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Press Contacts

8/24/2008 12:00:00 AM

Please refer all Press inquiries to our Founder:

Melanie Notkin

Press@savvyauntie.com




Recent Press Releases

  • May 2023

  • Announcing the 15th Annual AUNTIE’S DAY Sunday, July 23, 2023
    The 15th ANNUAL AUNTIE’S DAY® IS SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2023


    Melanie Notkin, Creator of SAVVY AUNTIE®, Announces the 14th Annual Day in Celebration of Modern Aunthood

    – Aunthood is a Gift. This Day is Yours. –

    NEW YORK—May 16, 2023 — Melanie Notkin, founder of SAVVY AUNTIE, the lifestyle brand dubbed a “Celebration of Modern Aunthood,” announces that the 15th annual official AUNTIE’S DAY® will take place on Sunday, July 23, 2023.

    Like Mother's Day in May and Father's Day in June, Auntie's Day is an annual day of celebration that occurs every fourth Sunday in July.

    AUNTIE’S DAY was founded in 2009 by Notkin to acknowledge, honor and celebrate aunts by relation (ABR), aunts by choice (ABC) to friends’ children, godmothers, and all women who love a child-not-their-own. This special day is especially poignant to the PANK® demographic—women who are childless by circumstance, challenge, or childfree-by-choice, and have a special bond with at least one child. Notkin uncovered and coined the PANK (Professional Aunt No Kids) demographic in 2008 with the launch of SAVVY AUNTIE.

    A 2018 national study by Melanie Notkin Media, Inc with Michael DeCicco entitled: “GENERATION PANK: A Report on the Social and Economic Influence of Professional Aunts No Kids,” revealed that 91% of PANKs say their role as aunt is “very important” to them while 89% say the experience of becoming/being an aunt is even better than they expected. And yet, while 83% of PANKs feel appreciated by parents, only 28% feel appreciated by society for the meaningful role they play in children’s lives and the family-village.

    “All women in the ‘family village’ should be valued for their love of, and generosity toward, the children in their lives,” says Notkin. “Aunts provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ helping develop nieces and nephews through bonding and play. And of course, many aunts are known for the gifts and ‘Auntventure’ experiences they give these children.”

    A conservative estimate of 2.5 nieces and nephews per PANK, PANKs collectively spend an astonishing $61 billion on the babies, children, and teens they love, each year. And PANK generosity extends beyond typical gifts. The study found 63% of PANKs have contributed to a niece's or nephew’s education and 67% have given gifts to parents to help provide for their child or children.

    And yet, this hidden demographic often remains overlooked, misunderstood and unappreciated. Auntie’s Day is designed to put a spotlight on this tribe of loving, generous women and give them the appreciation they deserve.

    The official Auntie’s Day destination (http://AuntiesDay.com) features ideas on how nieces, nephews, godchildren, and these children’s parents can celebrate the cool aunts, great-aunts and godmothers in their lives. Like all official days of recognition, AUNTIE’S DAY is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events.

    ###

    About Melanie Notkin and Savvy Auntie
    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is a “celebration of modern aunthood” serving aunts by relation (ABR), aunts by choice (ABC), godmothers, and all women who love a child-not-their-own. Savvy Aunties can find resources and community at SavvyAuntie.com, Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie Facebook.com/groups/savvyauntie Instagram.com/SavvyAuntie and Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie

    Notkin is the creator of Auntie’s Day and the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards. She is national bestselling author of Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011) and received a Booklist Starred Review for her memoir OTHERHOOD: Modern Women Finding a New Kind of Happiness (Seal Press/Penguin Canada 2014).

    As a leading expert in the growing demographic of childless, often single women, Notkin has partnered on, and independently conducted, several national marketing research studies on the cohort. Notkin is speaker for Fortune 500 companies, global marketing and communications agencies, and consumer summits, and has presented at TEDx. Notkin works directly with brands and agencies for her deeper insights into the PANK and Otherhood cohorts.

    As a media personality, Notkin and her work have been featured on CNN, TODAY Show, The Tamron Hall Show, Rachael Ray, NPR, BBC, and in The New York Times, The New York Post, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, New York Magazine, and countless other national and global media outlets.

    For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and MelanieNotkin.com. For interviews, sponsorship opportunities and speaker inquiries: Info@MelanieNotkin.com


    More
  • June 2021

  • AUNTIE’S DAY® IS SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2021
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    AUNTIE’S DAY® IS SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2021
    Melanie Notkin, Creator of SAVVY AUNTIE®, Announces the 13th Annual Day in Celebration of Modern Aunthood

    – Aunthood is a Gift. This Day is Yours. –

    NEW YORK—June 14, 2021 — Melanie Notkin, founder of SAVVY AUNTIE, the lifestyle brand dubbed a “Celebration of Modern Aunthood,” announces that the 13th annual official AUNTIE’S DAY will take place on Sunday, July 25, 2021. AUNTIE’S DAY occurs annually on the fourth Sunday in July.

    AUNTIE’S DAY was founded in 2009 by Notkin to acknowledge, honor and celebrate aunts by relation (ABR), aunts by choice (ABC) to friends’ children, godmothers, and all women who love a child-not-their-own. This special day is especially poignant to the PANK® demographic—women who are childless by circumstance, challenge, or childfree-by-choice, and have a special bond with at least one child. Notkin uncovered and coined the PANK (Professional Aunt No Kids) demographic in 2008 with the launch of SAVVY AUNTIE.

    A 2018 national study by Melanie Notkin Media, Inc with Michael DeCicco entitled: “GENERATION PANK: A Report on the Social and Economic Influence of Professional Aunts No Kids,” revealed that 91% of PANKs say their role as aunt is “very important” to them while 89% say the experience of becoming/being an aunt is even better than they expected. And yet, while 83% of PANKs feel appreciated by parents, only 28% feel appreciated by society for the meaningful role they play in children’s lives and the family-village.

