Marketers of the Universe: A digital marketing podcast
We’ve all listened to people that speak in novels, not tweets. Well, we’re putting marketing waffle on notice! If you’re tired of long winded navel gazing and blue sky thinking, and just want simple, clear helpful advice on how to improve your marketing and scale your business, the Marketers of the Universe are here to help. We break trending topics down in a way that's as entertaining as it is informative. Over the span of around 30 minutes we’ll have you up-to-date with the big marketing movements, and brimming with ideas to implement at your own company.
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Marketers of the Universe: A digital marketing podcast
Beyond the perfect mom trap: Authentic marketing for modern mothers
In honour of International Women's Day and Women's History Month, we're diving into the unique perspectives and insights that motherhood brings to the marketing world. Join our host, Debbie, a senior social media manager at Brew Digital, as she chats with powerful women from The Adaptivist Group: Reema, Elena, and Jyoti.
In this episode, we explore how motherhood has reshaped their marketing strategies, emphasising empathy, clarity, and respect for consumers' time. Discover the art of authentic storytelling and the importance of building trust with your audience. We also tackle the challenges of marketing to mums, urging brands to move beyond overgeneralisations and embrace the rich diversity of motherhood.
Our guests share invaluable lessons on balancing work and family life, highlighting the significance of flexibility, trust, and community support. Whether you're a mum, a marketer, or both, this episode is packed with actionable insights to enhance your marketing prowess and personal growth. Tune in and be inspired by the stories and wisdom of these incredible marketing mums. Don't forget to subscribe for more episodes filled with insights and empowerment!
You can also find this episode on our website, click here to listen.
Marketers of the Universe is brought to you by the clever folks at Brew Digital. We’re not your typical digital marketing agency; using an innovative approach to decision-making and collaboration, we help you create an impactful digital strategy that actually delivers results for your business.
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Hello everyone and welcome to a very special episode of our podcast. Why so special? What makes this special? I will tell you why this podcast is going to be full of really good insights specifically for mothers out there and moms in marketing. Because why not? It's International Women's Day the beginning of this month. It is still History Month and you know what Moms around the world are. You know it's always so helpful to have this community out here. I'm your host for today. My name is Debbie. I'm the senior social media manager here at Brew. I am very delighted to be accompanied by super powerful women in the business of the Adaptivist Group. I'm so excited, so excited to be here with them. I think they'll do a better job on introducing themselves than I would, so I'll just call on them and then, ladies, if I call you, you know, say your name, you know your job title and yeah, let's do it. So, rima, do you want to start?
Reema Rauli:us off, yeah. So hi everyone, I'm Rima and I am a partner marketing manager here at Adaptivist and, yeah, looking forward to this podcast yeah, oh, I think, like for our listeners, rima, it would be good to, like you know, mention a little bit. You know how many kids you have, okay yeah, so I have a two-year-old girl, her name is Aveline and she is super sassy and, yeah, and I'm proud to sort of be raising her and like seeing what happens when it comes the next years.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:Yeah, amazing, amazing. And then we have Elena. Hi everyone.
Elena Bergamaschi:I'm Elena. I'm the film marketing manager for Stafford in Europe in Adaptivist and I have two boys, leo seven and Alex five. So very interesting ages and phase Cool.
Joyti Jaswani:And Jyoti. Hi everyone, I'm Jyoti. I'm the content marketing manager for Satable. I have two children my daughter, anushka is eight and my son, zachariah, is five. Two very, very different personalities. Yeah, I'm excited to speak about motherhood and thank you for having me awesome.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:I'm so glad to have you guys here, but yeah, I think like I am a mother myself and I have a two-year-old girl. Her name is ellie and she is a tornado every day. I'm just, we're just trying to survive. And yeah, you know the first question I want to ask you guys and I'll give, I'll open this up to everyone. Start how has becoming a mom changed the way you approach marketing, both as a professional or as a consumer? When you see ads and all of these?
