http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2007-03-26-alpha-mom_N.htm

Where there are networks there are trends and where there are “alpha mom’s” there are networks. “Alpha mom’s” are modern mom’s who work, have money to spend, and also want to be the best moms they can be without sacrificing their own identities, and they have become a major target for marketing. This article from USA today talks about why These mothers are so influential and who has figured out the trick to catching their attention.

Alpha mom’s know how to use technology. On average they spend more than an hour on the internet every day. They administer web sites, write blog posts, and use e-mail consistently. They have an insatiable desire for products to make their lives more pleasant, like facials, and more efficient, like blackberries. Best of all, they are all connected. Not only do they write their own blogs, but they read other Alpha mom’s blogs looking for new information, especially recommendations for products or services. Companies have recently discovered that if these Alpha mom’s like a product it goes far. They buy the product (or get a free sample from a smart salesman), they rave about it on their blog posts, they link to it’s website. They do all the things that you want customers to do to give you visibility on the internet. Hurray for cheep, self-propagating advertising.

The article mentions a few specific companies that have started marketing to Alpha mom’s. There are the ones you would expect, the ones that might surprise you for a moment, and the ones that you wouldn’t expect. The makers of swiffer sweepers are obvious candidates for targeting Alpha moms. Though it may seem funny to advertise escalades to mothers, since 75% of Cadillac buyers are men, but it’s estimated that 70% of car choices are influenced by women, so getting their approval is actually a very beneficial strategy. Some mothers want a little luxury while they’re driving their kids to school. Then there’s Nintendo. Nintendo carefully selected a group of 35 high influence women (who have websites with large audiences) and treated them to a day of gaming and good food. Apparently it paid off. Good reviews of the wii reached hundreds of other people directly through the women who went to the convention, and a high proportion of those people soon became customers.