Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

The cell phone bill for a working mom is 21% higher than an average adult, according to recent research from Scarborough. Hello? Does that surprise anyone? If you're a working mom, you've got the school office, pediatrician, pizza delivery and neighbors for emergency kid pick-up on speed dial. The only time you have to return calls is while you're waiting in a carpool line. You fill idle time waiting for soccer practice to be over by calling out-of-town friends. Of course, the cell phone bill is higher.

But that's not the only bill that's higher. These working women shop more, buy more, do more than most adults. They spend more on clothes, technology and home improvements. If you're shopping in an Old Navy or Target this holiday season, chances are the woman in line in front of you is a working Mom. She shops everywhere. In fact, she is Wal Mart's number one customer for clothing. And, convenience is key. She is 45 percent more likely than the average adult to shop at Target for home improvements. Why Target? If you're a working mom, you know Target makes it easy to spruce up a room.

Even so, her online spending is less than the average. She spends $771 online annually versus $854 for total Internet users. Are marketers not doing a good job reaching her online? Or, could it be that the working mom doesn't have time to sit at the computer and shop? When she's at home, does she really want to spend her free time shopping online? Is there a more convenient way online marketers could reach her? Seems to me one answer could be that cell phone she spends so much time with.