NewsLine Column: A New Mum’s Media Day
Since becoming a mother nearly four months ago, Media Planning Group’s Denise Turner explains how, amongst other things, having a baby has changed her media consumption habits.
Nearly four months ago I gave birth to my first child Ethan. Ever since then I’ve been spending my days (and nights!) looking after him. Now as you can imagine, this is a big change from my usual daily routine as a researcher in a media agency, something I had been doing virtually non-stop for 13 years.
Life with a baby in tow has brought lots of changes, not least in the media I consume. The effect has been felt not only in what I consume but also how and with how much interest and attention. My pre-Ethan media diet comprised of quite a bit of newspaper-reading, website surfing, some TV (but mainly programme-driven and very selective) and my favourite of all – a magazine in the bath with a glass of red wine!
Life with Ethan has curtailed some of my media activities and expanded others. I have a lot less time to read a newspaper and certainly don’t do so every day. My news now comes almost exclusively from the television – and thanks to 24-hour news channels I can tune in whenever Ethan gives me a moment’s peace and catch up with the goings on in the world. That keeps things in perspective for me as it reassures me that life goes on and gives me something to talk about other than the feeding and sleeping patterns of my son! I rarely get time to use the computer so website-surfing is more limited – I was, however, very grateful for the internet to help out with Christmas shopping.
The biggest change has been in the amount of television that I now watch. I now watch a lot more than before I had a baby. There were the times when I had to get up in the night to feed him and was very grateful for channels like UK Gold which supplied me with the distraction of old episodes of the Bill and Quantum Leap amongst others. I did wonder how many other new mums were watching at the same time! I am around more in the day so the television is often on to keep me company when feeding or playing with Ethan, but I have to say I am getting bored of the endless diet of gardening and home improvement programmes that fill the schedules, particularly on terrestrial TV. Thank goodness for satellite television! I have also been grateful in the last few days for new ventures like the BBC’s Afternoon Play, which has certainly had me watching with more attention. Perhaps the schedulers could have a think about putting some more entertaining programmes out to cater for the many people like me?
But the one thing that hasn’t really changed for me is reading my favourite magazines in the bath. I may not get to do it as often as before but it is still the one time when I can guarantee my full attention to something. And I’m sure there are many other new mums for whom things would be the same.
So are there any lessons for targeting new mums? Well, top of my list has got to be a good magazine, as that is definitely ‘me-time’ and when I’m more likely to be receptive. And given personal experience there is definitely a role for television given the increased amount of viewing.
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