brave New Moms: Navigating Technology's Impact on Family Time,' at the 2012 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The study revealed that across generations, age and countries, 84% of moms globally say that planning family activities are worth their efforts as long as a special moment is involved.
Moms around the world seek out family time and turn to technology for suggestions and advice. This unlocks a powerful opportunity for brands to leverage technology and contribute to those family moments. In the past few years, moms have used technology, specifically digital, for unlimited access to information: about 69% of moms worldwide said they turn to search engines when conducting research on family activities.
While they are clearly a key user, moms across the world have identified a polarizing relationship with technology. The study unveiled 71% of global moms say their family engages with technology together daily, but conversely 52% of moms say their family is often distracted by technology during time together. As a result, being present can be difficult, and family time can easily be missed.
With insights pouring in from around the world, a framework was identified for how moms categorize family time: routines, rituals, traditions and relive.
Routines are the everyday tasks that keep the family on track but can often occur on an individual basis rather than as "family time."
Moms wish there were more rituals - the emotional bonding moments that strengthen families - during the day.
While traditions are meaningful, they can come with a sense of obligation and aren't always practical for today's modern family.
Relive is a new category that has emerged from the prolific use of technology to capture and share images of family and the ability for moms to now relive special moments.
This heightened awareness and desire by moms to create special moments with their families yields an unprecedented opportunity for brands. Yahoo! and SMG developed guidelines to help marketers leverage these key findings:
Elevate routines into more meaningful rituals —64% of moms globally read to their kids, but only 17% claim to enjoy it. This represents a great opportunity to help moms elevate this time to something more meaningful.
Discover new rituals that moms can start with their families — 83% of moms enjoy planning activities for their families, and many go to digital for this discovery.
Adapt traditions to allow moms the freedom to maintain them in a way that is modern, manageable, and still special - 53% of moms are already using digital to help plan special occasions like holidays or birthdays.
Provide moms ideas and ways to extend special moments so the family can relive them forever - 74% of moms globally take photos using their mobile phones in an effort to relive those memories.
"More and more, moms are aware of both the opportunities and challenges that result from constantly being plugged in, and they are struggling to find a way to create moments that are memorable and lasting as opposed to just running down to-do lists," said Lauren Weinberg, VP, Research & Insights, Yahoo!. "This study goes a long way toward helping us understand the importance of creating and capturing meaningful family time. As moms shift away from efficiency and towards meaning, there are ample opportunities for brands to help be part of this movement."
"Brands have understood that moments are important to moms for many years. We've all seen these important moments showcased on brand creative. However, moms today don't want this just acknowledged. They need help in creating more of these moments that matter so much. The force of technology is elevating both the need and providing brands with new opportunities to help moms create more meaningful family time," said Adam Kruse, VP, Global Director, SMG.
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