    “All women in the ‘family village’ should be valued for their love of, and generosity toward, the children in their lives,” says Notkin. “Aunts provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ helping develop nieces and nephews through bonding and play. And of course, many aunts are known for the gifts and ‘Auntventure’ experiences they give these children.”

    A conservative estimate of 2.5 nieces and nephews per PANK, PANKs collectively spend an astonishing $61billion on the babies, children and teens they love, each year. And PANK generosity extends beyond typical gifts. The study found 63% of PANKs have contributed to a niece's or nephew’s education and 67% have given gifts to parents to help provide for their child or children.

    And yet, this hidden demographic often remains overlooked, misunderstood and unappreciated. Auntie’s Day is designed to put a spotlight on this tribe of loving, generous women and give them the appreciation they deserve.

    The official Auntie’s Day destination (http://AuntiesDay.com) features ideas on how nieces, nephews, godchildren, and these children’s parents can celebrate the cool aunts, great-aunts and godmothers in their lives. Like all official days of recognition, AUNTIE’S DAY is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events.

    ###

    About Melanie Notkin and Savvy Auntie

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is a “celebration of modern aunthood” serving aunts by relation (ABR), aunts by choice (ABC), godmothers, and all women who love a child-not-their-own. Savvy Aunties can find resources and community at SavvyAuntie.com, , Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie Facebook.com/groups/savvyauntie Instagram.com/SavvyAuntie and Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie

    Notkin is the creator of Auntie’s Day and the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards. She is national bestselling author of Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011) and received a Booklist Starred Review for her memoir OTHERHOOD: Modern Women Finding a New Kind of Happiness (Seal Press/Penguin Canada 2014).

    As a leading expert in the growing demographic of childless, often single women, Notkin has partnered on, and independently conducted, several national marketing research studies on the cohort. Notkin is speaker for Fortune 500 companies, global marketing and communications agencies, and consumer summits, and has presented at TEDx. Notkin works directly with brands and agencies for her deeper insights into the PANK and Otherhood cohorts.

    As a media personality, Notkin and her work have been featured on CNN, TODAY Show, Rachael Ray, NPR, BBC, and in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, New York Magazine, and several other national and global media outlets. She is a contributor to The New York Post, Huff Post, and Washington Post.

    For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and MelanieNotkin.com. For interviews, sponsorship opportunities and speaker inquiries: Info@MelanieNotkin.com

    More
  • June 2020

  • AUNTIE’S DAY IS SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2020
    Press@SavvyAuntie.com

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


    AUNTIE’S DAY® IS SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2020
    Melanie Notkin, Creator of SAVVY AUNTIE®,
    Announces the 12th Annual Day in Celebration of Modern Aunthood

    – Aunthood is a Gift. This Day is Yours.–

    NEW YORK—June 10, 2020 — Melanie Notkin, founder of SAVVY AUNTIE, the lifestyle brand dubbed a “Celebration of Modern Aunthood,” announces the 12th annual official AUNTIE’S DAY will take place on Sunday, July 26, 2020. AUNTIE’S DAY occurs annually on the fourth Sunday in July.

    AUNTIE’S DAY was founded in 2009 by Notkin to acknowledge, honor and celebrate aunts by relation (ABR), aunts by choice (ABC) to friends’ children, godmothers, and all women who love a child-not-their-own. This special day is especially poignant to the PANK® (Professional Aunt No Kids) —the growing demographic of women who are childless by circumstance, challenge, or childfree-by-choice, and have a special bond with at least one child. Notkin uncovered and coined the PANK demographic in 2008 with the launch of SAVVY AUNTIE.

    A 2018 national study by Melanie Notkin Media, Inc with Michael DeCicco entitled: “GENERATION PANK: A Report on the Social and Economic Influence of Professional Aunts No Kids,” revealed a vast number of PANKs (91%) say their role as aunt is “very important” to them while 89% say the experience of becoming/being an aunt is even better than they expected. And yet, while many PANKs (83%) feel appreciated by parents, only 28% feel appreciated by society in general for the meaningful role they play in children’s lives and the family-village.

    “Aunts by Relation and Aunts by Choice should feel valued for their love of, and generosity toward, the children in their lives,” says Notkin, a PANK herself. “Aunts provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ helping develop nieces and nephews through bonding and play. And of course, many aunts are known for the gifts and ‘Auntventure’ experiences they give these children.”

    With a conservative estimate of 2.5 nieces and nephews by relation and by choice per PANK, PANKs collectively spend an astonishing $61 billion on the babies, children and teens they love, each year. And PANK generosity extends beyond typical gifts. GENERATION PANK found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of PANKs have contributed to a niece's or nephew’s education and 67% have given gifts to parents to help provide for their child or children.

    And yet, this powerful consumer cohort often remains overlooked and misunderstood. AUNTIE'S DAY is designed to put a spotlight on this tribe of loving, generous women and give them the appreciation they deserve.

    The official AUNTIE'S DAY destination (http://AuntiesDay.com) features ideas on how nieces, nephews, godchildren, and these children’s parents can celebrate the cool aunts, great-aunts and godmothers in their lives. Like all official days of recognition, AUNTIE’S DAY is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events.

    ###

    About Melanie Notkin and SAVVY AUNTIE

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, SAVVY AUNTIE is a celebration of modern aunthood serving aunts by relation (ABR), aunts by choice (ABC), godmothers, and all women who love a child-not-their-own. Savvy Aunties can find resources and community at SavvyAuntie.com, Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie, Instagram.com/SavvyAuntie and Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie.

