1 00:00:03,900 --> 00:00:07,920 Sean Aylmer: Welcome to Fear and Greed's daily interview, I'm Sean Aylmer. Household 2 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,010 Sean Aylmer: spending is a key part of the economy, a part 3 00:00:11,010 --> 00:00:14,340 Sean Aylmer: that's come under pressure as the cost of living rises. 4 00:00:14,670 --> 00:00:17,970 Sean Aylmer: A very significant chunk of that spending is controlled by 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,150 Sean Aylmer: mothers, a fact that many brands are now realizing and 6 00:00:21,150 --> 00:00:24,900 Sean Aylmer: adjusting their marketing accordingly. I wanted to take a closer 7 00:00:24,900 --> 00:00:27,240 Sean Aylmer: look at this today at how brands have changed their 8 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,450 Sean Aylmer: approach and the impact that the cost of Living crisis 9 00:00:30,450 --> 00:00:33,900 Sean Aylmer: is having on this market. Christie Nicholas is the Founder 10 00:00:33,900 --> 00:00:37,740 Sean Aylmer: and Managing Director of Mumpower, M- U- M- P- O- W- E- 11 00:00:37,740 --> 00:00:41,070 Sean Aylmer: R, Mumpower, the number one marketing agency shaping brands that 12 00:00:41,070 --> 00:00:43,680 Sean Aylmer: speaks with mums. Christie, welcome to Fear and Greed. 13 00:00:44,010 --> 00:00:45,870 Christie Nicholas: Thank you very much, Sean, for having me. 14 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:48,750 Sean Aylmer: So, take me through what Mumpower does. 15 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:53,880 Christie Nicholas: Mumpower effectively exists to fast track growth for brands who 16 00:00:53,970 --> 00:00:57,930 Christie Nicholas: sell products that mums buy. So brands will choose us 17 00:00:57,930 --> 00:01:00,540 Christie Nicholas: for things such as market research, so we want to 18 00:01:00,540 --> 00:01:02,730 Christie Nicholas: have a look at why mums will or won't buy 19 00:01:02,730 --> 00:01:06,030 Christie Nicholas: their product versus their competitors, or brands will come to 20 00:01:06,030 --> 00:01:10,140 Christie Nicholas: us for influencer marketing and having mum influencers talk about 21 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:14,069 Christie Nicholas: their product to the wider network of Australia mums, and 22 00:01:14,069 --> 00:01:17,819 Christie Nicholas: also to help them rev up reviews, because mums will 23 00:01:17,819 --> 00:01:21,270 Christie Nicholas: not buy a product without doing a lot of research into what 24 00:01:21,270 --> 00:01:23,250 Christie Nicholas: reviews say about their brands. 25 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,280 Sean Aylmer: Okay, so where did the idea come from? So it's 26 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:31,319 Sean Aylmer: a very kind of 2023 style agency for mums, as 27 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,289 Sean Aylmer: opposed to what we were probably talking about 10 or 15 years 28 00:01:34,290 --> 00:01:36,840 Sean Aylmer: ago in terms of trying to appeal to that audience. 29 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:38,250 Sean Aylmer: Where did the idea come from? 30 00:01:38,850 --> 00:01:43,440 Christie Nicholas: Well, the agency's actually been around since 2009, and I 31 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:45,750 Christie Nicholas: had the idea for it when I was working as 32 00:01:45,750 --> 00:01:50,040 Christie Nicholas: a marketing manager for a globally renowned top toy company. 33 00:01:50,370 --> 00:01:54,270 Christie Nicholas: I remember being the marketing manager and hiring agencies to 34 00:01:54,270 --> 00:01:57,360 Christie Nicholas: help us get the word out to the customers. As 35 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,930 Christie Nicholas: good as that marketing agency was, they couldn't quite bring 36 00:02:00,930 --> 00:02:03,990 Christie Nicholas: it home to the level that I would've liked. In 37 00:02:03,990 --> 00:02:06,750 Christie Nicholas: my opinion, it was because they did not live and 38 00:02:06,780 --> 00:02:10,260 Christie Nicholas: breathe how that customer bought products, which was mums at 39 00:02:10,260 --> 00:02:13,500 Christie Nicholas: the time. That's when the idea was planted that I thought, " 40 00:02:13,500 --> 00:02:17,040 Christie Nicholas: You know what? There is a way to better connect 41 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,710 Christie Nicholas: and compel mums to buy that product," and I