Today’s guest post is by Peppercommer Maggie O’Neill.

For the past few years, more than I probably recall, a large focus of the marketing conversation was about the phenomenon of the Mommy Blogger.  She was taking over the world with her parenting tips, recipes, product reviews and readerships, that at times, were more than the NY Times.

But as their reach has grown, so have the questions about their stereotyping, their audience and their authenticity.  Beyond ad models and pay for play, marketers are taking more time to look at other types of moms, women, and dads (check out Dad 2.0 Summit ), because lumping everyone together doesn’t work for real life or real brands. Wow, sounds like advertising to women in the 50’s.  How easily we forget.

This is not to say that the mom bloggers (I am big fans of many) are not authentic, but rather that the assumption that they are all the same is at its tipping point.  Just Google Unconventional Mommy Blog and see how many women are creating a new mold for their online voice.

Take yourstoryvault.com for example.  This site was created and curated by two moms, who believe a little less in the perfect world of recipes and household tips and more in the “downright messy” parts of life.  They have invited women to share their real stories to help other women – and at times men – to navigate through the mess.  Their submissions are anonymous (no 15 minutes of fame), and their voice – while not for everyone – takes on topics that feel more real.

In addition, more and more of these bloggers are realizing strength in numbers and becoming curators of other stories to add depth to their advice and insights, and paint a bigger picture of the mom blogger and her universe.  These groups are like a big ladies night out – lots of opinions, lots of different voices and sometimes lots of wine.

So are things really changing?  I’m not sure.  But it feels like the mold is being broken with authors, bloggers, and across media in general.   For now, I think we need to take the time to listen and understand that there are many voices of moms with a platform today.  That or we can just keep marketing and talking to a stereotype.  Again, how easily we forget.