1. living
la vida
rapida:
today’s parents living a
double life at double time —
focus on global moms
ResearchResearch by AOL and OMD
commissioned partnership between OMD and AOL

2. contents
2 Study Design
4 Meet Today’s Moms
8 Moms and Media:
Exposure, Media for Family, Media for Self
23 Super Moms 10
27 Why are Moms an Important Target? 14
32 Moms and Advertising 18
35 Summary

3. study design
Our qualitative sample consisted of
moms aged 22-54 with home Internet
access in five different cities, Stamford,
In today’s world where consumers can be defined through their needs, behaviors CT- USA, London-UK, Beijing & Shang-
and attitudes, there exists a large group of consumers who still seem elusive to many hai-China, and Mexico City-Mexico.
marketers. Undisputed multi-taskers and gatekeepers of their families, moms are a We conducted four, two-hour in-home
lucrative target. Motivated to learn more about today’s moms, OMD and AOL partnered interviews per country.
with Ipsos to conduct a two-phased study including qualitative and quantitative research
among online moms around the world. Pre-interview exercises included:
three-day media usage journal with
photos/video, and life with and
Our overall goal was to understand global moms and their involvement with without media collages.
media, as well as their personal values, family dynamics, purchase habits, and
advertising preferences. Our quantitative sample consisted of
moms aged 18+ with home Internet
• What roles do various media play for moms? access in 13 countries around the
world. We sampled 500 moms in
• How are media used in parenting and family life? Canada, Mexico, Chile, Spain, France,
• What impact do media have on buying behaviors? UK, Denmark, Germany, Russia, India
and Australia, 1,000 in U.S. and 800
• How do family members influence purchase decisions? in China.
• How acceptable and trustworthy is advertising?
The study focuses on online moms
• How do moms in various parts of the world differ from one another? who are the primary marketing target
• How can advertisers and marketers leverage insights about moms to in the world today and also offers an
communicate with them more effectively in an evolving media landscape? early view into how moms’ reliance on
the Internet in emerging markets is
impacting their lifestyle.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 2

4. about
OMD (www.omd.com) is one of the largest and most innovative media communications specialists in the world,
with more than 140 offices in 80 countries. For an unprecedented fourth consecutive year, OMD Worldwide was
recognized as the Most Creative Agency in the world by The Gunn Report for Media. OMD also had the distinction
of being named Media Agency of the Year and winning a Gold Lion and two Bronze Lions at the 2007 Cannes
International Advertising Festival. With another great showing at Cannes in 2008, OMD US had six shortlisted
campaigns, winning a bronze in the Young Lions Competition. Worldwide, OMD saw a total of 23 campaigns
on the shortlist — more than any other media agency. OMD was awarded the most Effies in 2006 and 2007,
including the highest honor of Grand Effie, and took home a total of nine wins in 2008 including four gold awards.
The agency is a unit of Omnicom Group Inc., the world’s largest communications holding company.
AOL Advertising is part of AOL LLC, a leading global web services company. AOL Advertising helps marketers
engage audiences within 80+ original brands like Moviefone, AIM, MapQuest, AOL Living and AOL Music, then
extends marketers’ reach across Advertising.com’s global network.
Ipsos is the third largest survey-based market research company in the world. Headquartered in Paris, Ipsos has
operations in 56 countries, and is the only independent, publicly listed survey research company that is managed
by research professionals. Ipsos MediaCT is the division of Ipsos specialized in researching the converging media,
content, telecom and technology industries.
3

5. meet today’s
moms Moms constantly function
with a dual mindset,
thinking about their own
time and their family time.
Mom, Madre, Mum – it
doesn’t matter what
language you speak; mom
is still the heart and soul
of the family. She’s the
one who does it all!
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 4

