How it pays to share those mom resources

GURGAON: When multinational consumer healthcare giant GlaxoSmithKline Consumer wanted to drum up support for its Women’s Horlicks campaign last year by inviting ‘Stories of Strength,’ it approached a Facebook community.

Global business process management services company Genpact chose to host online chats with this community for members wanting to get back to work after a career break.

Whether it’s beverage maker Coca-Cola, which partners this Facebook group for all its events, or US burger chain Wendy’s or global salon franchise Tony & Guy, there’s a one-stop social shop that’s quietly assimilated itself as a hub for launches, marketing, sampling and brand engagement across the well-heeled and about-town residential complexes throughout the Millennium City.

It’s called Gurgaon Moms – a community that debuted in the city in 2011 with the objective of “connecting and sharing mom resources,” founder Neela Kaushik said. The group has 11,758 members, according to its Facebook page. Kaushik moved to Gurgaon when her son, Aditya, was nine months old.

“I was lonely, had no family or friends. Overnight, I decided to start a website for moms like me. From being told in the initial days that I was running a ‘glorified kitty party’ to having the biggest brands approaching me for associations, it’s been a satisfying journey,” Kaushik said.

What started off as a group intended to bond and connect mothers for common and social causes has become a brand magnet, with Google chronicling a case study on Gurgaon Moms and ‘helping women get online.’

While the initial events were in the form of coffee meet-ups, the first business event that Gurgaon Moms hosted was a cooking workshop at restaurant Flip Bistro. “I realised that for workshops, we needed money. Though we charged the members a nominal amount, to ensure we cover all expenses we had to start looking for sponsorships. And we found them,” Kaushik recalled.

What kept the site ticking were online contests and campaigns created to get local businesses to participate. Funds come from offline events and pinned posts – or paid ads.

The group comprises of well-educated and, most often, financially independent women residing in Gurgaon, who are at the forefront of family decisions – whether it’s school admissions, parenting, shopping, restaurant reviews, holiday destinations, domestic abuse solutions, extracurricular activities such as dance, music and sports lessons, and as a base for startups, which is drawing big brands.

GSK Consumer Healthcare has engaged with Women’s Horlicks as an annual partner and the UK company launched its new ad at a Gurgaon Moms’ achievers summit. “Our association with Gurgaon Moms is our way of standing by the mothers – supporting and educating them about their physical well-being and specifically about their bone health,” said Prashant Pandey, EVP marketing at GSK Consumer Healthcare.

Other associations include the DLF CyberHub’s Mother’s Day event that involved ‘mompreneurs’ selling their products and US appliances brand KitchenAid with its share of below-the-line marketing such as cookery shows at its events. Others such as Lite Bite Foods and Jamie’s Pizzeria are among those that have either sponsored or hosted events for the community.