wanted 42 00:02:19,710 --> 00:02:21,870 Christie Nicholas: to create the agency that fulfilled that role. 43 00:02:22,350 --> 00:02:27,359 Sean Aylmer: Okay, without giving away too many trade secrets here, Christie, I mean, how do you connect to mums? 44 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:33,510 Christie Nicholas: Well, it ultimately comes down to understanding her role, who 45 00:02:33,510 --> 00:02:36,720 Christie Nicholas: she is, what she's dealing with, and really just putting 46 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:41,429 Christie Nicholas: yourself in her shoes and looking at her life. So, 47 00:02:41,430 --> 00:02:46,410 Christie Nicholas: often brands discount what she's dealing with. Mums are the 48 00:02:46,410 --> 00:02:49,529 Christie Nicholas: ones who've got so much pressure, that whole motherhood tax. 49 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:54,270 Christie Nicholas: She's working, she's managing careers, she's managing the kids or 50 00:02:54,270 --> 00:02:56,880 Christie Nicholas: so forth. What it comes down to is really putting 51 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,000 Christie Nicholas: yourself in her shoes and understanding what she wants for 52 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,359 Christie Nicholas: brands, the pain points that she's going through, and ultimately 53 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:06,000 Christie Nicholas: what she needs to make her life easier. I think 54 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:10,290 Christie Nicholas: if you truly understand that about mums, your better placed 55 00:03:10,290 --> 00:03:12,750 Christie Nicholas: to create a product and a message that resonates with her. 56 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,880 Sean Aylmer: Something you said earlier on about mums looking at reviews. I don't know many 57 00:03:18,630 --> 00:03:22,020 Sean Aylmer: mums, particularly if you have younger children, that have any 58 00:03:22,020 --> 00:03:24,060 Sean Aylmer: time, but I do know a lot of mums that 59 00:03:24,060 --> 00:03:26,580 Sean Aylmer: actually do look at reviews. How do you get to 60 00:03:26,580 --> 00:03:29,429 Sean Aylmer: someone who is really time poor? 61 00:03:30,660 --> 00:03:33,840 Christie Nicholas: Well, the first thing is when we're looking at mum's 62 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,080 Christie Nicholas: buying journey, and if we were to look at the 63 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:41,070 Christie Nicholas: essential things of her behavior, she is on social media. 64 00:03:41,100 --> 00:03:43,410 Christie Nicholas: So even if she's time poor, she's going to be 65 00:03:43,410 --> 00:03:45,360 Christie Nicholas: on social media, because that's where she's going to get 66 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,210 Christie Nicholas: a little bit of a release from her stresses, a 67 00:03:48,210 --> 00:03:52,230 Christie Nicholas: little bit of inspo and connection with others. So given 68 00:03:52,230 --> 00:03:54,450 Christie Nicholas: how time poor they are, that's one thing to be 69 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:56,880 Christie Nicholas: aware of. If you want to reach mums, go on 70 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:00,600 Christie Nicholas: social media. The second thing is mums won't buy a 71 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,390 Christie Nicholas: product unless they've asked another mum or many mums that 72 00:04:03,390 --> 00:04:07,500 Christie Nicholas: she knows about recommendations, so it's really about making sure 73 00:04:07,500 --> 00:04:10,050 Christie Nicholas: yours is the brand that more people are talking about. 74 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,010 Sean Aylmer: Okay, so how much consumer spending is controlled by mothers? 