6. The balance between “my time”
and “responsible time” is very
difficult for today’s moms.
They are living a double life —
handling parenting tasks,
managing their professional and
social lives and trying to squeeze
out a little alone time! They are
not just thinking about how to
schedule their own time; they
are the business managers of
their families carefully plan-
ning the agendas for all of the
members. Their lives are so fast
paced, so full and so demanding
that they say their typical
day consists of 27 hours!
Most moms are employed
full-time and continue to
be in charge of day-to-day
parenting.
5

7. moms social
value their alone time,
and their
and professional lives
The struggle between
mom’s desire to have time
alone and the reality of
enjoying that alone time is
clearly evidenced — even
though more than half of
today’s moms value their
alone time, they only
manage to get 1.4 hours
for themselves in a
typical day.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 6

8. the art multi-
of
Moms are packing in 27
tasking
handling 27 hours of activities
in a 16-hour waking day
hours of activities into their
16 hour day!
Over 5 of those hours are spent
working. Nearly 4 hours are
spent with their families and
nearly 3 hours are spent on
the Internet. They spend more
time on the Internet than doing
chores or eating!
7

9. moms
and media
exposure
Moms use a full scale of
media in a variety of ways
to live their “double lives”.
They use multi-media (TV,
magazines, newspapers,
radio, Internet, mobile,
and games) to help with
parenting, as a purchase
tool, as a social tool,
for entertainment and
relaxation and to make
them more productive.
Their media usage
includes media for
themselves, their family
and for managing other
responsibilities.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 8

10. the average
mom
8 day
spends hours a
with media
The most time
is spent on the
Internet (2.6
hours), followed
by TV (2.1 hours)
9

11. media
an
undoubtedly
important role
plays in their
lives
While moms are
heavy multitaskers
and consume media
while juggling other
tasks, media offers
many opportunities
for marketers to
influence them.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 10

12. not only do they
use media in
their daily lives, moms have
a strong
emotional
also
attachment to media
Moms’ positive relationship
with media is further
proven by the emotional
associations they have to
each medium. Media offers
a way to be entertained,
to relax, and for getting
tasks done.
• The Internet evokes a range of emotions among moms depending on the specific usage.
Search, email and commercial sites are more task-oriented. Moms’ entertainment quotient is high
on digital entertainment sites while their interest levels rise on social/user-generated sites, search
and commerce sites. The Internet can no longer be seen as a single medium for marketing
purposes since different areas of the internet bring out different moods.
• Moms are ‘relaxed’ and ‘entertained’ through television and are ‘focused’ and ‘interested’ while
reading newspapers.
• Magazines are viewed in a relaxed state by 18% of the moms surveyed; 17% say they are interested
while reading magazines.
• Gaming is entertaining to one-fifth of moms while listening to radio puts them in a relaxing mood.
11

13. the Internet was sited
medium
as the most important
for
everyday
both
life
and for
parenting information or advice
Different media fulfill
moms’ needs in different
ways. Media such as
Internet, newspapers and
games are used as much
for parenting as for other
purposes, while the
magazine is the only
medium that moms find
slightly more important
for parenting than for
other purposes.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 12

14. moms
and media:
for family
Moms rely on
the Internet for
task-oriented
parenting, while
TV is preferred
for family
entertainment.
13

15. momsrely
different types
on
of
media for parenting tasks
related to the age
of their children.
Moms of teens and
tweens rely more heavily
on mobile phones to
stay connected to their
children; moms of
younger children are
relying on the Internet
and for parenting advice
or trying to connect with
other moms via blogs or
social network sites.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 14

16. 95% co-use at least
media
once a week
Moms and kids are
spending a great deal
of time together with
media! This is a great
way to connect with both
the moms and kids at
the same time. Co-usage
tends to increase as
children age, especially
as a communication tool.
Moms and kids are
staying connected by
emailing, talking on
their cell phone, texting
even IMing!
15