Reema Rauli:things, um. So as a professional, I would say like I find that I'm like the approach for marketing that I use is like more empathy and clarity. So like time, attention is sort of something that's precious now. I like to simplify messages, so just cut the crap, basically, and just go to it and um, and respecting people's time as well when you're looking at something. So not everyone's got time to like juggle stuff. As a consumer, I would be like I'm more aware of how brands treat mothers and how they treat women. So that's made me more sort of as a consumer and how that, how something's getting marketed to me.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:So, yeah, I would say it's I'm more aware of and more time and respect of as a consumer now as well amazing and and I completely agree with that in terms of that time constraint because us ourselves, we are so conscious that whatever time we spend is also time away from our little ones and therefore it almost becomes receptive to other people. Do you guys want to add anything to that, Jyoti or Elena?
Elena Bergamaschi:Me the same.
Elena Bergamaschi:I think that the main keyword that immediately like come to my mind is being more selective.
Elena Bergamaschi:Like as a consumer, I'm really more selective with my choice, giving them like a priority, and like being a mom like totally changed my perspective on everything, because I want, like the world to be a better place for my children, like just feel that everything is a filter, the true, like new lens of what that will mean for my children, and I think that, as a professional, being a mom has helped me also a lot in being more focused, knowing that I need to be very focused. When Rima was saying about the timing, I totally, totally agree, like you know, that I have boundaries that need to be respected too, like my time is crucial and as I have children to whom I want to dedicate time to, you know so, not only physically, but also, and above all, emotionally, so I like need to have a good mental health too, to give them my best version okay and I think, like, um, we are, you know, going into almost like the second thing that I want to um chat with you guys about.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:I think L&M did mention about that filter that you start having when you start looking at products, when you start looking at like marketing campaigns that are targeted to you as a mother or as a woman or as a family. Jyoti, would you say, can you help me like with this one? What would be a marketing campaign that really resonated with you as a mom, and why did you think that was so effective?
Joyti Jaswani:um, for me, I think I'm having a very sloppy week um, I really loved the procter and gamble's thank you mom campaign that was released um 2012 during the the london olympics. You know, we were just talking about it earlier about how it's such a. You know, parenting is so hard and you know, I think they really hit the nail on the head there. They said it was like the hardest job in the world, but it's also the best job in the world. You know, they nailed the emotional storytelling. I think it had universal appeal.
Joyti Jaswani:The campaign sort of highlighted the sacrifices and determination that moms provide, you know, for we are indeed their biggest cheerleaders. Um, so I think that that campaign, tapping into sort of the gratitude and the appreciation something we feel can get overlooked during the day-to-day chaos and volatility of parenting um, but we still show up because we love our kids right, they are our heart and soul. Um, so, yeah, I really, I really love that campaign. I think, um, you know they hit the nail on the head there when they said the hardest job in the world, but the best job in the world yeah, I think like that's.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:That's an interesting, you know dynamic that you start feeling when you become a parent. It's like they're in the span of like an hour. You can both like love and hate what you do and it's just like a roller coaster of emotions, but it is indeed like that type of feeling that you cannot get anywhere else. Um, rima, do you have anything like a campaign that comes to mind when you think about, you know, something that came out like really effective? Or, as josh said, hit the nail in the head?
Reema Rauli:I think it was one of the freedom mom campaigns that they had and it was basically around like sort of not sugar coating anything very bold to the point products that actually would design for honesty and care.
Reema Rauli:I would say I've gone on to use their products for my baby as well, when she was growing up and still growing up. So I think a Frida Mom campaign was resonated for me in particular, but again it wasn't think um. A freedom mom campaign was resonated for me in particular, but again it wasn't about selling a fantasy, it was more about meeting the real need of a mom. So I think that's what I think in marketing you get consumed with so many things that are just sort of very glittery and everything, but then you just want to get something corrected. So, like I had my my Iine, I think remember I had, she had a cold and I needed a humidifier and that was the one that stood out for me and I was like I'm gonna buy that because everything else was like giving me everything else, but that was giving what I needed. So I think that's what resonated for me as a campaign.