    Notkin is the creator of AUNTIE'S DAY and the SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS program. She is national bestselling author of Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011) and her memoir OTHERHOOD: Modern Women Finding a New Kind of Happiness (Seal Press/Penguin Canada 2014) received a Booklist Starred Review.

    As a leading expert in the growing demographic of childless, often single women, Notkin has partnered on, and independently conducted, several national marketing research studies on the cohort. Notkin is speaker for Fortune 500 companies, global marketing and communications agencies, and consumer summits. Notkin works directly with brands and agencies for her deeper insights into the PANK (Professional Aunt No Kids) and Otherhood (non-mom) cohorts.

    As a media personality, Notkin and her work have been featured on CNN, TODAY Show, Rachael Ray, NPR, BBC, and in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, New York Magazine, and several other national and global media outlets. She is a contributor to The New York Post, Huff Post, and Washington Post.

    For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and MelanieNotkin.com. For interviews, sponsorship opportunities and speaker inquiries: Info@MelanieNotkin.com

    AUNTIE'S DAY, SAVVY AUNTIE, PANK, and OTHERHOOD are registered Trademarks of Melanie Notkin Media, Inc.


    More
  • May 2019

  • AUNTIE’S DAY® IS SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2019
    Press@SavvyAuntie.com
    AuntiesDay.com
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



    AUNTIE’S DAY® IS SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2019
    Melanie Notkin, Creator of the Beloved Savvy Auntie® Lifestyle Brand,
    Announces the Date for the 11th Annual Celebration of Aunts

    – Aunthood is a Gift. This Day is Yours. –


    NEW YORK—May 9, 2019—Melanie Notkin, founder of SAVVY AUNTIE, the lifestyle brand dubbed a “Celebration of Modern Aunthood,” announces the 11th annual official Auntie’s Day will take place on Sunday, July 28, 2019.

    Auntie’s Day was founded in 2009 by Notkin as the annual day set aside to acknowledge, honor and celebrate aunts by relation (ABR); aunts by choice (ABC) to friends’ children; godmothers; and all women who love a child-not-their-own. Following Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June, Auntie’s Day occurs annually on the fourth Sunday in July.

    This special day is especially poignant to PANKs®, or Professional Aunts No Kids, the term coined by Notkin for the growing demographic of women who are childless by circumstance, challenge, or childfree-by-choice, and have a special bond with at least one child.

    GENERATION PANK, a 2018 national study by Melanie Notkin and Savvy Auntie with Michael DeCicco, a strategic market researcher, reveals that PANKs, or 4-in-5 women without children, wield enormous social and economic influence. The study of 700 American PANKs found that 91% of these aunts say their role as an aunt is “very important” to them and 89% say the experience of becoming/being an aunt is even better than they expected. And yet, while many PANKs (83%) feel appreciated by parents for their role in their child’s life, only about a quarter (28%) feel appreciated by society in general for their role as an aunt.

    “All women in the ‘family village’ should be valued for their love of, and generosity toward, the children in their lives,” says Notkin. “Aunts provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ helping develop nieces and nephews through bonding and play. And of course, many aunts are known for the gifts and “Auntventure” experiences they give these children.

    In fact, with a conservative estimate of 2.5 nieces and nephews per PANK, PANKs collectively spend an astonishing $61 billion on the babies, children and teens they love, each year. Plus, PANK generosity extends beyond typical gifts. The study found 63% of PANKs have contributed to a niece's or nephew’s education and 67% have given gifts to parents to help provide for their child or children.

    And yet, this hidden demographic often remains overlooked, misunderstood and unappreciated. Auntie’s Day is designed to put a spotlight on this tribe of loving women and give them the attention they deserve.

    The official Auntie’s Day destination (http://AuntiesDay.com) features ideas on how nieces, nephews, godchildren, and these children’s parents can celebrate the cool aunts, great-aunts and godmothers in their lives - as well as ideas for how aunts can treat themselves on Auntie’s Day. Like all official days of recognition, Auntie’s Day is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events.

    ###

    About Melanie Notkin and Savvy Auntie

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is a “celebration of modern aunthood” - the lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere. Aunts can find resources and community at SavvyAuntie.com, Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie, Instagram.com/SavvyAuntie and Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie.com.

    Notkin is the creator of Auntie’s Day, the annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards, and national bestselling author of Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011).

    As a leading expert in the growing demographic of childless, often single women, Notkin has partnered on, and independently conducted, several national marketing research studies on the cohort. Notkin is speaker for Fortune 500 companies, global marketing and communications agencies, and consumer summits, and has presented at TEDx. Notkin works directly with brands as a consultant for her insights into her dynamic cohort.

    As a media personality, Notkin and her work have been featured on CNN, FOX, TODAY Show, Rachael Ray, NPR, BBC, and in The New York Times, The New York Post, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and several other national and global media outlets.

    For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and MelanieNotkin.com. For interviews, sponsorship opportunities and speaker inquiries: Info@MelanieNotkin.com

    More
  • March 2018

  • AUNTIE’S DAY® IS SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018
    Melanie Notkin, Creator of the Popular Savvy Auntie® Lifestyle Brand, Announces the Date for the 10th Annual National Day Celebrating Aunts and Godmothers

    – Aunthood is a Gift. This Day is Yours. –


    NEW YORK—March 7, 2018—    Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie, the multi-platform lifestyle brand designed for cool aunts, great-aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids, and the national bestselling author of SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids, announces the tenth annual day set aside to honor and celebrate aunts and godmothers. The 10th Annual National Auntie’s Day will take place on Sunday, July 22, 2018.