17. The Internet is
an unprecedented parentingand
resource of social networking
moms
among
In all parts of the world, moms
have created their own online
communities and rely on these
online communities in all of
their parenting needs. Not
surprisingly, younger moms
are leading the way…
Over half of the 18-34 year
old moms say the Internet has
provided them with access
to a broad range of parenting
advice or tips.
4 in 10 of the younger moms
(18-34 years old) say they have
shared parenting advice or tips
with others on the Internet.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 16

18. parentingand
child activities
related internet
#1
were
moms
the
online
activity for
Moms use the Internet
quite frequently for
guidance on parenting
or helping with their
children’s needs, like
school work. They also
use the Internet as a
search tool, for emailing,
and to gather informa-
tion on the latest news,
weather or for research
on consumer products.
17

19. moms
internet
value of
the
see
the
for
their children but want to monitor &
balance their usage…
...and would
like their kids
to focus on
other activities
as well.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 18

20. moms
andmedia:
Media clearly helps moms
in parenting by providing
information and by acting as a
for
self
medium to connect with the
family. In addition to parenting,
moms extensively use media
for non-parenting tasks and
personal entertainment.
Moms are creating an online
community: The Internet is a life-
line to the outside world and is no
longer just a productivity tool.
This is especially true in
emerging markets like Mexico
and China, where 80% and
78%, respectively, say the
Internet is a lifeline to the
outside world.
19

21. tv preferred is
for recreation
...but at least 1/3
of today’s moms
use the Internet
and digital media
(especially video/
online games)
for recreation.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 20

22. moms look
to
digital and
other
media
for a variety of tasks they
perform for themselves
Moms use the Internet
for very pragmatic
purposes – shopping,
gathering information,
finding coupons and
sales. TV is still the
main source for news;
however nearly 30%
now say the Internet is
their main source.
21

23. younger
& urban
drive
moms
adoption
of digital media and
community-oriented
online activities
The multi-faceted
use of Internet
by the young
moms today is a
sign of increasing
internet usage
among moms in
the future.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 22

24. super
moms
The super-busy lifestyle
and constant juggling
between work, family
and self has led to the
creation of “super moms”.
Younger moms are
more likely to describe
themselves as “super
moms”. Four in ten moms
in Canada, France and
China say they’re
“super moms”.
23

25. super
moms strive
harder
balance aspects
to
different
of their lives... ...as they place
higher value on
their career and
social lives than
other moms.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 24

26. super
moms co-use
technology
newer
more than
other moms
They feel the need
to know all that is
going on with their
children, and utilize
the latest technology.
25

27. super
moms
rank
high on
using
the internet
for parenting-
specific activities
While the general
internet usage
of Supermoms
is not that different
from other moms,
they rely much
more on the internet
for parenting-
specific tasks.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 26

28. why
momsan ?
are
Moms are an important
important
target
target audience for
marketers and advertisers
because not only are they
the primary decision makers
in their households, but
half of them actively
recommend products/
brands to others.
Supermoms are power
recommenders, with 72%
passing along brand/
product information. They
are the technology leaders
among today’s moms and
tend to be brand loyal.
27

29. influence of
household
members
in
purchasesiscategory Moms’ influence is especially
high when it comes to baby
products, clothing, beauty
specific products, groceries, health
products and also have a large
say in books, movies, music,
games, business services.
Co-decision-making between
moms and their partners is
clearly seen in financial services,
home décor, QSR, tickets and
travel. While most moms say that
their partners influence more in
categories like autos, computer
equipment and electronics, a
significant number of moms
jointly decide with their partners
in these categories.
Some category purchases are
influenced by the child/children
in the household like books,
music, movies and games,
QSRs, and toys.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 28

30. busy working
moms
moms
single are
and
more
influenced
by their
children
Tweens and Teens
tend to influence
purchases much
more than younger
children and
probably take a
consultative role.
29

