Brands may have a dual target as teenagers encourage Moms to join social networks.

While I wasn’t driven to join a social network by my teenagers, I do share stories, videos and links with mine. And we have been found to send each other messages through our mutual Facebook pages. We even amazingly share friends, both her friends and mine. For the moment as she continues to be my “friend”, I can monitor her postings, chat with her on neutral ground and occasionally caution her to her content.

So the study recently announced by Ruder Finn showing Moms are influenced by the teenagers as their “digital mavens” to join social networks and are using the networks as a new place to engage wasn’t surprising from a personal perspective. But I have to say I never thought about the implications from a brand standpoint.

As Moms are known for making purchases decisions based on the value to the family as a whole, this study introduces a whole new concept for how brands might reach this from a dual target view.

According to the study:
• 91% of mothers have had discussions with their children about online social networking sites and their child’s behavior online

• 57% of mothers are “friends” on the same sites as their children

• 78% of mothers reported that their children did not resist their request to connect online

So for certain brands this could mean an opportunity to reach Moms and influence the next generation. How? By creating digital tools that facilitate the conversation. For example, due to the recession, teens and Moms have discovered a common bond of finding good deals. Jansport integrated facebook into it’s website allowing users to share, rate and comment on products while shopping. It’s a perfect way to also get Mom’s opinion and her approval.

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