The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (not the sales either)
WebProNews reports that pregnancy searches have jumped in January on the web, and ovulation predictor searches are not far behind. Their stats show that searches for “states of pregnancy” (not exactly sure what they mean here) are up 237 percent and “pregnancy week by week” are up 23 percent. Searches for the TTC world were high as well with “ovulation calculator” up 32 percent and “ovulation predictor” was up 249 percent.
Also interesting was the geographical concentration – the strongest representation was from the south central – think Louisiana and Texas with the highest search city being Jackson, Tennessee.
According to the article:
Searches for the term pregnancy entered Yahoos top 600 list for the Month of January.
Ok – so what gives, you wonder? Let me fill you in…Most babies are born in this country in the late Spring and through late summer, the highest concentration of births is the US is in August and September – so you do the math…
Some like the romantic notion that cold winters make for romantic times (well, not this year – it is hitting 70 here in NYC today!) or that the shorter days make for longer, cozier nights. Maybe on that one. Another theory has to do with the holiday spirit - you know make some babies, wait for Santa, etc – I don’t really know. I am Jewish and we (OK, I) eat just way too many latkes and smell far too greasy from the whole of the Chanukah thing to feel the least bit sexy during the holidays!
The cold, empirical truth is that the ever fragile sperm (you know, they need you!!!) – has a much higher survival rate in the cool weather. They are at their biggest, boldest and most likely to make it thru in the cooler months. And as a result, well – I have a July and an August baby – ‘nuf said!
This is my absolute favorite time of the year – when news of new pregnancy begins to spread like wildfire and the dream of the New Year with new baby begins to take form. This is when we do see the internet most alive with expectant women, their partners, their parents and even their friends seeking out all forms of information. They are just so open and interested!
Women, who have little or no pregnancy vocabulary, spend hours on-line trying to increase their pregnancy literacy. And, what they find on their self-guided tour is anyone’s guess. The amount of information out there is staggering.
The wealth of pregnancy and baby related information ranges from the solid and sage to the super fabulous words of self-anointed Mommy experts. It falls on all sides of the political, socio-economic and “Mommy War” fence. It can be soothing, fear inducing or in-between. And truth is, newly pregnant women are so hungry for information that they take it all in. This fact is both incredibly promising and scary at the same time. And those of you who know me and have been following along know that I could go on and on about the inherent risks here – but I will stay focused on the good stuff…
The newly pregnant woman is one of my favorite consumers; she is open, eager and ready to enter into a brave new world. She is excited, and filled with questions and anticipation. It is a perfect time for my clients (I am deep in content development stages with Isabella Oliver, Bravado, In Style and others) to speak intelligently and candidly to one of the most interesting and desirable (and shifting) consumers out there – the expectant parent.
This makes for an amazing opportunity for quality information to serve as the launching pad for a new relationship. One between consumer and brand, based not on a sales proposition, but rather on the respectful delivery of well timed, much needed, fair and useful information. I have pointed out some key examples. The Egg Peeps (ok they have a real name, but I do love calling them that) and their Egg Nutrition Pregnancy campaign is one that stands to be a big winner. And by winner, I mean one that resonates and connects with the expectant consumer – offering balanced, useful information that is relevant in the present tense. And this is what works. The challenge then is how to reach these women once the message is crafted. And on both counts (developing and delivering) – Forty Weeks has served as the ultimate guide for some of the top brands in (and out of) the category – with great success. Stay tuned to see what new gems emerge.
Welcome to Pregnancy Season!