Elena Bergamaschi:Eleanor, I really love all these emotional campaigns, as Jyoti was saying. For example, one very recent one is from Amazon. It's called the Moving Day and basically it's telling an emotional story of changing a new home. It shows a mom and a teenager that they need to move from one city to a completely different landscape, like a new home next to the sea, and like the teenager is love, really love, skateboarding, but at this new town, like he cannot do it. It's like so how complicated it is for him dealing with the mud and he left behind all, like the neighborhoods, the habits, his friends and like, when you think about it, is like living his whole life, basically you know. So the way his mother is there for him and is like she gifted him with a surfboard instead of a skateboard, I think like it's amazing, like saying I'm here for you, we are together on this, I understand you. It's really showing the relationship between mothers and children and I think it's amazing. I really, really love that one.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:Amazing, amazing, and I think, like what you know, I want to move from us getting targeted to us coming up with these campaigns. I know that we're all in the sass world right now and we all, like you know, uh, very much b2b. But, um, before or during, you know your current and personal professional life right now. Have you ever worked on a car, a campaign targeting moms or families, and what did you feel like? You know an insight that you brought into that table that you feel like others might have missed just because of your experience as being a mom or a parent.
Joyti Jaswani:Yeah, so a good three, four years ago, as a side hustle, I was selling sort of an online baby sleep guide for new parents and I chose Facebook ads as a way to sort of reach my target audience. The first ads didn't do very well, you know I launched them. So I went back. You know I checked the messaging and something felt quite disconnected, just sort of lacked a little bit of genuineness. I think. You know, for me as a consumer, I was trying to put myself in their shoes.
Joyti Jaswani:Trust is a massive factor. You know you want to be able to trust the product you're buying and what the message is about. So I kind of rewrote the ads and this time around I shared real stories of my own daughter and my struggles that I had with getting her to sleep through the night and I was really honest with the techniques I'd learned from that guide itself guide itself. So I think that authentic storytelling kind of made that huge difference. You know the ads did really well. Then I made some sales. I think sharing those real life examples in my content I felt added that authenticity and that trustworthiness that I think moms really look for when they're sort of buying product.
Elena Bergamaschi:Rima Ellen, did you have? I never done it, but I would love it. I need to say that one thing that I would really recommend would be really the daily experience is the best one to really share insights, because we experience this every single day and the emotional bond that we have and how we are capable to put in our children's shoes and anticipate things sometimes and act consequently. I think it would be my, my recommendation, exactly what Jyoti said.
Reema Rauli:I think I resonate with Elena as well, like I would love to work on a campaign for like mums and educational products and women, postpartum, etc. So yeah, I've not touched on it, but I would love to in the future and inspire from it and use my sort of experience, like Jyoti just said, as well.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:I think like that's a definitely, you know, valuable thing that we can all work from. I remember, you know, before going to Brew Digital, I was working in a higher education, and in higher education you actually sell to the parents because they are the ones who pay for the education of their kids. And one of my campaigns, I think, like I remember that it was very important for the parents to have like proof points, to have like concrete evidence, because it is an education, it is a big investment. You know, this is like going to influence the future of their children and I think like that's something that was pretty important at that time. You know, honestly, I wasn't pregnant by that time. You know, I was still living my very much single life, but I think what kind of helped at that moment was like talking to my own mother and really asking her like when you were sending me to you know my master's degree, what were you looking for? And it's that type of like validity and like trust that is so crucial when it is with parents.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:You know, I think, like moving away from that, I want to look at like the other side of the coin, which is we are getting bombarded by a lot of products. I honestly think that baby products is one of the best desistants out there because people would throw money at it. I, as a mom, would throw money at it. The moment my daughter is sick. I karima, I think I bought like a humidifier, humidifier, everything you can imagine so she like stopped getting sick. But um, I just want to know from you guys like what have you seen that brands often get wrong when marketing to us moms, and what do you think they could do, you know, instead of doing what they're currently doing right now? I think they tend to overgeneralize.
