If marketers want to understand today’s mom, we had better get in touch with her digital side.  CafeMom and my employer Razorfish have published a report, Digital Mom, to help.  Digital Mom analyzes the purchasing behavior and media consumption habits of the increasingly digital savvy and powerful mom consumer.  As indicated in a February 2 press release, Razorfish and CafeMom have narrowed the focus of our research on moms who are active users of digital and who regularly research and purchase goods online.  Key findings:

• The gap is closing between TV and digital channels in terms of creating awareness and affecting purchase decisions, and social influence channels are increasingly important.  TV still has the most impact on creating initial awareness for a product.  But social influence channels such as online consumer reviews and blogs are highly influential in the consideration stage.  These findings indicate how important it is for marketers to pinpoint the right channel (especially social) to influence moms through the purchase decision-making process.

• Moms with children 12 and older are motivated to adopt new technologies to stay in tune with their children.  Of those who use social networks and blogs, almost half monitor their children.  Likewise, digital moms of children 12 and older, versus moms with children under 12, are more likely to watch online video, game, read online consumer reviews, and watch or listen to podcasts.  The findings suggest that marketers need to become more sophisticated in reaching out to moms at different stages of their parenting.

• A mom’s media consumption habits reflect the many roles she plays: mom, wife, daughter, friend, powerful consumer, and adviser.  More moms show interest in clothing/fashion and food than in parenting information, with the exception of moms with children under 6 years of age.  Marketers need to respect the rich and diverse nature of her interest.

A Flash and PDF version of Digital Mom are available here.  Charts and graphs are available here.  In coming months, look for more significant Razorfish thought leadership, including our annual Digital Outlook Report and research into Social Influence Marketing.