These new urban Chinese mothers are not completely throwing away all the characteristics of their parents’ generation, but these two new camps are more open-minded, well-read and savvy. Here are a few side-by-side comparisons to offer some insight into these new Chinese consumers: 

Independence vs. Exam Scores

Bread Mom: Very practical and prioritizes the basics. Exam scores are still the end-all, be-all.

Extra-curricular activities (ECA) must have a purpose.

Honey Mom: She is sweet, of course. But more importantly, she allows more independence. ECAs are more varied based on the child’s interests.

Guilt vs. Respect

Bread Mom: Still feels the child “owes” her for giving birth to the child and paying for the child’s education.

Honey Mom: Won’t use guilt as leverage for future support from the child but rather works to nurture a relationship based on respect.

Emotion vs. Intellect

Bread Mom: Aware of emotional quotient (EQ) but still prioritizes IQ-related activities 90/10.

Honey Mom: Values EQ and ensures the child’s free time includes social engagement activities. IQ still outweighs EQ 70/30 (she has no choice due to the existing education system), but she won’t lose sleep if her child gets a 75 on an exam (unlike Bread Mom).

As more parenting information makes its way East, Chinese mothers are reading as much as they can (just like mothers everywhere in the world). Today’s Chinese moms rely on websites and each other more than ever. They are pressured in new ways and can’t escape the incredible competition to ensure their children are not left behind. The saying here is “don’t lose the race at the starting line.” The problem is no one knows where the starting line is.

If you can provide a clear connection between your product and how it will benefit a child’s early development, you will have a leg up with Bread Moms and Honey Moms.

If you liked this post, check out:

Cracking the Code: How and Why Moms Buy Online

Today you’ll find the Clorox name on everything from toilet bowl cleaner to disinfectant wipes, but in the early ’90s, the brand had a false start when it introduced a laundry detergent. Why did the new product fail? Consumers were afraid bleach might harm their clothes.

A short time later, the company tapped me to conduct a brand extension study, and my research confirmed that the Clorox name is synonymous with bleach. But my study also uncovered a key consumer insight: People have a love-hate relationship with bleach. They love that bleach cleans and disinfects but worry about it being toxic and damaging surfaces.

Clearly, the brand’s greatest leverage revolved around bleach, so we needed to identify product categories where this key component would appeal to consumers. This approach follows a strategy from our 10 Ways to Extend a Brand: Transfer a Component. It’s when a company takes a component, flavor, color or in this case ingredient that’s closely associated with a brand to create a new product in a different category.

To help Clorox deploy this strategy, I created a plan with both short- and long-term extensions and advocated introducing a household sanitizer or cleaning product first. This move jumped the brand out of the laundry room and into an arena where consumers value bleach’s germ-fighting power on tough surfaces.

By making the leap to the household cleaner aisle, Clorox expanded the perception of the brand and paved the way for later extensions like toilet bowl cleaner. Each new product built on the last thanks to a careful brand extension plan, the key to mastering sequential extensions.

The brand has done a great job of capitalizing on their unique flavor also known as Transfering a Component, one of Parham Santana’s 10 Ways to Extend Your Brand.  Parham Santana was responsible for developing the Airheads style guide for Perfetti van Melle, Airheads’ parent company, helping the “out-of-control” fruit flavored candy extend to lifestyle categories.  Many of the patterns and product concepts that Parham Santana created for the style guide can be seen on the new Airheads Zazzle site.

Parham Santana worked with Beanstalk and McCormick to create the style guide that will be essential as Old Bay extends the definitive seafood flavoring brand, including Old Bay’s unique blend of ingredients, iconic logo, and other assets to new product categories such as fresh and frozen meals, sauces and marinades, as well as housewares, kitchen supplies and apparel.

Discovery Channel, which broadcasts “Dirty Jobs,” is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content which in this case gives you a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the people, places, and organizations that shape and share our world.

Parham Santana developed brand guidelines for the TV personality’s brand, Mike Rowe Works, which has also been extended to his mikeroweWorks Foundation.

Truth be told, my brand weak spot is Play-Doh. I fondly remember its sweet smell, bright colors, and yes, during an experimental pre-school phase, even its distinctive taste. It’s a brand all budding young sculptors encounter, and if the scent wafted past my desk right now, I’d start thinking about my early attempts to sculpt tortoises.