Joyti Jaswani:They kind of put us all into this like one bucket, but actually there's a lot of like diversity amongst us. You know. We're all different, whether it's our age, our cultural background, our lifestyle, our parenting style. There's even dads out there who are playing the roles of moms, you know. So I think brands need to sort of embrace and acknowledge this a little bit more and reflect this diversity into their messaging. Um. I think that way they can create more personalized and relevant campaigns. Um, that would actually help and improve their marketing efforts.
Reema Rauli:Um, and hopefully I think that should increase engagement and even brand loyalty yeah, I think again, it's like the super mom trap, like you're the best mom in the whole world and like you could do it all and but that's not the reality of it. It's like you have moments where you're like imperfect, you have like like crazy messy days and stuff like that, and then also forgetting that moms are also women as well. So like we are women and that's who we are, where the role we play, so many roles in, and so, yeah, I think those kinds of messages they sort of come different and how they can do better is acknowledge the fact that women have identity and even the highlight of the products that can save time and give them joy as well. So I think those are the key things I would take away from messaging.
Elena Bergamaschi:I totally agree. I remember some ads were always like the mother was playing the perfect role that the family said was perfect, without like portraying the reality and the crazy of our daily life, you know. So this was really not the reality. I think that also this caused a lot of misconception and sense of guilty, where we feel as mama, of always being perfect and being on top of everything, which is impossible, is not the reality and definitely need to embrace more different personalities, different situation and different messaging, and it is different situation and different messaging.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:I completely resonated with that. I think I really struggled a lot with the weaning stage just because I was so bombarded on Instagram with this perfect plate of like protein, veggies and you know fruits and I was like, oh my God, and I felt so guilty because I wasn't feeding my daughter correctly and then she will, you know, grew up stupid. You know. All of these like horrible thoughts and I like that's what brands also missed out.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:It's like kind of like consoling mothers that say, you know why it's okay to also just feed them like yogurt, yogurt for the night, yogurt, it's okay. It's also that educational piece of actually like yes, this balanced meal is okay, but we also know that you know things don't work out perfectly and then they don't have to and you know we will stop selling you this ideal life because it just adds so much to the anxiety that we are already feeling right. So I think like moving from you know brands and it's like how do we, how do you guys learn how to balance the fast-paced world of marketing with unpredictableness of like motherhood? And do you have any advice out there for moms in the, you know, in the same role and space that we occupy at the moment.
Elena Bergamaschi:Well, I think it's solid learning on the go. It really depends on every person. The specific period a mom is living is such a roller coaster, isn't it? It's like one day is different from another, and one day goes perfectly and so smoothly and then the other day is completely the opposite. I personally learned to be more flexible, to take things as they come and to act accordingly, like not aiming at perfection, because nobody's perfect, and applying these also to our children. You know, and at the end, when you think about it, it's exactly what we are trying to do in marketing. You test, you learn, you iterate, you retest and try, and you try to improve all the time. And personally, I think that failing fast and learning on it is something that should be applied every day and always, both in personal life and professional, and I think that my advice is that we just need to go away from that concept of seeing a failure as not a success. Changing like our perspective will also help, as on all the rest, you know yeah, I'm 100.
Joyti Jaswani:I completely resonate with everything elena just said. Um, I could have said that exactly myself. You know me being I'm a very like I'm a planner, list maker, self-critical, perfectionist. You know so I've learned to give myself grace. I've learned to embrace the volatility and the imperfection that comes, you know, with parenting. Parenting moments don't go to plan. Marketing campaigns don't go to plan, you know so. You know, try and block out that mom guilt. Give myself grace, accept that these setbacks they could just be opportunities for you to learn and to grow, and I think this mindset has actually really helped me celebrate the small wins, I think. I think, both my career and my family life, recognizing progress can actually really help with motivation and morale. So I'm trying to really adopt that mentality and so, yeah, it's just really important to be kind to yourself really help with motivation and morale. So I'm trying to really like adopt that mentality and so, yeah, it's just really important to be kind to yourself.
