Designer Wendy Bellissimo launches new website for moms

Celebrity designer Wendy Bellissimo has been known for nearly a decade as the leader in family lifestyle creations and her latest venture brings her trademark style and usability from a mom’s point-of-view to the web. Anything a modern mom has to keep up with can be managed on Nesting.com, with a glimpse of each aspect of her life viewable on her family’s private homepage; her schedule, kids’ activities, photos, to-do lists and a personal journal that makes it easy to jot down each memorable moment. Photos and journal entries also stay neatly organized making sharing effortless and creation of keepsakes like photobooks a snap. In Nesting.com’s “groups” area any activity or interest, whether for the parents or the kids, comes quickly into focus. Anyone can create a group and invite participants in a matter of minutes. Everyone can then keep up with each detail in real-time between all parents with their family calendars being automatically kept in sync, day-by-day and kid-by-kid. Room parents and soccer moms will certainly rejoice.  Members also receive a “Weekly Wrap-up” newsletter, personally edited by Bellissimo, that brings mom-focused news of the week as well as engaging topics from Nesting’s “conversations” forum together into one quick read.  For new moms Nesting.com is a great place to find local activities and playgroups, meet other moms and keep their memories. And for the moms who constantly feel like they’re chasing their day, Nesting.com is a chance to come up for a breath of fresh air, get some much needed “mommy time” and if anything, feel like they’ve got a handle on their family’s busy life.

Study: Non-tech toys still strong favorites for kids and parents

Forget the beeps, buzzes and whistles – while tech toys are still popular, non-tech toys remain strong favorites. This is according to a new study released during Sandbox Summit®, New Playing Fields: Building a 21^st Century Sandbox, in New York City.  “While traditional toys are still popular, the nature of “play” is changing for today’s youth, both in terms of the activities they participate in and the outcomes they expect from play. In today’s world, kids are actually more likely to be playing alone with their favorite toys versus playing with others. While the most important goal that kids have when playing is still to have fun, toy makers and marketers need to keep their designs and messages in tune with evolving forms of play – across age ranges and gender preferences– in order to engage with kids and their parents in current, relevant and profitable ways,” says Peter Shafer, vice president for the Youth Center of Excellence.  Harris Interactive’s Youth Center of Excellence collaborated on the development of this study with Claire Greene and Wendy Smolen, founders of the Sandbox Summit, an organization dedicated to looking at how technology is changing the way kids play, learn and connect in today’s world.  According to Green, “We’ve crossed the digital Rubicon. We know technology is here to stay. As adults we have a responsibility to understand how tech toys, from electronics to online communities, affect the way kids learn to play and think.”

Five moms educate Hispanic parents about cough medicine

Five moms from across the country, who have spent the past year trying to educate parents about the dangers of teen cough medicine abuse, are calling upon the Hispanic community for help.  The Five Moms campaign, an online grassroots effort developed by the leading makers of cough medicine, is now offering several new online features to help spread the word within Spanish-speaking communities about the dangers of cough medicine abuse.  “As a mother, foster mother, grandmother, and educator, I am committed to raising awareness about teens looking to their family medicine cabinets to get high,” said Five Mom Hilda Morales, a native Spanish-speaker from San Antonio, Texas. “Other members of the Hispanic community need information about this teen substance abuse behavior so we can prevent it.”  The new Five Moms resources include the recently launched Spanish-language “tell-a-friend” feature, available at http://www.FiveMoms.com, which allows site visitors to send a Spanish-language e-mail to their friends and family about teen cough medicine abuse. “Cough medicine abuse affects all communities,” said Linda A. Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the association representing the makers of over-the-counter medicines responsible for creating the campaign. “Our Spanish-language resources now available on FiveMoms.com are an important step towards expanding our outreach within Hispanic community about this problem. Now it’s up to the parents to help us spread the word.”

