Consider the advertisement and slogan examples all around you.
Oftentimes, if marketers could merely change one word, the message they convey becomes much more inclusive.
- Arm & Hammer: “If you want to know which detergent to trust, ask your mother. And her mother. And her mother.”
- Applegate natural and organic meats: “Mom’s dream team for lunch”
- Aveeno Baby: “Trusted sun protection for baby and mom…maybe that’s why so many moms choose Aveeno…”
- Babybel: “Attention moms! I’m obviously a great addition to your kid’s lunchbox…”
- Baby Depot at Burlington: “At Burlington, we carry the most Mom-trusted brands…”
- Banquet frozen foods: “Perfect for busy moms with even busier families.”
- Beech-Nut: “Moms don’t add anything artificial into their babies’ food. So neither do we.”
- Betty Crocker: “Your little one will feel like a Superhero – and you will look like Wondermom! – when you reveal a Superhero Cake for his birthday dessert.”
- Capri Sun: “At Capri Sun, we’ve been listening to and learning from our moms since the very beginning.”
- Chuck E. Cheese: “Join us for Chuck E. Cheese’s new Mommy & Me class.”
- Chuck E. Cheese: “Thank you, mom.” (TV commercial)
- Coppertone: “…it’s easy for moms to love it too.”
- Dannon: “As a mom, you want your kids to grow up healthy and strong.”
- Desitin: “Trusted by more pediatricians and moms than any other brand…”
- Dr. Smith’s: “The brand moms and pediatricians trust to gently help treat irritated baby bottoms, fast.”
- Earth’s Best Diapers: “For Moms who care and the little ones they love…”
- Fisher-Price: “Thanks Mom, for choosing us your most loved & trusted brand.”
- Garanimals: “Moms know the right outfit makes everybody comfortable…Moms love them because they’re practical.”
- Gerber: “…we’ve collected product reviews from Moms like you…”
- Gerber Life Insurance Company: “See what Moms are saying about the Grow-Up Plan.”
- Huggies: “Got questions? We’ve got answers! Huggies Mommy Answers has essential baby info…”
- Hyland’s Baby: “…and have been trusted by moms for over 80 years.”
- IntelliGender: “…a fun pre-birth experience for expectant moms everywhere!”
- Jif: “In 1958, original Jif Creamy Peanut Butter was introduced, and quickly became a favorite. Moms recognized Jif peanut butter’s superior fresh-roasted peanut taste…”
- Johnson’s: “Moms around the world trust Johnson’s to safely care for their babies. We are committed to working with moms…”
- Juicy Juice: “Hey moms, check out these great Juicy Juice crafts and recipes!”
- Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats: “Mom, more please!”
- Kid Cuisine: “We believe that kids should get to be kids, and moms should get to serve food…”
- Kix: “Generations later, kids still love it and moms still approve.”Luvs: “The official diaper of experienced moms.”
- Lysol: “Congratulations, you’re a mom!…Being a new mom is an exciting…”
- MyGerber: “Moms and babies, let’s get growing.”
- Nestle Pure Life: “Meet our moms: nestlepurelifepromise.com”
- Noodle & Boo: “Our mama profile…only the best will do for her baby.”
- Nutrients for Life: “Thank mom for the cookies & N.P.K for the ingredients.”
- Oscar Mayer: “These are real moms getting their kids ready for kindergarten.”
- P&G: “Thank You Mom for supporting all of our interests.”
- Pampers: Website menu tab includes “Mommy Corner,” with no dads’ counterpart.
- Parents magazine: “Must-haves and must-dos for mom and family.”
- Similac: “More Moms choose the Similac Brand.”
- Texas Toast: “Thick, crunchy toast. Brushed with buttery, garlic goodness. Bravo, Mom. Take a bow.”
- Tum-E Yummies: “Moms see goodness. Kids see fun!”
- Tummy Calm: “Mommy, my tummy hurts…”
- Walmart: “Baby basics for every mom…Top-rated by moms like you.”
- Walmart: “Mom’s menu rescue”
- Zone Perfect: “Mom, look what I can do!…A mom can dream, right?”
The replacement of words mom or mother with the word parent is a simple solution that projects the message that fathers and mothers deserve equality within the realm of the family.
This means that both women and men have the potential to be nurturing, compassionate, and emotionally available to their children. This also means that both men and women have the capacity to be providers, protectors, educators, and disciplinarians to their children.
The beauty of this truth is that both men and women can fulfill each of these roles and more—even if it means they take differing paths to arrive at that goal.
But then you have some products which seem to bemuse our perception, products which have been marketed for so long, positioned in such a convincing way and aimed at a certain audience that we’ve come to believe its use was envisioned strictly for one gender.
A brief reflection upon its own history and founding – and a glance at its own latest ad – may encourage Boppy to return to its roots. Check out the bottom of this ad, where Boppy describes four of its product’s core uses, none of which have to do exclusively with moms (while physical breastfeeding does, general feeding – the word used in the ad – doesn’t).
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