75 00:04:15,090 --> 00:04:18,690 Christie Nicholas: Looking at the different categories, there are some categories, especially 76 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:23,010 Christie Nicholas: when it comes to family households, mums control over 90% 77 00:04:23,460 --> 00:04:27,570 Christie Nicholas: of the buying decisions. So looking at things like FMCG 78 00:04:27,810 --> 00:04:31,650 Christie Nicholas: and also baby and children's products, the majority of the 79 00:04:31,650 --> 00:04:34,799 Christie Nicholas: products and services she buys, the decision is made by 80 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:38,520 Christie Nicholas: mums. Then you've got other different categories that might be 81 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:42,150 Christie Nicholas: say home products or so forth, and she still has 82 00:04:42,150 --> 00:04:44,580 Christie Nicholas: a massive sway. It might not be as high, but 83 00:04:44,580 --> 00:04:47,700 Christie Nicholas: it's still well and truly in the 80% mark plus. 84 00:04:48,180 --> 00:04:51,750 Sean Aylmer: In terms of marketing generally, how much of it is 85 00:04:51,750 --> 00:04:55,500 Sean Aylmer: to mums? So I know that you, Christie, specifically and 86 00:04:55,500 --> 00:04:58,740 Sean Aylmer: Mumpower is all about mums, but I mean, those numbers 87 00:04:58,740 --> 00:05:02,250 Sean Aylmer: you're giving, if you're marketing to dads in some of 88 00:05:02,250 --> 00:05:06,060 Sean Aylmer: those areas, you're probably wasting your money, or 90% of 89 00:05:06,060 --> 00:05:09,150 Sean Aylmer: the money is being wasted. How many people understand what 90 00:05:09,150 --> 00:05:09,900 Sean Aylmer: you're talking about? 91 00:05:10,860 --> 00:05:14,910 Christie Nicholas: There's definitely been a lot more progress, and I wish 92 00:05:14,910 --> 00:05:19,500 Christie Nicholas: that it was a more equal number where brands were 93 00:05:19,529 --> 00:05:21,930 Christie Nicholas: communicating with dads just as much as they were with 94 00:05:21,930 --> 00:05:24,900 Christie Nicholas: mums, but when you look at the actual buying journey, 95 00:05:24,900 --> 00:05:28,200 Christie Nicholas: it's still on mum's shoulders to do that buying. So 96 00:05:28,620 --> 00:05:32,310 Christie Nicholas: brands are aware of it, but there are still a 97 00:05:32,310 --> 00:05:34,529 Christie Nicholas: lot of brands out there that are complacent or they 98 00:05:34,529 --> 00:05:37,859 Christie Nicholas: don't fully understand the weighting of how much of that 99 00:05:37,860 --> 00:05:39,929 Christie Nicholas: decision is on the mothers. 100 00:05:40,529 --> 00:05:42,570 Sean Aylmer: Stay with me, Christie, we'll be back in a minute. 101 00:05:48,570 --> 00:05:51,419 Sean Aylmer: My guest this morning is Christie Nicholas, Founder and Managing 102 00:05:51,420 --> 00:05:54,900 Sean Aylmer: Director of Mumpower. So you've done some research recently into 103 00:05:54,900 --> 00:06:00,120 Sean Aylmer: Australian mums, 90% feel overwhelmed and stressed. It seems like 104 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:04,920 Sean Aylmer: a huge number. What impact does that have on household spending? 105 00:06:05,790 --> 00:06:09,870 Christie Nicholas: Looking at how mums feel, regardless of what's happening in 106 00:06:09,870 --> 00:06:13,140 Christie Nicholas: the economy with the pandemic or so forth, and they 107 00:06:13,140 --> 00:06:17,279 Christie Nicholas: are massive stressors that impact mums, when you put that 108 00:06:17,279 --> 00:06:20,640 Christie Nicholas: aside, what really weighs her down and keeps her up 109 00:06:20,730 --> 00:06:24,450 Christie Nicholas: at night are the day- to- day parenting stressors. That's 110 00:06:24,450 --> 00:06:27,930 Christie Nicholas: what she's thinking about and worried about most of all. 111 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:32,880 Christie Nicholas: How it affects the economy is because when her emotions 112 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,400 Christie Nicholas: are heightened and she's got a problem, maybe she's going 113 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:39,330 Christie Nicholas: through different milestone developments with her children, her child might 114 00:06:39,330 --> 00:06:42,450 Christie Nicholas: be starting school and is being very fussy with lunch 115 00:06:42,450 --> 00:06:45,540 Christie Nicholas: box options, and she's pulling her hair out trying to 116 00:06:45,540 --> 00:06:48,930 Christie Nicholas: find different options that the child will eat, because mums 117 00:06:48,930 --> 00:06:51,779 Christie Nicholas: definitely want their kids to eat each day. How that 118 00:06:51,779 --> 00:06:54,990 Christie Nicholas: affects the economy when we're looking at the stressors that 119 00:06:54,990 --> 00:06:58,080 Christie Nicholas: she's dealing with, well, she's going to be more receptive 120 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:00,089 Christie Nicholas: to products or brands that are going to help her 121 00:07:00,089 --> 00:07:03,659 Christie Nicholas: with that problem, so