Archive for 2006
Friday, November 10th, 2006
I am impressed and happy to see what the Egg Nutrition Center – looks like a conglomerate of egg-types (you remember the incredible, edible egg, no doubt!?!?) – has done in an outstanding effort to speak to expectant women. Their program is well thought out and beautifully designed. And, really does follow the Forty Weeks rules for communicating well with an eager and open pregnant consumer.
From the Forty Weeks manifesto:
If you want to capture the attention and gain credibility with the expectant woman market offer reasonable, well-delivered and honest content that speaks to her specific needs and concerns. We say it all the time and we can’t say it enough.
She is open, willing and eager to hear you. You can capture this ideal target if:
You speak to her with integrity and respect
You are telling her something she needs to know
You focus on information sharing and not simply moving goods
You stay away from fear and focus on manageable, positive solutions
You create reasonable expectations
You have a plan for keeping her interest and encourage her to share it with friends
I could go on forever here – bottom line – really egg-cellent work. And, egg peeps – we love your logo!!!
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Friday, November 10th, 2006
Yesterday was a big day for the media looking at the state of modern motherhood. In addition to the WSJ running two pieces (Jeff Zaslow’s and a second on automotive manufacturers targeting kids and their parents); the NYT also took a look at the evolving state of mothers.
Thursday Styles featured Cosmopolitan Moms, Stacy Liu’s take on the happy hour playdate. I find this piece fascinating on many levels. Mainly, interesting that the Times continues to find a story in the fact the mothers are women. And I could and likely will go back to the fact that last week’s mothers who travel + this week’s mothers who playdate have one common denominator which = mothers who drink….I need to sit (marinate???) on that one.
First I must credit my ever-brilliant friend Lisa Spiegel co-founder of Soho Parenting Center who has been speaking of the emergence of the mid -(last)century mother for sometime. She feels the 1950’s have never left us – that we have made no progress. To her point, the article in which Liu’s analysis of this “phenomenon” includes a great deal of anecdotal evidence regarding women’s need to be seen and heard as women and not just mothers. There are many life balance questions to be answered here as well. And also the notion of continued pressure and the push for perfection which feels to be at the root of much of this confusion. I especially adored Christie Mellor’s (author of The Three-Martini Playdate: A Practical Guide to Happy Parenting) quote:
“It’s not just about drinking and cutting loose, it’s about giving your children the tools to be self-sufficient,” she said. “Because if you haven’t changed your general attitude, then you just end up being a really busy drunk.”
I remain shaken not stirred…
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Thursday, November 9th, 2006
Today one of my favorite columnists, Jeff Zaslow (A Philly ex-pat, Springsteen fan and all around great social observer) covered Conceptionmoons for the WSJ. The piece was fun and a worthwhile read. Jeff – so happy you finally got around to covering the category! And, nicely done.
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Thursday, November 9th, 2006
I am amazed that this just landed in my inbox…I can only imagine the average educational level of their target market…
Coming Soon! The Internet’s First Television Network Dedicated to Mom’s
Really!!!! How about some grammar 101 for the good people at BabyTV…of course these are the same people who brought us Posh Cravings – home of constant and uncalled for alliteration, so maybe we should not be surprised!
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Wednesday, November 8th, 2006
An overdue comment or two on Sue Shellenbarger’s recent The Mommy Drain article in the WSJ.
Sue takes us on a journey trough corporate America where it seems employers have just realized that they suffer huge attrition rates as women choose NOT to return from maternity leave. Her piece includes some well thought out strategies from various organizations that are to be applauded. Her closing describes an Atlanta based employer who is able to keep their Moms on board:
Another strategy: Simply making mothers feel wanted. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta throws parties for expectant mothers with prizes, gifts and a fashion show of corporate maternity wear. “We want you back,” Linda Matzigkeit, a senior vice president, tells attendees. The hospital concern is retaining 86% of mothers after maternity leave, up from 63% in 2004 before the showers began. One possible reason, says expectant mom and registered nurse Beverly Alvarez: The events “make us feel like Children’s really cares about us.
Could a strategy be more Forty Weeks focused than this? It is about bringing the same enthusiasm (and swag!!) to the party while at the same time offering genuine interest and support for what has become the focal point of a woman’s life. It is about an employer choosing to be there as an engaged friend rather than a source of frustration or worse. And this is possible (and even simple to execute) as corporations open their eyes to the possibilities.
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Wednesday, November 8th, 2006
Looking at the winter issue of Conceive Magazine (thank you Megan for sending copies our way) – and so happy to see Julia Rosien’s byline again. And might I also mention what an amazing new head shot. For those of you who don’t know Julia- she has been covering the category for years with a welcomed and well informed voice. The magazine looks good too – dying to know what the content deal is with Fit Pregnancy…anyone care to share or perhaps this will just have to wait until I see Megan Sullivan in NYC next week…
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Saturday, November 4th, 2006
I was happy to awake to see such love – our dear friend and client, Amy Abreu OOPA AMY (as we call her) founder of Oppa Baby is the top of the heap in meeting the call for form + function for the new mom…Wait to see what she has got in store for the beautiful Lauren Ambrose (due in January) and Jen Meyer (due in December)…Amy is pure talent and a lot of amazing energy.
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Thursday, November 2nd, 2006
The NYT ran a piece on women and business travel. The focus was on how women use their time on the road to get a moment for themselves – some peace and perhaps some little indulgence (think mani/pedi or a good meal). Women share they feel a bit stronger, more relaxed and more like themselves for the experience. There are honest voices sharing the struggless and the rewards associated with leaving children, household, etc. for work. A worthwhile dialog we could (should?) agree. The article is worth a look but the comments, well, all I can say is: prepare to be judged. These will give you a little glimpse into the great divide that is motherhood today. And this is the real story…
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Thursday, November 2nd, 2006
So I am thinking about….
The woman who gave birth without knowing she was pregnant – so much I could say and I will limit it to — really? – huh? Does this mean she is outside of our target market – yeah likely!
Reese Witherspoon splits from Ryan Phillipe and requests maternity clothes at the same time…this one we can explain – She is being fit for her upcoming movie project with Jake Gyllenhall and her pregnant character Isabella is looking to wear Isabella Oliver.
Gigi Lee Chang, the super savvy founder of Plum Organics, waiting until this week to get a BlackBerry — something wrong with this picture (and welcome to the dark side sister!)…
My kids no longer bring back the Halloween bounty I have come to expect – Reeses is all I am asking for here guys…where did I go wrong?
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Sunday, October 29th, 2006
It was a picture perfect fall day here in DC. And I was so grateful for that extra hour!!! Of all I read today – the very important cover of the NYT Business Section seemed most relevant to all we do here at Forty Weeks. We are focused on speaking to women, marketing to women, during pregnancy and beyond. Consider how critical reaching a woman when she open to shifts in her consumer behavior (during her Forty Weeks of pregnancy and early motherhood) is to brands both within and outside of the category. What makes an expectant woman such a unique customer is her eager willingness to gather information and to share it as well. We have honed in on how to best open this dialog keep it flowing and relevant. And, we share this expertise (and continue to perfect it on a daily basis) with both our client base and the media (who use us as a regular source on the topic). And to get there, we listen…
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