Reema Rauli:That's something I would, you know, say to all moms really yeah, um, and I would like say like like, leverage your mother, your sorry, mom superpowers, because at work, like you, you have the empathy, you have the efficiency, you have, like the social orientation, like. So remind yourself that as a mom, your skills are actually not enhanced, um, rather than like hindering it. So always remember that. Be ruthless with your time. So say no without guilt. I would say, um, build a network of good people around you, um, exactly, and then celebrate the small wins, like jyoti said as well, like at home or at work. The small wins like make you feel better confident as well. So, and ask for help if you need it, um, from your team, etc. Like just, yeah, we're not all heroes, um, so, yeah, okay to wrap this up.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:I know we are at time right now. Um, I would like you know this is the bonus question for everyone and like a quick fire, and hopefully our managers, our employers, are listening to us right now but what would you say is the one helpful thing that was present or is present in your workplace that helped you also fulfill your role as a mother For me, it's that flexibility, that trust that they give us as parents.
Joyti Jaswani:They appreciate that you've got a life outside of work. You know I don't feel in other employments I used to feel like I have to pick one or the other, but in Adaptivist they give you that flexibility. You need to go to that. You know, parent consultation meeting. You need to pick up your son in the middle of the day. They're not well. They need to come and join your team. Call, let them do it. No one's going to turn, you know, frown at you or, you know, tell you off or anything. And for me as a parent that is so important. That flexibility, that trust that an employer can give for me really helps my mental health. I don't feel like I'm ripped into two different personalities and two different identities. I'm a mom at work as well as a mom outside of work and for me that helps massively.
Elena Bergamaschi:But I agree, flexibility is like. Oh my word. Flexibility and trust to one is like is essentially a red adapter. This is something that I evaluate, so much I can do it and I know that I have, like all, all the trust, which, for a mama, is really added value. And also, I would say, working from home. When you think about the quality time that you spend with your, with your children, bringing them to school, pick them up, this is also as a positive, positive impact in um at work and in your personal life yeah, I think I agree with both.
Reema Rauli:Um, it's just flexibility, the transparency and the honesty that we they, we were allowed, and not all companies offer that, and that's the, that's the special point of working here. Um, I think, like you said, quality time with I can. I can go pick a lean up and bring her home and play with her for like 10, 20 minutes, rather than just be in office nine to five and just sitting there and not and under wondering what she's doing and missing out on crucial milestones, I guess. So, yeah, I think that's what really really is the best thing here.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:Yeah, and I think, like for me, I really would just want to shout this out, but I also want to, you know, pinpoint that community. I mean it's such a good example that you guys just turned up and said, yep, I'll be up for this. You know, the moment I returned, I think the moment I shared that I will be, you know that I'm pregnant and the moment, as well, that you come back from maternity leave the amount of support outside of the team and from existing moms that have reached out to me and be like, hey, if you need anything, oh, it's okay to not feel like you're on top of things. You're not supposed to feel like you're 100% right now. Like you know, be kind to yourself. I think like that is such a reassuring thing to have and something that really helps you, as Jyoti said, and I love that.
Debbie Gacutan-Jardim De Oliveira:You know be a mom at work and be a mom outside of work, and so, yeah, I mean thank you everyone for being with me here today. I really really enjoyed, you know, taking time out of, like you know, the normalness and really just talking very real things about us and because, as we have put it very clearly, you are a mom both inside work and outside of work as well. So we cannot really separate that identity from us and it is an added thing to be a mom and the lens and perspective that we bring at work. So again, jyoti Rima and Elena, thank you so much. It work. So again, jyoti Rima and Elena, thank you so much, I think, for our listeners. Please do subscribe and make sure to look up our next episodes, because we are coming with you with lots of insights, thank you.