that she can feel like she's 122 00:07:03,660 --> 00:07:05,969 Christie Nicholas: doing the best for her child and her child is 123 00:07:06,150 --> 00:07:08,580 Christie Nicholas: showing up in the world the way she likes. So, 124 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:11,280 Christie Nicholas: the stressors that she feels on a day- to- day 125 00:07:11,610 --> 00:07:15,600 Christie Nicholas: impact her buying decisions. Then when you couple that up 126 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,090 Christie Nicholas: with what is happening at the moment, say for example, 127 00:07:18,090 --> 00:07:22,230 Christie Nicholas: with rising interest rate rises and horrible household bills that 128 00:07:22,230 --> 00:07:25,050 Christie Nicholas: have gone through the roof, it's really been catapulted and 129 00:07:25,050 --> 00:07:28,890 Christie Nicholas: she's highly sensitive to what she will and won't buy. 130 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,780 Sean Aylmer: Is there an example of a brand that's selling or 131 00:07:33,780 --> 00:07:37,110 Sean Aylmer: marketing to mums well, taking all that into account? 132 00:07:37,950 --> 00:07:42,420 Christie Nicholas: There are definitely a number of brands who are progressing 133 00:07:42,420 --> 00:07:45,750 Christie Nicholas: and they're really out there and having a great dialogue 134 00:07:45,750 --> 00:07:48,900 Christie Nicholas: with mums. One brand that comes to mind is ABC 135 00:07:49,140 --> 00:07:53,490 Christie Nicholas: Reading Eggs. They really heightened how mum- centric they were, 136 00:07:53,490 --> 00:07:57,180 Christie Nicholas: even through the pandemic and beyond. What they are doing 137 00:07:57,180 --> 00:08:00,810 Christie Nicholas: very well is they're not selling a message so much 138 00:08:00,810 --> 00:08:04,320 Christie Nicholas: from the corporate sense of why they believe this product 139 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:08,970 Christie Nicholas: is fantastic for mums, they are embracing and encouraging everyday 140 00:08:08,970 --> 00:08:12,780 Christie Nicholas: mums to share their stories and struggles when it comes 141 00:08:12,780 --> 00:08:17,520 Christie Nicholas: to children's education, and in their opinion, the honest way 142 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,370 Christie Nicholas: that their brand supports them in their journey. So, that's 143 00:08:20,370 --> 00:08:23,190 Christie Nicholas: an example of a company that is allowing mums to 144 00:08:23,190 --> 00:08:25,920 Christie Nicholas: do the heavy lifting for them and it's resulting in 145 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:28,920 Christie Nicholas: more sales and growth for them. Then of course there 146 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:32,790 Christie Nicholas: are others as well. People like Russell Hobbs is very well- 147 00:08:32,790 --> 00:08:36,839 Christie Nicholas: connected to the heart of mums, and how mums care 148 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:40,439 Christie Nicholas: about what they feed their family and how to put 149 00:08:40,530 --> 00:08:44,220 Christie Nicholas: meal ideas on the table in quicker more economical ways. 150 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:48,240 Christie Nicholas: So, that's another brand that is definitely responding well to 151 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:49,920 Christie Nicholas: trends of what mums want today. 152 00:08:50,429 --> 00:08:53,400 Sean Aylmer: Okay, I mean, it sounds like influencer marketing's very important 153 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:54,120 Sean Aylmer: in this space. 154 00:08:55,290 --> 00:08:57,959 Christie Nicholas: It definitely plays a key role, and that comes down 155 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,020 Christie Nicholas: to when you look at mum's buying journey, the first 156 00:09:01,020 --> 00:09:03,990 Christie Nicholas: way she's ever going to discover a brand exists in 157 00:09:03,990 --> 00:09:08,580 Christie Nicholas: the first place is largely through social media. Influencers play 158 00:09:08,580 --> 00:09:11,189 Christie Nicholas: a role in how that brand shows up on social 159 00:09:11,190 --> 00:09:15,030 Christie Nicholas: media, and that's one of the reasons why. So, they're 160 00:09:15,030 --> 00:09:17,760 Christie Nicholas: there to show up on behalf of a brand where 161 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,280 Christie Nicholas: mums are going to be seeing it. Then second to 162 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:22,920 Christie Nicholas: that is influencers do have a role. They play a 163 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:26,069 Christie Nicholas: role to talk about brands that they have tried and 164 00:09:26,070 --> 00:09:30,090 Christie Nicholas: share that information with their followers who turn to them 165 00:09:30,090 --> 00:09:31,589 Christie Nicholas: and follow them for that reason. 