In fact, this very experience may happen sooner rather than later. A company called Demeter Fragrance Library offers up scents inspired by real life, everyday objects. The offerings include Play-Doh, Tootsie Roll, and even Jelly Belly fragrances.

It’s a clever application of one of our 10 Ways to Extend your Brand: Transfer a Component. The company takes an element—in this case a scent—owned by a brand and leverages it to enter the fragrance category. These classic smells trigger fond memories in consumers, and they purchase these little bottles to take themselves back in time.

Perhaps some of that Play-Doh fragrance would re-awaken Dr. Strangebrand’s inner artist.

In this webinar you will see proven systematic research showcasing the best practices – and pitfalls to avoid – to create brand extensions that have staying power and sizable financial scale.

Here are the details:

Date: Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Time: 9AM (PST) / 12PM (EST)

Cost: Free to LIMA members; $99.00 for non-members

Speakers: Dr. Edward M. Tauber and John Parham

Click here to reserve your spot now!

To celebrate, Pantone and Sephora opened two Pop-up Color Shops, one in NYC and one in LA. Parham Santana, who created the Pantone Universe logo for the Sephora partnership, was there the first day the pop-up store opened to experience all of the great new products.

Here is a picture of Tiffany Smalley and David Knapp shopping:

So why is this collection such a successful brand extension? First, Diane has established an enviable following for her color, patterns and prints in upscale clothing boutiques, and last year, she even launched a bedding collection at Bloomingdale’s. The Gap Kids line builds on this brand awareness with a smart brand extension strategy: Leverage customer base. In other words, Diane is selling to the moms who already love DVF and want the opportunity to outfit their young daughters in the same signature styles.

It’s a strategy that Diane gives a small nod to in her video on Gap’s website, saying “this collection is all about celebrating life and celebrating color…to empower a girl is to empower the woman she will become.” Moms who have a strong attachment or association with the brand naturally want to pass it on to their daughters. Diane is selling something new (kids clothes) to women who already recognize and love the DVF brand. This existing relationship makes the line’s price tag, about 50% above regular Gap Kids’ prices, acceptable for consumers.

For its part, Gap capitalized on this strategic partnership with an investment in PR, including launch parties at key locations, a twitter campaign, and colorful finger-paint splatter inspired window clings. Although revenue from the collection will not have a significant impact on Gap’s company performance, the partnership is an attempt to build brand awareness for Gap and DVF, and increase Gap’s traffic long-term, similar to the Mad Men collection at Banana Republic. Look for the DVF for Gap Kids collection to launch globally on March 28.

It’s clear that the success of this partnership bodes well for Diane’s chances of licensing her brand to other retailers going forward. Expect to see her making an impact in more categories in the near future. We’re excited to see which one of our 10 Ways to Extend a Brand she leverages next.

View the official “DvF Loves GapKids” video here:

If you liked this post, check out:

The 9 Secrets of Every Good Brand Extension

1. Electric Romance
An eclectic style that mixes tradition and folklore with a contemporary twist. You’ll find lots of natural and recycled materials, such as wool and wood, along with many handwork techniques. One particularly memorable example of this style shown at Ambiente: Blue and white porcelain dishes that appear traditional until you move close enough to notice that the patterns are either pixilated or based on tattoo designs. We love the mix of tradition and daring.

2. Dark Attitude
There’s a distinct masculine feel to this trend style. Think muted color palettes with blacks, grays, silvers and browns. Here the interest comes from touch and texture rather than color. Shimmery silver cutlery with a subtle pattern might adorn a polished wood table. Additional interest may come from textured wallpaper or smoky glassware. It’s like a highly sophisticated take on bachelor chic.

3. Light Innocence
As the name implies, this is a relaxing, Zen-like style. A Light Innocence room would be the perfect place to gather your thoughts or curl up with a good book. Natural light plays the starring role while the furniture and accessories are merely supporting characters. You might find these minimalist spaces filled with organic shapes, whites and pastels.

4. Radiant Modernity
Like a pop-art painting, this style plays off bright, intense swatches of color. Picture the vibrant shades of the ’70s and ’80s splashed across an entire wall. Pink, green, orange and purple are fair game—perhaps all at the same time. Within this color explosion, you might find graphic patterns and accessories so perfectly made they resemble sculptures. The result is a futuristic, ultra modern feel.

Which of these four styles do you think appeals most to your target market? Are there other trends you’ve been watching closely this year?

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Designs on Success: 6 Best Practices from Top Home Domestics Brands