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Is “Hockey Mom” the New “Soccer Mom”?

Posted on | September 10, 2008 | 1 Comment

One of the main reasons Michele Miller and I wrote The Soccer Mom Myth was to help companies and marketers break through the stereotype of the Soccer Mom to better understand who women really are and why they really buy.   

We’ve found that women don’t like the label “Soccer Mom.”   Yes, Soccer Moms are terrific mothers, devoted to their children, driving them to and from sports games.  But there is also a negative side to the term.   Do you think Soccer Moms are incredibly technologically savvy?   Would you seek one out for intellectual conversation at a cocktail party?   Would you want one running your company?  

Here’s the problem.  Sometimes these biases are unconscious.    That’s why they are so dangerous.

But do we now have a new stereotype?   I’ve been hearing the term Hockey Mom tossed around recently.   But with Sarah Palin now calling herself a Hockey Mom, the term is being used everywhere.

Now – I am NOT going to get into any political discussions here – they are way too divisive for my taste. I am simply looking at this from a marketing point of view.    

I am curious what the term “Hockey Mom’ brings up in people’s minds.   When I went to Wikipedia and typed in Hockey Mom I was redirected to Soccer Mom.  Hmmm…that’s interesting.  Are they the same thing?   When voters hear the term “Hockey Mom” will they relate to it?  Will they have a positive connation?  A negative connotation?  And do they want a Hockey Mom to hold one of the country’s highest offices?

Again – let me be clear, this is not a slam against Sarah Palin or against women.   I’m just really curious about using the label “Hockey Mom” as a marketing tactic in politics to gain votes.  Whatever your political leanings, this election season has been fascinating from a marketers point of view.   

 So what do you think?  Will the “Hockey Mom” label help or hurt?

Category: How women shop, Marketing to Moms, Marketing to Women, Sarah Palin
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Comments

One Response to “Is “Hockey Mom” the New “Soccer Mom”?”

  1. ohioarn
    September 18th, 2008 @ 12:04 pm

    As dad in my mid-30s, Hockey Mom connotes a tougher mother of pre-teen boys, rather than a more shrill Soccer Mom. That’s more intriguing to men, and I suspect more respected all around.

    I may have been influenced by the Sarah Palin I-can-skin-a-moose talk, even though I wouldn’t vote for her.

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