31. the internet is
very
influential
helping moms
in
decide
what buy... to ...This is mainly
achieved through
search, commerce
sites, portals and
online networking.
Moms also rely on word of
mouth to pick the best that
market offers. This aligns well
with the fact that half of today’s
moms recommend products/
services to others, making
WOM a strong & fast channel
to pass information — be it
good or bad!
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 30

32. moms not
research
only
products services
and
online but also
purchase
online
31

33. moms & • There is a consistently high
correlation between advertising
acceptance and trust.
advertising
• When moms are more willing
to accept advertising on a
medium, they also tend to trust
the advertising on that medium
as well.
• Media like TV, radio, news-
papers, magazines, Out-of-
Home have high levels of
ad acceptance and
trustworthiness.
• For media that are singularly
directed and not broadcast (like
email, direct mail, etc), moms
are more open when they opt
for advertising on such media
rather than unsolicited ads.
• As today’s moms actively seek
information, it’s no surprise that
online word of mouth is high
on trust.
• While the relationship between
advertising acceptance and
trustworthiness remains similar
among moms across the world,
there are some country
differences.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 32

34. adstraditional
in
media
accepted
continue
to be
moms
by
The lowest advertising in most countries
acceptance through
tradtional media is seen
in France, Australia and
Spain while the highest
acceptance is seen in
Chile, Mexico and
India. Online/email ads
are quickly catching up
particularly in Chile,
Mexico and India.
33

35. demographics
impact ad
acceptance
as well
Younger moms
(18-34 years) are
more willing to
accept online/
email/mobile ads
than older moms.
Research commissioned by AOL and OMD 34

36. summary
This study reveals five key trends of critical relevance to marketers and media planners.
First, with all the multi-tasking they do, today’s moms are essentially living in “double time,” averaging a 27-hour
waking day. Eight of those hours are spent using media, mainly for parenting advice and tips, led by the Internet
at 2.6 hours per day.
Second, don’t underestimate moms as early adopters and influencers. Globally, 38% of moms describe
themselves as trying to be “supermoms,” a group highly likely to influence their peers and be early adopters
of technology.
Third, looking at the emotional resonance of various media, including overall trust, provides a new and
important way to look at Media’s influence on moms.
Survey findings showed substantial differences in emotional impact by media type, with Television’s and Radio’s
primary footprint being “entertained” and “relaxed,” while Newspaper veered toward “focused” and “interested.”
Even within the internet experience, moms relate search to feeling “task-oriented, focused, and interested,” while
digital sites felt like “entertainment.”
In addition, there is a tight correlation between a mom’s trust in a medium and her acceptance of its
advertising messages. For example, TV, radio, and newspaper media have both significantly high trust and
“ad acceptability” ratings, while online banner ads, mobile and text messaging score lower on both. The take-
away here is that there’s room for digital marketers to differentiate themselves with high-quality advertising that
connects with consumers in a credible way.
A fourth and interesting revelation is that three out of five moms say that the internet has become a “lifeline”
for them, especially among higher-income moms (70%). This trend seems likely to continue, as younger moms
report higher usage than older moms have a higher tendency to use new media such as social
networking sites.
Finally, it’s important to consider today’s family as a team when it comes to media usage and decision-making.
Most moms co-view TV, the Internet and other media with their kids and share purchase decisions across an
array of categories from toys to music.
35

37. Research commissioned by AOL and OMD
Project Directors:
Mike Hess and Gautam Peri, OMD
Stu Rodnick and Liz Bloom, AOL
Special thanks to Kathy Grey and Nija Nair from OMD for their help in
writing this booklet and to 360 Creative from AOL for designing and
producing all presentation materials.

38. Research Inquires can be directed to:
Mike Hess
Director of Global Research &
Communication Insights, OMD
Tel: 212.590.7383
Email: Mike.Hess@omd.com
Stu Rodnick
Senior Director of Strategic Insights, AOL
Tel: 917.534.5069
Email: Stu.Rodnick@corp.aol.com