Moms spend money and we spend a lot of it. Every Mom knows that she is in control of the majority of spending in her household. Ironically, many of the places where she spends her money have no idea that it is Mom not Dad or the children or the teens that make the decisions. So in their marketing decisions guess who they market to? Not Mom!

Luckily for us Mom Writers there are other Mom writers out there who are helping to change this. It started with books on marketing to women and now there are more and more books on marketing to moms. The latest is The Mom Factor: What Really Drives Where We Shop, Eat and Play  (Urban Land Institute, 2005) by Nora Lee. As Nora Lee herself states, much of the information is commonsense. I personally have found that our society does not make commonsense common practice. Things that should seem obvious to companies, such as Mom making the final decision as to where her teens go or what they spend, just is not.

I like the fact that rather than re-doing topics covered by other books Nora Lee chose a specific industry, entertainment, and explored many different avenues of it. From shopping centers, to zoos, to amusement parks; The Mom Factor must be the resource book for anyone working in these industries. Lee provides a number of examples of companies who are doing a great job reaching moms and others who are not. One of my favorite comments is “The destination that considers her (mom) own pleasure and then delivers will win her devotion – and a small shrine on which she will place generous offerings of chocolate and comfortable shows!”

Mom writers and readers this book is a must read. Not only will it help you in your own personal writing pursuits and queries; the stories and anecdotes provide fantastic information pieces for articles you are writing.