Marketing to Moms: 10 Reasons Moms Will Like the Apple iPad
January 27, 2010
If Mom likes the iPhone, the possibilities for her new Apple iPad are endless. So here are the top 10 uses that I think I will love, I mean Mom will love about the iPad.
- e-Reader for Kids. Imagine taking the whole bookshelf of the favorite books and games for the kids to occupy themselves at the doctor’s office, restaurant, car trips and more. It’s a way to entertain the small fry while Mom is out and about. And no excuse for not doing homework because their textbooks are always right at hand. And backpacks just got a lot lighter. In fact, both Mom and Princess can brush up on their French lessons with the new iPad.
- e-Reader for Moms. All those books and magazines piled up in the den and bedroom will be gone. Instant de-clutter. “Hoarders,” take notice. And with Wi-Fi, reading magazines will take on a whole new experience that both Moms and advertisers will love with videos and experiential ads accompanying the magazines and newspapers. I can finally read the Sunday Times without newsprint on my hands.
- Movies, Music and Videos. Mom can take It’s Complicated or the latest episode of Project Runway with her to watch in the car pool or during dance lessons.
- Email, Facebook and Twitter. So there I am watching television and I reach for the iPad to share with my friends on Facebook what I think about American Idol, or respond to an invitation from my book club, and Tweet minute by minute impressions of the Oscars.
- Kitchen Assistant. With the iPad propped up on the countertop, those online recipes and photos will assure the homemade product looks and tastes as good as the pictures. No need to print anything.
- Video Phone. By using Skype, I can check in on my son in his college apartment and with a little luck I can pick up some intel on what he is doing. Is that really beer labels on his wall????? (Correction: Just found out that the iChat and Skype are still to come. My son is safe for awhile. Guess that webcam will be in the second or third generation.)
- Online Shopping. I can’t wait to shop online from wherever I am with a great little screen that allows me to look through J.Crew’s catalog and order while I’m sitting under the hairdryer at my hairdresser. Or maybe I’m at Chico’s and they don’t have the jacket that I want. Fine, I’ll order it online and have it in two days. Or eBay, do you have the out-of-stock pant that has been discontinued?
- House Hunting and Interior Design. Taking along the iPad is easier because I’ll have my style boards, pics of furniture, floorplans, MLS listings and color swatches that will make house hunting and shopping easier.
- The Family Photo Album or Digital Frame. Got a few minutes? Let’s look at my son’s graduation photos. Isn’t he handsome? Want to see a video of his rugby game? Or pictures of his girlfriend?
- Killer Apps. If this is a really big iPhone, the apps will be really important. For games, for the weather report, for your personal health records, for the latest features at Whole Foods, all at my fingertips.
The iPad looks like the perfect, more intimate cross between the iPhone and my laptop. Oh, and my husband will love it too. He will try to borrow it for reading the paper, checking out sports and finding books and articles on DIY projects.
For marketers to Moms, the world of possibilities just got larger and more interesting. Engagement is even more accessible for the consumers. This is a beautiful conversion and I can’t wait to get one and try it out.
Wow, great post, really good ideas, I did not realize the iPad had all of these capabilites. I love my iPhone, hmmm maybe I need to look into this more.
I would also like to make a link to your article in a blog post on my blog.
Thanks for the read. We can’t wait to try it out. Now the big decision is which one to buy! Feel free to link up. Like your blog as well.
Interesting, but none of those things really convinces me that I need yet another device that doesn’t do what my iphone and laptop already do, even better. And there’s no camera so video Skype and ichat are out. The screen is not great for long term reading like an e-ink one is, and most textbooks are digitized in PDF, not the ibookstore standard. Also, you can’t take notes on in the margins or highlight the textbooks. There’s a great article on mashable.com about why it’s not the must have device. I have always been and always will be a Mac girl, but this just isn’t on my list of where I want to spend $500. I am excited to see what kinds of innovations come from this and hope that many of these things become integrated into future macbooks.
You are right about Skype and ichat. That’s a bummer. I think that the exciting thing about the iPad is the portability and intimacy of the device. I’m a Mac girl as well and will have to try it because it will be a go-to gadget that will live in my life somewhere between my heavier laptop and my sometimes too-small iPhone. I have been holding out on buying a Kindle. Can’t wait to get one and see what my concerns are. Thanks for the read!
I respectfully disagree. I have one reason that moms won’t like it- it doesn’t multitask. We all know multitasking is part of the mom job description & I personally don’t feel it’s worth the investment until I can do more than one thing on it at a time. Minor point #2 – it won’t run Flash. How many children’s websites run flash? When Apple resolves these 2 major issues, then it will be fit for moms.
Can you provide more information on this? This is what i am studying at the moment. Thanks.
Hi! I think some of the best sources of information on the iPad are Mashable.com and TechCrunch. Both have a lot of information on the pros and cons of the iPad. My opinion about the iPad is it’s not a replacement for a laptop or your iPhone – it’s an in-between tool – used for easy reference, entertainment and reading. Many sources feel that the true uses for the iPad will depend on the Apps that are created with the iPad in mind.
Thanks for the alternative opinion. Our points of view differ because of how we would use it. I would use it as a “lite” computer/e-reader but would never abandon my laptop or iphone. The laptop is my serious work tool. My iPhone is my lifeline. The iPad (okay, it’s not a great name) might serve as my entertainment gadget. Thanks for the read. I enjoyed your perspective. Let me know if you get the Hackintosh!