Dive Brief:
- The "mom blogger" community, valued at $2 trillion and comprised of about 14.2 million bloggers, represents both an opportunity and a concern for food and beverage companies, particularly as mom bloggers often share information about the healthiest options for moms to feed their families.
- "BlogHer research suggests that mom bloggers mention as many as 73 brands per week, with 56 percent of other moms buying brands based on blog testimonials," Eater reported.
- Mom bloggers are particularly inclined toward healthy eating, with 69% wanting to buy products that are organic, 49% preferring locally grown foods, and 87% favoring foods and beverages that are eco-friendly, according to Scarborough Research.
Dive Insight:
With mom blogger testimonials affecting more than half of other moms buying brands, mom bloggers have impacted the food industry in recent years. They have been instrumental in disseminating information concerning healthy foods, which has included recommending that moms veer away from processed foods and instead choose foods that are natural and organic.
According to recent research, consumers are doing just that, and major processed foods companies are hurting as a result, with the top 25 food and beverage companies having lost $18 billion in market share since 2009.
In a specific case, mom bloggers joined together to petition Kraft Foods Group to remove artificial dyes from its macaroni and cheese, which the company eventually announced it would do earlier this year.
However, mom bloggers also represent an opportunity for food and beverage companies if they can get bloggers to favor the company's products.
Some natural and organic products, such as Annie's macaroni and cheese in Kraft's wake, have enjoyed support of the mom blogger community. This has led to Annie's gaining a stronger foothold in the segment while Kraft lost market share. If processed foods companies continue to move forward with developing healthier products, mom bloggers could pick up on those products as well.