Dial Complete launches ‘Campaign for Clean Hands’

Do you remember your mother telling you to wash your hands, saying, “A little soap and water never hurt anybody?” Based on findings from the Dial Complete(R) brand’s Campaign for Clean Hands survey, you remember quite well. When asked, “When you were a child, who taught you proper hand washing?” 76 percent of the individuals surveyed answered their mother was responsible for teaching them to wash their hands. “Discovering that mothers are the number one influencers in teaching children to wash their hands reinforces the point that, in most instances, ‘mother knows best’,” said Juan Serrano, senior brand manager, the Dial Complete brand. “To help parents in their efforts to teach their children about hand washing, Dial Complete foaming hand wash has launched the Campaign for Clean Hands, a program designed to engage and educate families about the importance of proper hand-hygiene.” The centerpiece of the Dial Complete brand’s Campaign for Clean Hands is an informative Web site — http://www.campaignforcleanhands.com — that features a Campaign for Clean Hands video contest for kids; an online “DC Germ Blaster” video game; and a variety of fun, educational hand washing materials parents can print and share with their children, including a home hand washing chart, coloring and activity sheets, bookmarks and a memory game. The site also features a sweepstakes visitors can enter to win a year’s supply of Dial Complete foaming hand wash.

Kaboose.com honored by Web Marketing Association

Kaboose Inc. one of the largest family-focused new media companies in the world, has announced that it has received an Outstanding Website Award from the Web Marketing Association in its 12th annual Web Awards, the premier Internet award competition that judges website development against an ever increasing Internet standard of excellence and against peer sites in numerous industry categories. Kaboose was singled out in the family category for its rich content, high level of interactivity, design and ease of use.  “Over the past several months, we have made a number of enhancements to our website to specifically strengthen the quality of our content, enhance the overall user experience and maintain our leadership position in the family category,” said Craig Wallace, president and chief operating officer of Kaboose. “We are very pleased and honored to have been recognized for our efforts. The Outstanding Website Award is a testament to our commitment to moms and young families that make up our user community, as well as to our advertisers that want to reach this coveted audience.”

General Mills continues Hispanic mom push through Univision partnership

General Mills Inc., has announced the launch of a year-long partnership with the Univision Network, the country’s leading Spanish-language television network, which will expand the reach of its highly successful Hispanic marketing platform, including the Spanish-language lifestyle magazine, Que Rica Vida, into television. The network’s Despierta America (“Wake-up America” M-F, 7 a.m.

ET/PT; 6 a.m. Central) co-host Karla Martinez will be its new spokesperson.

As such, Ms. Martinez will star in a series of 30-second vignettes that will air coast-to-coast over the next 12 months. Like the popular magazine, the vignettes will provide viewers with cooking- and nutrition-related tips, each featured by one of Que Rica Vida’s 14 participating General Mills brands. “As a young mother who has created a new life for herself and her family in the United States, Karla is the perfect person to facilitate Que Rica Vida’s conversations with consumers; the kind of person anyone would like to have as a friend,” said Que Rica Vida editor Ursula Mejia-Melgar. “We are excited to have her represent our initiative, which strives to be, ‘Una Amiga Para Siempre’ or ‘a friend for life’ to other Latina moms.”  Translated, Que Rica Vida means, “What a Good Life.” The magazine, along with its website (http://www.QueRicaVida.com), is the cornerstone of General Mills’ two-and-a-half-year-old, multi-brand Hispanic marketing initiative of the same name.   In addition to venturing into the world of television, this year the publication also has enhanced its online presence with the creation of various Spanish-language brand micro-sites within http://www.QueRicaVida.com. The website will also include state-of-the-art graphics, podcasts and blogs written by several of the magazine’s regular contributors.

Foster Farms, local NBC stations search for ‘Super Mom’

Foster Farms, the West Coast’s premium poultry producer teamed up with local NBC stations to offer one creative mom the chance to be recognized and indulged in the star treatment she deserves. Moms in the San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco areas are eligible and need only submit their own original, wow-worthy Foster Farms chicken recipe to the contest web site at http://www.ffmoms.com. The winning “Super Mom” will receive a chance to star in her own Foster Farms commercial as well as a trip for two to attend classes at the prestigious Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Entries will be accepted online until midnight on October 1, 2008.  “We know that moms today, especially in this economy, are constantly juggling throughout the day and well into the evening with very little personal time or recognition for their day’s work,” said Ira Brill, director of marketing at Foster Farms. “Foster Farms wants to recognize that type of mom who enjoys cooking by giving her a once-in-a-lifetime culinary escape and the taste of fame.”  The “Super Moms” contest is being announced online and through advertisements broadcast on NBC television affiliates in the Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco designated market areas. The contest winner will be featured on the same NBC affiliates from December 1 though December 14, 2008. 

