‘A hug and a cup of tea’

It’s Mothers Day on Sunday (just in case you’ve forgotten!) and we asked our mums what that meant to them.

Over 90% said they celebrated it in their household and when asked what it meant to them the overwhelming response was spending time with their family and about appreciation – of their own mum, their kids and themselves. 

‘A day to realise how much I appreciate my mum and my daughter to appreciate me (hopefully!)’

With that appreciation came relaxing – with over half saying they get to relax more…

‘Hopefully a lie in!! Possibly breakfast in bed ... A day to stop & enjoy being a mum.’

However, on the flip side 50% said they didn’t get to relax anymore than usual…

‘I'm still mum!’

‘Have to fit tow family visits into one day so no one is disappointed.’

Overall the wants of mums were not commercialised or grand.  Homemade cards were at the top of the ‘hope to receive’ list closely followed by breakfast in bed and flowers. It also included kids behaving themselves, a sunny day and no hassles! Ideal Mothers Day for some mums were:

‘A long nap and a long hot and undisturbed bath’

‘Kids sleep in too so I get a cuddle and my partner then takes them off to prepare my surprise. No-one argues or fights ALL day’

‘Time with my children and my mum having a nice meal’

The brand that was most associated with Mothers Day was Thornton’s – perhaps it was a brand that stretched across the generations and was seen as traditional.

However, not every mum feels like celebrating or can, for some it is a sad time missing their mum who has passed away. For others they may not have the same support or partner to let them enjoy Mothers Day.

I think brands are beginning to (or should) link these occasions with the more emotional, and simplistic aspects, engaging with their audience more. Caring. With the philosophy of less is more - sometimes.

Brands who help with hand made cards, the ideal breakfast in bed  menu and little presents that matter will win through.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Over 1500 responses via MumPanel Survey on 9^th March 2016.

Mums and lunchboxes - September 2013

We’re two weeks into the new school term and lots of mums are thinking about lunches. Specifically what to put in their child's lunchbox that keeps them happy and ensures they have a full tummy but meets school deadlines and doesn’t break the bank!

As you can tell from that list lunchboxes have become a bit of a hot topic for mums. In the last few years parents have come under increasing pressure from the Government and schools to provide a ‘healthy’ lunchbox. Most parents would agree this is really important but what do you do if your child won’t eat fruit and veg? And many parents choose packed lunches as an alternative to more costly school dinners – is it possible for parents to make the healthiest choice possible when catering to a budget? Is there a place for brands to help mums make lunchboxes less stressful?

We recently carried out some insight work with mums looking at what decisions they make when filling their child's lunchbox. 

 • 74% of mums struggle to vary what they put in their childs lunchbox.
 • 61% of mums said they had school lunchbox guidelines to meet.

Mums main criteria and wants when filling the lunchbox: 

1. The children enjoy it (and fits their own personal needs i.e. allergies, fussy eaters, wants).
2. It fills them up, provides nutrients and vitamins and energy for the day.
3. It meets school guidelines.

Mums look out for healthy additions, and if it provides them 1, 2 or 3 of their 5 a day that’s great. Another tick off the lunchbox list. But most mums don’t actively look for low fat products, it is more about what the lunchbox gives their child rather than avoiding the 'bad' choices. I

If you are developing products for mums then you might be interested to know…

Top 5 inclusions in lunchboxes: 

1. 95% sandwich (cheese, ham and tuna are the top 3 filings)
2. 86% piece of fruit
3. 75% yoghurt
4. 61% cheese portion
5. 51% biscuit/mini packet of biscuits

But we did see indications that the usual lunchbox formula is changing ever so slightly in the quest to meet varying lunchbox needs.

About a fifth of mums mentioned some bespoke inclusions in the lunchbox, here’s how mums are doing it:

• Homebaked products are on the up. 63% of mums regularly put home-baked products in their lunchbox. Could you use that information to create messaging that appeals to these mums?
• Raw vegetable sticks are a regular for some kids – with carrots & cucumber sticks the favourite. There were other veg mentioned including gherkins, peapods and olives. 
• Mini sausage or sausage roll were mentioned as an alternative to sandwiches. 
• Savoury and sweet sometimes merge, possibly in attempt to balance what is deemed a healthy snack – so mums mentioned including savoury scones and brioche rolls. 
• Kids don’t always go for ‘kid food’ – many mums mentioned dips such as hummus with breadsticks or rice and pasta salads with chicken strips. 
• Jam sandwiches are here to stay – 10% regularly put them in their kid’s lunchbox. 
• Cereal bars are the most popular new addition to lunch boxes. But many have to be nut free to meet school guidelines. Is there a growing gap in the market?

Most of all mums want to see more healthy and fruit based lunchbox items on supermarket shelves. And ideally kid sized. 

From online survey of 565 UK parents.

If you’d like to talk to us about working with MumPanel to help you get your products right for mums then give us a call.

Does sex sell potatoes to mums?

That’s the question we answered in a recent survey for Fresh Produce Journal. Samantha Lyster, deputy editor, approached us asking whether we’d help her understand what influences mums’ decision making process when it comes to buying fresh fruit and vegetables. She particularly wanted to understand how much influence advertising campaigns had on mums and in particular if images of a bikini –clad model covered in potatoes would encourage mums to buy. 

Unsurprisingly our research confirmed that mums think this kind of advertising is at best slightly daft and at worst downright sexist and offputting. We found taste was the biggest influence on buying decisions (46%) with appearance at 29% and cost at 19%. Presentation limped in with 0.02% and advertising had almost no impact on the mums we asked.

Our message is always to ask mums what THEY want, not to try and presume to understand what appeals to them. 

You can read the full article here.