166 00:09:32,010 --> 00:09:35,340 Sean Aylmer: Okay, so if I want to go and market something to 167 00:09:35,340 --> 00:09:40,470 Sean Aylmer: mums, influencers, social media, anything else that I should have 168 00:09:40,470 --> 00:09:41,130 Sean Aylmer: top of mind? 169 00:09:41,429 --> 00:09:45,600 Christie Nicholas: Product reviews, trials that lead to conversion, but driven largely 170 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:49,650 Christie Nicholas: by product reviews, because even though mums will discover it 171 00:09:49,650 --> 00:09:52,860 Christie Nicholas: on social media, she will ask her friends about what 172 00:09:52,860 --> 00:09:56,250 Christie Nicholas: she thinks, she will watch a video from an influencer. 173 00:09:56,820 --> 00:09:59,940 Christie Nicholas: That mum will not buy until she's done her independent 174 00:09:59,940 --> 00:10:03,809 Christie Nicholas: homework and read a ton of reviews to see what 175 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:07,199 Christie Nicholas: other mums similar to her and her circumstances have said. 176 00:10:07,620 --> 00:10:11,160 Christie Nicholas: These reviews are not by influencers, they're by everyday shoppers 177 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:14,340 Christie Nicholas: just like her, so that is how you seal the deal. 178 00:10:14,790 --> 00:10:18,059 Sean Aylmer: Are there many differences between mums and dads? I mean, 179 00:10:18,059 --> 00:10:20,969 Sean Aylmer: it's probably a really silly question, but surely some of 180 00:10:20,970 --> 00:10:22,711 Sean Aylmer: those things dads are the same? 181 00:10:22,711 --> 00:10:25,679 Christie Nicholas: The stats for us still tell us that it's largely 182 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:28,980 Christie Nicholas: mums who are doing the buying decisions for these products, 183 00:10:29,190 --> 00:10:33,510 Christie Nicholas: but having said that, there's definitely certain products where dads 184 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:37,530 Christie Nicholas: influence the decision as well. So, there's somebody that the 185 00:10:37,530 --> 00:10:41,610 Christie Nicholas: mum will speak with and get another opinion on before 186 00:10:41,610 --> 00:10:44,280 Christie Nicholas: they buy that product as well, and that could be 187 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:45,660 Christie Nicholas: more expensive goods. 188 00:10:46,650 --> 00:10:50,550 Sean Aylmer: More expensive goods, so the men seem to have more 189 00:10:50,550 --> 00:10:53,010 Sean Aylmer: sway or something on more expensive goods. Is that kind of the gist of that? 190 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:57,270 Christie Nicholas: Well, I guess because the larger the amount, it has 191 00:10:57,270 --> 00:11:01,589 Christie Nicholas: a greater impact on the household discretionary spend, it requires 192 00:11:01,590 --> 00:11:06,240 Christie Nicholas: a little bit more buy- in than your everyday consumables. 193 00:11:06,510 --> 00:11:08,970 Sean Aylmer: Yeah, yeah. Christie, thank you for talking to Fear and Greed. 194 00:11:09,660 --> 00:11:12,000 Christie Nicholas: Thank you so much, Sean, for having me. I really 195 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:12,750 Christie Nicholas: appreciate it. 196 00:11:13,350 --> 00:11:16,350 Sean Aylmer: That was Christie Nicholas, the Founder and Managing Director of 197 00:11:16,410 --> 00:11:19,770 Sean Aylmer: Mumpower, the number one marketing agency shaping brands that speaks 198 00:11:19,770 --> 00:11:22,470 Sean Aylmer: with mums. This is the Fear and Greed daily interview. 199 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:24,840 Sean Aylmer: Join us every morning for the full episode of Fear 200 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,110 Sean Aylmer: and Greed, Australia's most popular business podcast. I'm Sean Aylmer, 201 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:29,040 Sean Aylmer: enjoy your day.