A new book out in January 2006 should be of interest to all marketers. Entitled “Marketing to the New Super Consumer: Mom & Kid (Hardcover)”, the book written by Timothy Coffey, David Siegel, Gregory Livingston opines that there is a whole new market today formed by the new relationship between moms and kids.

Gone are the days when moms make the sole purchasing decision and simply dictates to their kids what to buy and what not to buy. Today, both moms and kids jointly make purchasing decisions – where the Moms ask the kids for information, and kids tell Moms what they like, don’t like, etc. The moms of today are shifting away from how they where brought up, where only adults make decisions and children comply without any question. Nowadays, moms want their kids’ voices to be heard and learn how to make decisions early on.

This give-and-take of information that allows kids to influence what Moms purchase (even in products not traditionally associated with kids) is a shift of thinking that marketers need to take note. The authors call it the new superconsumer, or the 4-eyed 4-legged consumer.

As an entrepreneur and marketer, it is important that you understand the motivations and interactions of both the moms and kids in order to see how it will impact your business. A bed-and-breakfast owner, for example, can either create a marketing message for the Mom (e.g. “a place to relax and unwind”) or the kid (e.g. “ride the horses or see farm animals), or send them a single marketing message together (e.g. “place where everyone will have a great time”).

I will write tips from the book as soon as I get my copy.