Peanut, the social networking app for moms, wants dictionaries to add “matrescence” as an entry.

The brand recently ran a campaign highlighting that matrescence is not in the dictionary, despite an anthropologist coining the word in the 1970s. Matrescence is the word to describe psychological, social and developmental transitions associated with becoming a mother.

“Just like how we all understand we go through adolescence when we’re teenagers, we need to know that we are going to go through matrescence when we become a mom because it completely shifts how we view ourselves,” said Michelle Battersby, President at Peanut.

The Peanut app allows moms to connect with other moms near them, as well as join forums on the platform discussing topics such as challenges about certain aged kids, relationship changes, product recommendations and birth stories.

Why Matrescence Matters to Peanut

The matrescence word is important to Peanut’s mom community of 5.5 million active users, as they need to know what they are going through when they become a mother is normal, Battersby said.

“It allows us to look at that transformation with much more understanding and compassion,” she said. “Instead of comparing ourselves to who we were before, we’re able to know, ‘Oh, our brains are literally being rewired, we are changing, we are different, and actually that is what is meant to happen.’”

Peanut’s ad campaign, which launched in February, included a full-page print ad in “The New York Times,” out-of-home placements in New York City and social media posts. The ads included a QR code linked to sign a petition to get the word in the dictionary.

Peanut’s Matrescence Campaign Results

About a month into the campaign about 11,000 consumers have signed the petition, which exceeded the brand’s goal.

On Google, the term “matrescence” is now a breakout term, which means that searches for the word increased 5,000%.

“It had actually held itself there for coming up to close to a month now, which is amazing,” Battersby said. “This hasn’t just been a moment that’s faded off. We’ve been able to maintain interest and momentum, still have people sharing the campaign.”

The campaign also generated buzz on social media, including user generated content, garnering six million impressions on Peanut’s owned channels.

Battersby described the campaign as “hugely successful,” although she declined to share if it added any new users to the Peanut platform.

The call to action on the campaign was to sign the petition to add the word to the dictionary. Dictionary.com has added matrescence to its ledger, although Peanut is still working with Merriam-Webster to get traction. While it will continue to work toward this goal, the ultimate goal is changing culture with everyday language, Battersby said.

“It’s critical that we can name it for so many different reasons — so it’s funded, researched, supported,” Battersby said. “When we are experiencing something as a human and we can’t name it, it actually triggers our fight or flight response. So being able to name an experience calms the nervous system.”

Marketing on Peanut

This campaign was co-branded with baby products brand Tommee Tippee, which Peanut has worked with for five years. Since launching brand partnerships as a revenue stream in 2022, Peanut has worked with more than 150 brands.

“Brands will often come to us because they want to access our audience,” Battersby said. “There are 5.5 million moms on Peanut, a lot of consumer spending decisions go down on the platform.”

For example, consumers might talk about the best double stroller, family-friendly holiday destinations or experiences with a certain car seat.

Marketing opportunities for brands include emailing Peanut’s database, blog pots on its website, native looking pop-up ads and hosting live audio expert sessions.