Yoplait Emboldens Moms to Shake Off the Judgement and 'Mom On'

It’s easy to imagine the stereotype of a stranger judging a mother as her child throws a tantrum loudly in public. But today’s moms, with children of all ages, feel shame from many directions – their parents, friends on social media, and even other moms. The ongoing cycle of criticism, whether real or perceived, causes moms to lose their confidence and, as new research suggests, it even causes moms to change the way they parent. With this in mind, Yoplait is standing up for moms everywhere by shedding light on this daily issue and helping disarm the judgement through a blend of humour, confidence-building and empathy for all of those taking on the most challenging job in the world.

 

Yoplait connected with moms across the country to hear firsthand about their struggles with judgement. These insights, combined with a study commissioned by The Research Moms division at Edison Research, validated the weight of the mom judgement issue across the country. Key findings of the “Mom Judgement Today” survey include:

 

75 percent of moms agreed that mothers would be happier if they felt less judged.

More than half of moms (53 percent) take judgement of their parenting choices to heart.

Nearly one in three respondents (28 percent) feel like a bad mom as a result of being judged.

The impact of mom judgement is not just emotional, it’s tangible.

Nearly one in three moms (29 percent) adjust their parenting decisions in public because they worry others will judge them.

One-third of moms (32 percent) say they choose not to post, share or comment on social media because they worry others will judge their parenting.

“Yoplait has always had a special connection with women and been a champion for helping moms get their mommying done,” said Susan Pitt, marketing communications senior manager, Yoplait. “As we’ve talked with moms over the years, mom judgement comes up frequently and is something we want to help them disarm. We know how much moms love their kids and don’t want to be boxed into one right way to mom, so Yoplait is surrounding moms with support and telling them, ‘You’ve got this! Mom On.’”

 

To help make sense of the issue of judgement and provide insight into how moms can cope and support each other, Yoplait partnered with Dr. Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, a mother, professor of Human Sciences and Psychology at Ohio State University, and a Fellow of the National Council on Family Relations. While staying confident isn’t always easy, Dr. Schoppe-Sullivan suggests three ways moms can thrive in the face of judgement:

Remember that all children are different, and you are the expert when it comes to yours. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Parenting involves playing the long game. Laugh it off and seek support from family, friends and other moms.

 

“I have more than 20 years of experience studying parenting and child development, and I can tell you there is no such thing as a perfect mom. And striving to appear to others like a perfect mom can lead to a parenting experience that is more stressful and less rewarding,” said Dr. Schoppe-Sullivan. “I’m proud to be a part of Yoplait’s efforts to disarm judgement. We all need to do what we can to keep judgement from eroding moms’ confidence, because confidence in your parenting abilities is absolutely key to successful parenting.”

 

Debuting today, Yoplait is anchoring its new brand campaign platform, “Mom On,” with an all-new TV spot of the same name. The 60-second spot features a montage of moms from all walks of life confidently narrating their feelings about situations and issues that commonly elicit judgement, such as working from home, breastfeeding and having kids later in life. The women in the spot are bold and unapologetic about their choices, a nod from Yoplait to all of the moms making the best choices for themselves and their families.

 

Also, this summer, Yoplait is partnering with the hilarious Facebook web series, #IMOMSOHARD. Yoplait has teamed up with the comedians and mothers behind the series, Jen Smedley and Kristin Hensley, to bring the duo’s “Mom’s Night Out: Summer Break Tour” comedy tour to 40 markets across the country. Through a night of camaraderie, Yoplait and #IMOMSOHARD will unite moms across the country in laughter about the ups and downs of motherhood.

 

“We’re incredibly proud to be partnering with Yoplait to put a stake in the ground and stand up for moms everywhere who get the job done, no matter what that looks like. This new campaign couldn’t be a better fit for the message we deliver in all of our videos and our live shows – life happens. Laugh it off, and don’t worry about being perfect,” said Hensley, co-creator and co-star of #IMOMSOHARD.

 

The partnership between Yoplait and #IMOMSOHARD also includes an undercover social experiment video demonstrating that moms have more support than they likely realize. Produced and distributed by The NBCU Content Studio, “Moms Undercover” uses a hidden camera set-up to test if moms would help a fellow mom in a tricky parenting situation, or simply sit back and judge. The video, which was also produced with Broadway Video Enterprises through their recently announced relationship with The NBCU Content Studio, features Hensley and Smedley and revealed moms overwhelmingly do support each other when given the opportunity. The hidden camera video premieres today on social media channels, where moms often feel the brunt of mom judgement.

 

For more information on Yoplait’s “Mom On” platform, developed in partnership with 72andSunny New York, Fast Horse and Mindshare, please visit www.Yoplait.com.