    Established in 2009 by Melanie Notkin, Auntie’s Day is a reminder to acknowledge, honor and celebrate the aunt(s) in a child’s life, whether she is an Auntie by Relation (ABR) or an Auntie by Choice (ABC) to friends’ children. Auntie’s Day is especially poignant to the one-in-five North American women who identify as PANKs®, or Professional Aunts No Kids, the term Notkin coined in 2008 for the growing demographic of childless women who have a special bond with at least one child in their life. The Power of the PANK, a national joint-study by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick with KRC Research, revealed that PANKs are a sizeable segment of younger women with disposable income, dynamic influence, and a digitally-connected lifestyle. The 23 million North American PANKs are extraordinarily generous, collectively spending $9 billion each year on the children they love.

    “It’s time that all women in the American Family Village are honored for their love and generosity for the children in their lives,” says Notkin. “Many aunts provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ and fun ‘Auntventures,’ for their nieces and nephews, not to mention gifts and necessities. Many non-moms also give tirelessly to children all over the world. These BenevolAunts are due their day to be honored.”

    The official Auntie’s Day destination (http://AuntiesDay.com) features ideas on how nieces, nephews and godchildren, and their parents, can celebrate the Savvy Auntie in their lives as well as how aunts can treat themselves on their special day. Like all official days of recognition, Auntie’s Day is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events.

    ###

    About Melanie Notkin and Savvy Auntie

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards, and Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a leading expert in the growing demographic of childless, often single women, Notkin is the author of the Booklist Star Reviewed OTHERHOOD: Modern Women Finding a New Kind of Happiness (Seal Press/Penguin Canada 2014). Notkin has appeared on CNN, TODAY Show, The New York Times, NPR and many more national and global media outlets. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and MelanieNotkin.com. For interviews and other inquiries, contact: Press@SavvyAuntie.com

    More
  • January 2017

  • Ninth Annual Auntie’s Day® is Sunday, July 23, 2017

    Ninth Annual Auntie’s Day® is Sunday, July 23, 2017

    National Day Honoring Aunts and Godmothers founded by Melanie Notkin,
    Creator of Popular Savvy Auntie® Lifestyle Brand

    - Aunthood is a Gift. This Day is Yours. –


    NEW YORK—January 10, 2017— Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie, the multi-platform lifestyle brand designed for cool aunt, great-aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids and and national bestselling author of SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011) announces the date for the ninth annual national day dedicated to honoring and celebrating aunts and godmothers. Auntie’s Day will take place on Sunday, July 23, 2017. Like all official national days of recognition, Auntie’s Day is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events.

    Established by Melanie Notkin in 2009, Auntie’s Day is a time to thank, honor and celebrate the aunt in a child’s life, whether she is an Auntie by Relation (ABR), Auntie by Choice (ABC), godmother, for any woman who loves a child not-her-own. While all aunts are celebrated on this day, the day is especially poignant to one in five American women who identify as PANKs®, or Professional Aunts No Kids. PANKs self-identify as childless or childfree and have a bond with at least one child by relation or by friendship. A study called The Power of the PANK released in November 2012 by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick, a global PR firm, with KRC Research, revealed that childless aunts are a sizeable segment of younger women with disposable income, dynamic influence, and a digitally-connected lifestyle who are extraordinarily generous with the children in their lives, those children’s parents, and our communities at large. 23 million American women are PANKs and are found to collectively spend $9 billion on gifts for children not-their-own each year.

    On Auntie’s Day – a “Mother’s Day” for aunts - aunts and godmothers will be celebrated with special activities and gifts. The official Auntie’s Day web destination (http://AuntiesDay.com) will feature ideas on how parents and nieces and nephews can celebrate the Savvy Auntie in their lives and how aunts can pamper and treat themselves on their special day.

    “It’s time that all women in the American Family Village are honored for their selfless giving to the children in their lives,” says Melanie Notkin. “An aunt is there to provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ and experiences as a loving caregiver and “ConfidAunt” to her nieces and nephews from the day they are born and as they grow up. Many women without children of their own also give tirelessly to children all over the world. These BenevolAunts are due their day to be honored.”

    ###

    About Savvy Auntie

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert, and leading expert in the growing demographic of childless, of single women, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and MelanieNotkin.com. More
  • March 2016

  • Official Eighth Annual National Auntie’s Day® is Sunday, July 24, 2016
    Eighth Annual Auntie’s Day® is Sunday, July 24, 2015

    Auntie's Day was founded in 2009 by Melanie Notkin, creator of the popular Savvy Auntie® lifestyle brand, to honor and celebrate aunts and godmothers.

    - Aunthood Is a Gift. This Day Is Yours.-


    NEW YORK—March 07, 2016—Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie®, the multi-platform lifestyle brand designed for cool aunt, great-aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids and and national bestselling author of "SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids," announces the date for the eighth annual official national day dedicated to honoring and celebrating aunts and godmothers. Auntie’s Day - http://auntiesday.com - will take place on Sunday, July 24, 2016. Like all official national days of recognition, Auntie’s Day is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events.

    Established by Melanie Notkin in 2009, and observed every fourth Sunday in July, Auntie’s Day is a day to acknowledge, honor and celebrate the aunt(s) in a child’s life. These are Aunts by Relation (ABR), Aunts by Choice (ABC), godmothers, and all women who love children not-their-own. While all aunts are celebrated on this day, it is especially poignant to the one-in-five North American women who identify as PANKs®, or Professional Aunts No Kids, as coined by Notkin in 2008. PANKs self-identify as childless, or childfree by choice, and have a special bond with at least one child in their life.

    A 2012 joint-study entitled "The Power of the PANK"  by Savvy Auntie, Weber Shandwick and KRC Research, revealed that childless aunts are a sizable segment of younger women with disposable income, dynamic influence, and a digitally-connected lifestyle who are extraordinarily generous with the children in their lives, those children’s parents, and our communities at large. Numbering 23 million North American women, PANKs collectively spend $9 billion on gifts for children not-their-own each year, baseline just one niece or nephew per aunt.

