Nick Jr. Parents, Multi Channel Network (MCN) and BabyCenter have released new research in a presentation about how technology and content has impacted modern mums in today’s society.
With over 1,500 respondents across Australia, the research “Paranoid or Prepared?” combines three separate studies: Nick Jr. Parents’ Targeting the Millennial Mum 2014; MCN’s Mobile Mums Research 2014, undertaken by the University of South Australia; and BabyCenter’s Australian study, 21st Century Mum 2014.
The research compares the use of technology between Gen X Mums (born between 1961 – 1981) and Millennial Mums (born between 1982 – 1998), looking at whether technology has made mums more prepared or more paranoid.
The results provide deep insights into the activity and behaviours of the modern mum. The key findings show:
• Talk to all of me (not all of us) – in the past mums have been defined broadly by the media and by society, but now with the proliferation of technology and content, mums now define themselves, often based on the age and dependency of their kids.
• My smartphone is my backup brain – smartphone penetration was at 97% for Millennial Mums compared to 89% for Gen X Mums.
More than a third of Millennial Mums said that they feel addicted to their phone (34%) and nearly half said they couldn’t live without it (44%).
Mums rely on their smartphones more and more to organise their busy family-work-life schedules, with 88% of Millennial Mums reporting that they use smartphone apps.
• Trust goes a long way – with technology making much more information available, one of the biggest challenges Modern Mums face is an overload of information, which can be overwhelming. What they search for is a trusted source to offer them advice, and assurance that they are making the right choices for their kids. The findings showed that 59% of Millennial Mums were likely to be a part of a social media group and 42% said they take advice from people in the group seriously.
Research Director for Viacom International Media Networks, Australia and New Zealand, Kirsty Bloore, said: “With technology shaping how we interact with both each other and brands, the “Paranoid or Prepared?” research project sheds light on how modern mothers view the world, providing essential information and insights into their changing lifestyle habits. It’s important for brands to keep up to date with what their audiences are thinking and feeling, particularly in relation to how they engage and experience with both media content and their social peer groups.”
MCN National Strategy and Insights Manager, Gareth Jones, said: “It’s been great working with Nick Jr. Parents and BabyCenter on this project. This kind of research is at the heart of what we do at MCN, so we can truly understand our audiences. It means we can develop culturally and commercially relevant solutions that speak directly to our clients’ audiences. We have learnt a lot about the Modern Mums of Australia and are looking forward to applying our insights to future campaigns.”