New mom Mia Hamm partners with Guardian Life Insurance

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), a leading provider of employee benefits for small to mid-sized companies, has announced that it has partnered with soccer super-star and Olympic gold medalist, Mia Hamm, to encourage employees to spend more time reviewing and understanding the importance of benefits during the fall open enrollment season.   Guardian produced an educational video for employees, business owners and benefit decision makers which highlights how workplace benefits can help employees protect themselves and stay healthy. The video features Hamm, a new mom, and provides tips to help employees make the right benefit choices. The video can be viewed at http://www.guardianenrollmenttips.com  “As a soccer player and soccer mom, I have a commitment to ensuring my family is financially protected, and a big part of this is making the right insurance choices. I’ve partnered with Guardian to help encourage employees to spend more time evaluating their workplace benefits this open enrollment season,” says Hamm. “The benefit offerings available to employees change from year to year, so it’s important that they keep abreast of those changes and understand new plans as they become available. It’s also important for employees to make sure their protection needs keep up with life changes like marriage, a new baby or a new home.”

Site helps mom understand the digital world

What age is too young for a cell phone? How can I monitor my teenager’s activity online? What are the best web sites for tweens? What video games are right for my kids?  These are just a sampling of the types of issues and answers that can be found at http://www.theonlinemom.com, a new website that provides parents with the knowledge, advice, and tools they need to share in and contribute to their children’s ever-expanding digital world. The site is being launched by The Online Mom, LLC, a company founded by tech devotee and parent, Monica Vila — the “Chief Technology Mom” — who is recognized for keeping consumers at the forefront of technology through the DigitalLife exhibitions she co-founded.  Presented in an organized and practical style, TheOnlineMom.com offers explanations and analysis of all the digital products and Internet services that are now so much a part of every child’s daily life. From texting to social networking, from digital cameras to video game consoles, from Flickr to Wikipedia, TheOnlineMom.com explains how it works, what the choices are and, more importantly, what the positives and negatives are for today’s children.  “It is becoming increasingly impossible for parents to look the other way as their children become more and more immersed in digital technology,” says Vila.  “We found that many parents feel ill-equipped to provide the same level of input and guidance in the tech space as they do in other aspects of their children’s development. TheOnlineMom.com gives them a lifeline to a constantly changing world that might be unfamiliar to them but is one which their children are experiencing on a daily basis.”

Diapers.com sees revenue from abandoned online carts

Sometimes the convenience of online shopping just isn’t convenient enough, and items get left in shopping carts. When that happens, e-retailer Diapers.com sends harried moms a gentle reminder. And they boost revenue doing it.  As with many online retailers, Diapers.com experienced high abandoned shopping cart rates. MarketingSherpa estimates the average cart abandon rate for e-commerce sites is nearly 60 percent.  Companies anxious to respond to customer behavior in very meaningful and targeted ways have found that optimizing the integration between their email marketing and Web analytics platforms delivers strong results. By integrating Coremetrics LIVEmail with Silverpop, Diapers.com was able to achieve a strong revenue boost. Items are held in Diapers.com’s abandoned carts for two weeks, and no enticements such as discounts or sale promotions are part of the “come back” email marketing program.  “Because our customers are mostly moms with young children, they lead pretty hectic lives,” said Matt Lindenberg, assistant director of marketing for Diapers.com. “They probably got pulled away from their online shopping to tend to their kids. Our reminder emails show that we noticed their cart additions and remind them to return to Diapers.com to finalize their purchase.”  The program has delivered solid results. In May, Diapers.com sent out thousands of abandoned shopping cart messages. The open rate for this campaign was 48% higher than any previous campaign and the click-through rate was 78% higher. Additionally, the net conversion rate was 129% higher than any previous campaign.  Naturally, Lindenberg is very pleased with the abandoned-cart campaign. “Once you develop a program like this, it runs automatically and in the background. Since abandoned carts were essentially all lost orders, the additional revenue generated is gravy,” he said.