    On Auntie’s Day – a “Mother’s Day” for aunts - aunts and godmothers will be celebrated with special activities and gifts. The official Auntie’s Day web destination (http://AuntiesDay.com) features ideas on how parents and nieces and nephews can celebrate the Savvy Auntie in their lives and how aunts can pamper and treat themselves on this special day. The official slogan is: "Aunthood Is a Gift. This Day Is Yours".

    “It’s time that all women in the American Family Village are honored for their selfless giving to the children in their lives,” says Melanie Notkin. “An aunt is there to provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ and experiences as a loving caregiver and 'ConfidAunt' to her nieces and nephews from the day they are born and as they grow up. Many women without children of their own also give tirelessly to children all over the world. These 'BenevolAunts' are due their day to be honored.”

    ###

    About Savvy Auntie

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie - http://savvyauntie.com - is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched Savvy Auntie in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards, and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: "SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids" (HarperCollins/Morrow 2011). For more information, visit: http://SavvyAuntie.com and http://MelanieNotkin.com.
     More
  • February 2016

  • MELANIE NOTKIN REVEALS THE SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARD WINNERS - TOY FAIR 16

    Click here to read the announcement  - Or see below





    Melanie Notkin, Toy Expert and America’s Savvy Auntie®, Reveals the
    Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners - Toy Fair 2016

    Savvy Auntie List Celebrates 10 Inaugural Winners

     

    New York, NY – February 17, 2016 – Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie®, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts and godmothers, has revealed the SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS - TOY FAIR 2016. While Notkin has announced an annual list of coolest toy awards at the holiday season since 2009, for the first time, Notkin has added a preview list of coolest toys discovered at Toy Fair. Toy Fair NY (February 13-16, 2016) is produced by the Toy Industry Association.

    While many toy marketers and toy lists focus on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards to give aunts and all secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the best gift choices for the children in their lives. Savvy Aunties may be secondary caregivers, but they are primary gift givers.

    The inaugural list of SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS - TOY FAIR 2016 offers savvy gift-givers the opportunity to get a head start on knowing which toys the children in their lives will be coveting when the toys are available later in 2016. Notkin looked for toys that are fresh and innovative, and as the award suggests, “cool.” Her awardees list includes toys from the largest toy makers like Mattel and Spin Master, to startups like the crowd-funded iBesties. The awardees feature some of the 2016 trends in play, including: coding; robotics; latest technology; makers; “blind bag” surprises; and girl empowerment. Gift-givers will also spot nostalgic toys modernized for Generation Z on the list.

    The 2016 winners will also be listed at SavvyAuntie.com

     

    SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOYS AWARDS – TOY FAIR 2016

    Ages 3+


    Fisher-Price: Think & Learn Code-A-Pillar™ - Fall 2016

    Why Savvy Auntie loves it: Like reading and counting, coding is now becoming part of preschooler learning and development. Fisher-Price has developed a seamless way to help the youngest children learn how to code, while also helping their new buddy navigate the playroom! Imagine the satisfaction on a child’s face when he or she realizes they are in control of how their Code-a-Pillar™ moves!

    From Fisher-Price: The Think & Learn Code-a-Pillar™ is a caterpillar that encourages experimentation while developing coding, sequencing and critical thinking skills. Preschoolers can arrange Code-A-Pillar’s easy-to-connect segments in endless combinations to send Code-a-Pillar™ on his path: forward, left, right, or even wait for a couple seconds before moving again. Kids can configure the segments in such a way that the Code-A-Pillar™ can reach targets they set up throughout the room. When kids connect the segments to make Code-A-Pillar™ move -that’s sequencing! When they figure out a sequence that will create a path for Code-A-Pillar™ to reach a target, that’s programming (and problem solving, too)! It’s all coding—and it’s all fun! Includes 8 light-up segments, motorized head segment with lights, sounds and blinking eyes, and 2 targets. 4 AA batteries required. Additional segment add-ons sold separately. A companion app will expand on the learning & fun with the Code-a-Pillar™ facing new challenges the child has to plan & sequence and gets to overt learning like counting & patterning. MSRP: $49.99

     


    Wicked Cool Toys: Cabbage Patch Kids So Real Baby - Fall 2016 

    Why Savvy Auntie loves it: There are a few techno-driven baby dolls comings to market in 2016, but the Cabbage Patch Kids Baby So Real is really special. Wicked Cool Toys has teamed up with Seebo, an innovative technology company, to develop a baby doll that needs a child’s attention to feed her, make her feel better when she’s sick, sooth her when she cries, put her to bed when she’s tired, and play with her when she awakens. The bond between this baby doll and it’s “mommy” or “daddy,” along with seeing the child develop nurturing skills and empathy, will be wonderful to watch.

    From Wicked Cool Toys: Cabbage Patch Kids (CPK) Baby So Real allows you to enjoy one of the most magical and interactive experiences in the baby doll category. These life-like babies combine traditional play patterns with groundbreaking technology. Baby So Real’s interactive sweet baby sounds and random reactions are designed to surprise and delight. With your touch, Baby So Real comes to life with beautifully animated LCD eyes that open, close and look around. Loaded with realistic features that encourage interactive nurturing play, Baby So Real has sensors for peek-a-boo and tickle play feeding from a special bottle, burping, diaper changing, and rocking to sleep. If your baby should develop a fever, you can calm those red cheeks by administering TLC from a magical spoon. Just like the original Cabbage Patch Kids, Baby So Real is soft and cuddly with removable clothes. And for advanced play, Baby So Real has its own free app that allows your phone or tablet to simulate a baby monitor. The online mode allows you to see the virtual nursery where you can play with your baby, feed, diaper burp and administer TLC. You can also play games, watch video clips and earn baby points for additional virtual accessories and new features. Baby So Real comes with a fully removable outfit and diaper, a special interactive bottle and medicine spoon, birth certificate and adoption papers and a free baby monitor style app for additional virtual play. MSRP $99.99

