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Why some advertisers get it wrong: In defense of Bloggers who are Mothers

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Mommy-bloggers Bloggers Who Are Mothers (BWAM) get a bum rap. I frequently read advertisers dismissing these bloggers out of hand with comments like "I don’t want some mommy-blogger reviewing my [shiny new gadget] site." Never mind that the blogger in question has the credibility to do so - they’re women AND mothers, so ipso-facto, their ability to speak intelligently on technology begins and ends with the microwave oven.

Dumb. Short-sighted.

I will admit that the universe of BWAMs that I know is pretty narrow and begins with my wife, who blogs over at Parent Traps. While she personally does not focus on gadgets, i know several that can speak intelligently, credibly, and with more knowledge than myself - and I used to work at Radio Shack (as soul-sucking an experience as you’d expect, by the way).

So why are they automatically dismissed from consideration? It is important that advertisers look closer at the blogger and blog than just their gender. It is well-known amongst demographers that women are involved in over 80% of household purchases. Furthermore, it is as natural that women seek the opinions of other women when seeking information about purchases, as it is for a man to seek the advice of other men when seeking advice on how to deal with male pattern baldness. Entrepreneur has an article in the current month’s magazine, and posted on their website under the the title "Tuned In", that states the obvious, yet obviously ignored:

These "alpha moms" are the leaders of the pack, keeping up on the newest products and trends and passing the word on to their mommy peers. "Alpha moms are incredibly influential," says Isabel Kallman, CEO of Alpha Mom TV, a new cable TV channel that targets moms. She says if alpha moms believe in a new product, they’ll become advocates in promoting it by word-of-mouth. That’s why Nintendo tested out the Wii on alpha-mom focus groups months before its release.

Some wear the label Mommy-Blogger with pride, and well they should. But, it would behoove advertisers to not fall into the trap of generalizing these women with an outdated stereotype. By virtue of the fact that they have a platform and an audience, they are worthy of consideration. A blogger who is a skilled communicator and connects with their audience will have a more positive impact on product sales or website visits than a technically-perfect article written by the design engineer, who just so happens to be a condescending jerk.

For instance.

While the label will live on in the way "soccer moms" and "nascar dads" lives on, it is important for advertisers and marketers to understand what it means and does not mean. It does not necessarily mean your article about a left-handed shinynewgizmowidget will be sandwiched between posts about dirty diapers and rants about their kids’ schools; each blogger is unique, and advertisers need to approach the engagement of bloggers for campaigns with sufficient granularity to understand the range of topics on which they write, and the depth with which they write their articles.

Being a Mom is one thing they do, certainly the most important thing they do, but they had lives and interests before giving birth, still have lives and interests after giving birth, and will continue to have lives and interests until they can no longer get up in the morning. They also have opinions and ENORMOUS influence over household purchases, and a wise advertiser seeks out ways to engage these BWAMs in a way that achieves a desired result.

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