New study on mothers: Kids’ health and happiness more important than morals and values

AbelsonTaylor releases its first study on loyalty to health and wellness brands—

CHICAGO, November 4, 2014—Moms report their children’s health and happiness are more important to them than morals and values, financial security or self-confidence, according to a new study released today by health and wellness agency AbelsonTaylor. Information about the study can be downloaded by visiting AdAge.

“Health, Lies and Motherhood” touches on the study of 400 mothers with young children and their relationship with brands.

In trying to determine why moms place value on their children’s health and wellness, AbelsonTaylor discovered that the stronger they feel about doing a good job as moms, the stronger they feel about their children’s health (79%). And when asked which health and wellness brands they rely on, mothers don’t give honest answers because they feel pressured and want to avoid being judged.

The pressure to be seen as good moms leads to the vulnerable moments they often experience, especially among new mothers. Interestingly, 80% say they continue to feel vulnerable even after they become experienced in their role. It is during these vulnerable moments that mothers either accept brands into their household or toss them out.

When asked what triggers vulnerable moments, they listed a myriad of events—353 of them—that occur with their children. The 353 moments were categorized into six distinct areas:

• “I’ve never done this before”
• “My child is hurting”
• “Fear of the unknown”
• “I don’t have control”
• “Transitions are chaos”
• “It’s hard to let them go”

It’s important to emphasize that the number of vulnerable moments these moms identified are not finite. They may be greater (or less) depending on the events mothers experience.

For brand marketers, these moments represent opportunities to not only help moms resolve their vulnerabilities, but also build confidence in their role. In the study, 82% say a brand or product that can make their job easier and alleviate anxiety is more likely to gain their brand love.

“Health, Lies and Motherhood,” is the first in a series of studies AbelsonTaylor will develop. For this study, an anthropologic approach was first conducted to get moms with young children to reveal the hidden truth—often not detected in traditional research—about health and wellness. A nationwide quantitative survey was then executed to validate the findings.