    Ages 4+


    Wonder Forge: Disney Imagicademy Storymation Studio: Fall 2016

    Why Savvy Auntie loves it: Wonder Forge has a knack for developing games that are truly original and innovative, while helping develop the preschool and young student mind. Storymation Studio, the stop motion movie kit, stops us in our tracks (no pun intended!) when we saw it at Toy Fair. While Wonder Forge released a version of the toy in 2015, the second generation coming later this year allows for much more flexibility and creativity for kids - and a lower price-point. While it comes with Disney characters, we’re sure kids will add their own favorite toy mini figures, or create their own movie characters with cardboard and markers. The app even allows for a title image so kids can introduce their movies. Image unavailable

    From Wonder Forge: It’s a stop motion movie kit for children! Kids get creative with a collection of Disney characters, backgrounds, clay, and costume molds! With the free, easy-to-use Storymation Studio animation app, children will be making their own animated masterpieces inspired by their favorite Disney films!  MSRP $19.99

     

    Ages 5+


    Spin Master: Hatchimal -: Fall 2016

    This one is a secret! Lucky Savvy Auntie got a sneak peek at Toy Fair and we’ve promised to keep it a surprise! Wait until you see the magic and enthralling experience hatching from Spin Master this fall. MSRP $59.99  


    Ages 6+

    Mattel: DC Super Hero Girls™ Action Dolls - Spring 2016

    Why Savvy Auntie loves it: We almost want to say: “What took so long?” The DC Super Hero Girls are absolutely beautiful and diverse, muscular and powerful. Any gift giver will be a super hero for giving any one – or all – of these action hero fashion dolls to a child. Let them create their own hero’s journey!

     From Mattel: Inspired by a new interpretation of iconic DC Comics characters in an all new high school setting, who are learning to hone their super powers, girls can explore their own inner heroes with this assortment of dolls designed to lead to Super Hero fun. Fashions include elements from original DC Comics Super Heroes while accessories highlight the characters’ super powers. Articulation allows for lots of action and Super Hero poses. MSRP $19.99



    Mattel: Barbie Hello Dreamhouse™ - Fall 2016

    Why Savvy Auntie loves it: There’s no question that Savvy Auntie loves a Barbie Dreamhouse. And while we gave the latest Barbie Dreamhouse a Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award in 2015, this smart house, is beyond our wildest imaginations. Sure, it’s a high priced luxury pad at nearly $300, but the technology driving this dream of a playhouse is like nothing we’ve seen before.

    From Mattel: Go high-tech with the world’s first smart dollhouse -Barbie Hello Dreamhouse™! This two-story home has innovative features designed for a modern girl and reflective of the next wave of innovation in the home. Floor sensors recognize where Barbie® and her friends are in the house. Embedded speech recognition allows you to control elements of the house, including the slide and elevator. An accompanying app allows further customization. Through a combination of voice commands and embedded switches, kids can imagine, customize, and control their house play. MSRP: $299


    iBesties: iBesties Middle School Moguls - Now

    Why Savvy Auntie loves it: There are a number of cool dolls coming in 2016, but iBesties, a Kickstarter funded toy, is one of the coolest we’ve seen. iBesties Middle School Moguls is designed to empower any girl to become a leader. From McKenna the Business Boss to Sunny the Coding Queen, with three more iBesties available, each doll inspires leadership and/or STEAM development. They each come with a book with vocabulary words like “CEO” and “Mergers and Acquisitions.” But it’s not all “business.” Savvy Auntie loves is that each doll comes with fabulous hair and fashions that many FashioNiecetas adore, so it combines girl empowerment with a classic play pattern.

    From iBesties: These middle-schoolers are the new girls at Mogul Academy— an unconventional school run by eccentric billionaire business woman Sherry Rocketsmeller.  Each with their own unique talents, the girls find themselves in a high-tech, faced-paced, world of adventure as they work to build businesses, friendships and unforgettable fun! The Middle School Moguls are as diverse as the girls who love them. Distinct in culture, personality and talents, they come from backgrounds that include blended families, bi-racial families, military families and single-parent households. The girls are smart, fun and talented, yet not at all perfect. In fact, that’s what makes them such good friends, they can all be real with each other and they always help each other out. It’s the combination of all their unique (and sometimes random) personalities that make them the talk of Mogul Academy! $40.00

    Ages 8+

    WowWee: CHiP - Fall 2016


    Why Savvy Auntie loves it: This robot dog is so lovable – and loving, you’ll probably forget he’s not a real dog. CHiP is the puppy children are wishing for – if they aren’t able to have a real dog as a pet. Plus, he’s easier to take care of then the real thing. He’ll even find his “bed” to go to sleep and recharge so he’s ready for the next day of play.

    From WowWee: CHiP (Canine Home Intelligent Pet) is the ultimate AI Robotic Dog. Based on new Mechatronics, the latest in a combination of wireless technology, telecommunications engineering and a suite of advanced sensors, CHiP is truly the latest and greatest in robotic pets. CHiP recognizes its master and responds to commands using the included SmartBand, a sleek, rechargeable wearable controller. Also, CHiP plays fetch and fun games with the SmartBall, interacting in all the ways a real dog would. CHiP even knows when it’s time to head to its special SmartBed and recharge. With a 360-degree system of play that’s physical, digital and tactile, with an intuitive, evolving app, CHiP is a welcome addition to today’s connected home and fun for all ages. MSRP: $199


    Moose Toys: SelfieMic™ - Fall 2016

    Why Savvy Auntie loves it: Some tech toys are so high-tech, there’s a long learning curve before kids can get to play. The SelfieMic™ is so simple and fun, combining all the trends kids and teens are into: selfies; lip syncing; social sharing; and the maker trend – that it’s an easy gift choice.

