Is Australia ready for the Meghan ‘Markle effect‘ to take the baby industry by storm?
The most powerful trendsetter for this generation of new Mums has just been announced.
With the huge announcement yesterday from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that they are ‘expecting’ it’s not hard to imagine who the next generation of Mums, as well as the baby, maternity and nursery industries will be looking to for inspiration.
How Meghan puts Aussie brands on the map
Australia, and indeed the world, has already witnessed ‘The Markle Effect’ dominating the fashion industry since the arrival of Meghan onto the world stage two years ago. Just this weekend alone, resurging Aussie label Oroton credited Meghan for driving sales to capacity on an ‘it’ bag she was pictured wearing. Oroton explained the role this publicity played in cementing its place back into the limelight.
Now get ready for…. The Meghan ‘Baby’ Effect.
The next 12-18 months will see the Baby Industry rushing to keep pace of every maternity outfit Meghan parades, every baby product she eyes off, while predicting her ‘must-have’ baby essentials. Then, once the Royal Baby arrives, both Meghan and baby will be closely watched for her choice of baby clothes, car seats, strollers, toys, the list goes on.
A Multi-Million Dollar Industry
If Princess Charlotte has the ability to give the economy a good shake-up, as reported – just imagine what’s in store from Hollywood and real-world royal, Meghan. This baby will spawn a multimillion-dollar global industry driven by brands replicating his/her every ensemble, with Mums, largely in charge of purchasing baby products, fueling the consumption.
Brands will have the opportunity to showcase their “like” products, if not “the” product. And Mums will be inspired by a loved and aspirational role model on fashionable and desirable ways to move through motherhood while being ‘on-trend’. We know from our Billion Dollar Mum – What Makes Mums Buy Your Products industry market research, this is important. This generation of mums expect brands to deliver on aesthetics and fashionable branding, regardless of the product type. Or risk the product being shunned from social gatherings and hidden at home. (Yes, this happens.)
What role does Meghan play as a Mum-Influencer?
We’ve spent the past 9 years introducing brands to Mum Influencers in Australia. When a brand has the support and advocacy of a Mum Influencer, the brand visibility is amplified to more end users, faster. Plus, an influencer’s endorsement and personalised experience with a products adds a new level of credibility and makes it more relatable to other Mums, actively gathering and seeking product recommendations to make informed buying decisions.
Mums are more likely to turn to another Mum they can trust for a product recommendation, rather than to a brand. Brands who want to influence and empower more Mums to choose their products need to be actively building and nurturing relationships with different groups of Influencers who know how to bridge the gap between the brand’s message and what matters to Mums. Influencers range from: Celebrity Influencers, Influencers/Bloggers, Micro-influencers, Social Mums. Successful brands leverage relationships across each channel.
Meghan sits above the pinnacle of the pyramid!
Top 5 ways baby brands can capitalise on the Meghan ‘Baby’ Effect:
- Send product to her stylist (be opportunistic guys – they’re in town next week)
- Regularly create a ‘get the look’ editorial, featuring your brand as the solution
- Consider models who’ve got the Meghan look, for brand promotional and advertising purposes (hey, it can’t hurt)
- Replicate products she’s seen using, holding or looking at
- Proactively be across – or better yet – create your own ongoing calendar of promotional opportunities for your brand i.e. Meghan’s Baby Shower Gift Guide, Meghan’s Hospital Bag Essentials, Meghan’s Favourite Out and About with Baby Essentials, utilising your product as inspo of choice.
We get it, who doesn’t want their little darling dressed like a prince or princess? And when the object of our admiration is as stylish as the Duchess of Sussex, it really could be a lot worse!
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Christie Nicholas is the founder and CEO of Kids Business Communications. We help brands build profitable relationships with Mums, by influencing and empowering Mums to make informed buying decisions.