US parenting site Mumtastic launches into ‘saturated’ Australian parenting market
Evolve Media has launched a local version of US parenting site Mumtastic, with the site looking to create “unique” branded content, or native ads, for brands.
It will be edited by Bronwyn Mandile, who previously freelanced with NewsLifeMedia’s Kidspot.com.au on the site’s sponsored campaign editorial content strategy, who admitted the parenting space in Australia is “saturated”.
Mandile is hopeful Mumtastic.com.au can stand out from competitors, such as Fairfax Media’s Essential Kids, Kidspot.com.au and Show & Tel, by finding the balance giving practical advice to mums while also talking to them as women.
“I’m aware the parenting space is quite saturated in this market. I don’t think anyone has done it quite the way we’re going to do it and no one has hit that nice balance of make it easy for me but inspire me at the same time,” she said.
“I know we can hit that sweet spot and produce something mums want to read.”
The site already has a number of advertisers on board including Heinz, First Response and Hasbro Games.
Perry
Evolve Media Australia managing director James Perry said: “There’s a good range of opportunities for advertisers. A big thing for us as a business is we’ve done loads of content led campaigns.
“The key thing for us is having a strong editorially-led brand in the market and it’s also about the content opportunities we can do around that, native based advertising.”
When it comes to the site’s native offering, Mandile is looking to partner with brands on written content, video content and podcasts.
“We’re hoping to work with brands to do some innovative stuff. I’m right into video and podcasts,” she said.
“We’re really keen to craft some unique stuff but done in a really subtle and sophisticated way. I worked on Kidspot’s branded content for years. My background’s marketing so I can’t not put that cap on when I’m dealing with brands.
“The great thing is now I’m more editorial and I get the cool things we can do and I know how to sell that into brands. I hope to produce something that’s a little different in that space.”
The US version of the site pulls in excess of 13m unique users, according to comScore figures for September, with 181,672 Australian unique users visiting the US site, according to September figures from Nielsen Market Intelligence.
Mandile
While Mandile did not name an exact audience target for the Australian site, she did say they hope to “double” the Australian visits to the US site.
“We are aiming big. We’ve already got a substantial base of the back of the US site, we’re definitely hoping to double that in the next few months,” she said.
Mumtastic.com.au will be housed under Evolve Media Australia’s women’s interest and family lifestyle publishing division TotallyHer. It will cover a number of topics around motherhood including pregnancy, parenting babies to big kids as well as other topics that “engage mums” including food, health, style, love and DIY.
“Essentially we’re giving equal weighting to parenting and other interests that mums have mainly because our number one strategy is to talk to women as women not as mums. There’s a lot of patronising mummy stuff around. We’re hoping to cut through that for her, talk to her as a woman and give equal weighting to other things in her life,” Mandile said on the site’s content strategy.
“I want to simplify the whole business of parenting for mums. There’s a lot of information out there. It’s hard to wade through it It’s more confusing then ever to be a parent. My goal is to simplify that for her and to simplify all the other aspects of her life.”
Miranda Ward
Linkedin
Great idea, huge untapped and dedicated market
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Bronwyn is the perfect person to head this venture.
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I have no doubt it will succeed with you at the helm Bron.
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Well done Bron!
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