    From Moose Toys: Combining the love of Selfies with the popular past time of singing karaoke, the SelfieMic™ allows kids to become a pop star and create their own music videos right from their smartphone. The SelfieMic is a selfie stick with a working karaoke microphone, ear piece, and music app. Kids can record their own voice or lip sync to over three million songs, creating music videos which they can share with their friends! The SelfieMic’s voice and video effects make anyone sound and look like a star. MSRP: $24.99

    Ages 9+

    Innovation First: Vex IQ Robotics Construction Set - Now


    Why Savvy Auntie loves it: Construction paired with robots is a hot trend and Vex is one of the leaders with its latest Vex IQ Construction set. While a high price-point, it’s endless in its play and learning value. Children can build the models – and also build their own robotic creations from the parts. Vex is releasing smaller sets this summer, at under $20, so kids can decide if Vex IQ is the right choice for them before a larger investment.

    From Innovation First: The VEX IQ Robotics Construction Kit is loaded with advanced robotics technology, including a brain with 12 self-configuring input/output ports, as well as 750+ pieces that include four smart motors, one color sensor, one bumper switch sensor, one touch LED sensor, and built in rotational sensors on the motors. This technology is accessible enough to jump right in and snap these robots together using the intuitive, tool-less pieces. Follow simple step by step instructions to build your first robot, and then take advantage of the unmatched versatility of the VEX IQ system to build anything you can imagine! It comes with a video game style remote control with a rechargeable lithium ion battery, and with two programming software options - Modkit for VEX or ROBOTC, as well as VEX IQ Curriculum that is free for all users. MSRP: $299

    ###

    About Savvy Auntie®

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multiplatform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK® – Professional Aunt No Kids - demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day® - a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers each fourth Sunday in July, and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands.

    About PANKs®

    Savvy Auntie attracts PANKs®, or Professional Aunts No Kids, the term Notkin coined in 2008 for the growing demographic of female consumers who are not moms, by circumstance or choice, and have a special bond with a child in their life. According to the 2012 joint-study entitled: The Power of the PANK, by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick, there are 23 million PANKs in North America. PANKs spend $9 billion each year on nieces and nephews, baseline just one child per PANK. A whopping 76% of PANKs spend over $500 per niece and nephew, per year.

    For additional information on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards or press / on-air and talent inquiries: Press@SavvyAuntie.com.


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  • November 2015

  • MELANIE NOTKIN REVEALS THE 2015 SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARD WINNERS

    MELANIE NOTKIN, TOY EXPERT AND AMERICA’S SAVVY AUNTIE®, REVEALS THE 2015 SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARD WINNERS

     

    Savvy Auntie partners with TTPM®, the only site that combines expert written and videos reviews with live price comparison and one-click purchasing

     

    New York, NY – November 11, 2015 – Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts and godmothers, announces the 7th Annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards for the 2015 holiday season. A total of 25 cool toys have made the coveted list.

    With many toy marketers and toy lists focusing on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards in 2009 to give aunts and secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the best gift choices for the children in their lives. Savvy Aunties may be secondary caregivers, but they are primary gift givers.

    Savvy Auntie attracts PANKs®, or Professional Aunts No Kids, the term Notkin coined in 2008 for the growing demographic of female consumers who are not moms, by circumstance or choice, and have a special bond with a child in their life. According to the 2012 joint-study entitled: The Power of the PANK, by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick, there are 23 million PANKs in North America. PANKs spend $9 billion a year on nieces and nephews, baseline just one child per PANK. A whopping 76% of PANKs spend over $500 per niece and nephew, per year.

    Notkin’s annual holiday toy list helps Savvy Aunties maintain that “Cool Aunt” status while fostering what Notkin has playfully dubbed: “QualAuntie Time” - the playtime aunts spend with a niece or nephew of any age. Playtime is an important part of any baby or child’s developmental growth. Studies show that from pretend play as babies and toddlers, to social development and problem solving as big kids, toys that children enjoy playing with are an important part of their development.

    As a respected toy expert, Notkin meets with toy manufactures and industry analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys – the ones on the top of most nieces’ and nephews’ lists. Notkin then adds her own “Savvy Auntuition” to curate the list. “The toys children want to play with the most are the coolest toy choices an aunt can make,” Notkin says.

    And now, for the first time, Savvy Auntie has partnered with TTPM.com, the #1 source for all things play where consumers can research and find the best playthings. TTPM is the only site that combines expert reviews (video and written) with live price comparison, one-click purchasing, and product availability at major retailers including Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys“R”Us, and more.

    “As founder of Savvy Auntie, I’m thrilled to partner with TTPM for the Savvy Auntie gift guide,” said Notkin. “Now Savvy Aunties will not only be able to find the coolest toys, but by linking directly to TTPM.com, they will also find the best prices for the toys available at time of purchase.” 

    “Melanie Notkin is the authority on the aunt demographic, the growing niche of child-loving women companies should have a strong connection with,” said Jim Silver. “Now TTPM is able to deliver our expert reviews to this demographic and help them become savvier consumers about the toys they choose for their nieces and nephews at the holidays and all year long.”

    The 2015 Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners are listed at SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards with links to TTPM reviews (as available) along with the Savvy Auntie “Ask a Parent” feature to ask for parent-approval if desired. The 25 winners earn a 2015 Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Seal for promotional purposes.


    2015 SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARD WINNERS

    Savvy Auntie Coolest Toys Awards 2015

    There are 25 winners in all, sorted by age. For more information on each winner and “Why Savvy Auntie Loves It,” visit SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards:

    Age 1+

    Go Go Smart Wheels RC Speedway: VTech

    Age 2+

    The Peanuts Movie Happy Dance Snoopy: Just Play

    Age 3+

    Smart Toy Monkey or Bear:  Fisher-Price

    Club Petz Lucy Puppy Dog: Just Play

    Doc McStuffins Take Care of Me Lambie: Just Play

    Star Wars Hot Wheels Light Side vs. Dark Side 5-Pack: Mattel

    Barbie Dreamhouse: Mattel

    Barbie Fashionistas Black and White Dress: Mattel

    Age 4+

    Chubby Puppies Collection: Spin Master

    Color Alive Mythical Creatures: Crayola

    Kidizoom Action Cam: VTech

    Minions Movie Minion Bob Talking Figure: Thinkaway Toys

    Marvel Avengers Remote Control Hulk Smash XPV: Jakks Pacific

    Age 5+

    FurReal Starlily My Magical Unicorn: Hasbro

    Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage: Mattel

    Shopkins Fashion Boutique: Moose Toys

    Age 6+

    Chocolate Pen: Skyrocket Toys

    Age 7+

    View-Master Virtual Reality Starter Pack: Mattel

    Age 8+

    Legendary Yoda: Spin Master

    Age 9+

    LEGO Star Wars The Force Awakens Millennium Falcon: LEGO

    Age 10+

    LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack: LEGO

    Girls Scouts Cookie Oven: Wicked Cool Toys

    Meccano MeccaNoid G15: Spin Master

    Age 12+

    Sky Viper m200 Nano Drone: Skyrocket Toys

    Age 13+

    Star Wars The Force Awakens BB-8 Droid: Sphero

     

    ###

    About Savvy Auntie

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multiplatform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day® - a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands.

    About TTPM

    TTPM is the #1 source for all things play where consumers can research and find the best playthings. TTPM is the only site that combines expert reviews (video and written) with live price comparison, one-click purchasing, and product availability at major retailers including Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys“R”Us, Babies“R”Us, buybuy BABY, GameStop, Best Buy, Sports Authority, Modell’s Sporting Goods, PetSmart, and Wag.com. TTPM ensures parents and gift givers are finding the right products for kids at the best prices. The seasoned TTPM editorial team reviews thousands of products each year, providing comprehensive video and written reviews of toys, baby products, kids’ electronics, sporting goods, and family friendly video games, apps, books, and movies.

     

    For additional information on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards or on-air and talent inquiries: Press@SavvyAuntie.com. 

     

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  • March 2015

  • Seventh Annual Auntie’s Day® is Sunday, July 26, 2015

    National Day Honoring Aunts and Godmothers founded by Melanie Notkin, Creator of Popular Savvy Auntie® Lifestyle Brand

    - Aunthood is a Gift. This Day is Yours. –

    NEW YORK—March 23, 2015    —Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie, the multi-platform lifestyle brand designed for cool aunt, great-aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids and and national bestselling author of SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011) announces the date for the seventh annual national day dedicated to honoring and celebrating aunts and godmothers. Auntie’s Day will take place on Sunday, July 26, 2015. Like all official national days of recognition, Auntie’s Day is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events.

    Sponsored by Savvy Auntie, Auntie’s Day, is a time to thank, honor and celebrate the aunt in a child’s life, whether she is an Auntie by Relation (ABR), Auntie by Choice (ABC), or godmother, for everything she does for a child not-her-own. While all aunts are celebrated on this day, the day is especially poignant to one in five American women who identify as PANKs®, or Professional Aunts No Kids. PANKs self-identify as childless or childfree and have a bond with at least one child by relation or by friendship. A study called The Power of the PANK released in November 2012 by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick, a global PR firm, with KRC Research, revealed that childless aunts are a sizeable segment of younger women with disposable income, dynamic influence, and a digitally-connected lifestyle who are extraordinarily generous with the children in their lives, those children’s parents, and our communities at large. 23 million American women are PANKs and are found to collectively spend $9 billion on gifts for children not-their-own each year.

    On Auntie’s Day – a “Mother’s Day” for aunts - aunts and godmothers will be celebrated with special activities and gifts. The official Auntie’s Day web destination (www.AuntiesDay.com) will feature ideas on how parents and nieces and nephews can celebrate the Savvy Auntie in their lives and how aunts can pamper and treat themselves on their special day.

     “It’s time that all women in the American Family Village are honored for their selfless giving to the children in their lives,” says Melanie Notkin. “An aunt is there to provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ and experiences as a loving caregiver and “ConfidAunt” to her nieces and nephews from the day they are born and as they grow up. Many women without children of their own also give tirelessly to children all over the world. These BenevolAunts are due their day to be honored.”

    ###

    About Savvy Auntie

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and MelanieNotkin.com.

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  • November 2014

  • 2014 Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners

    Toy Expert and America’s Savvy Auntie®, Melanie Notkin, Reveals the

    2014 Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners

     

    New York, NY – November 11, 2014 – Melanie Notkin,  founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts and godmothers, announces her 6th Annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards for the 2014 holiday season. This year, 20 toys have made the coveted editorial list.

    Savvy Auntie is focused on the growing influential niche of American women who love the children in their lives, but don’t (yet) have children of their own. This powerful demographic Notkin dubbed PANKs® (Professional Aunts No Kids) has a strong desire to make the most savvy toy choices each season. With many toy marketers and toy lists focusing on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards in 2009 to give aunts and other secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the best gift choices for the children in their lives. Savvy Aunties may be secondary caregivers, but they are primary gift givers.

    According to a 2012 joint-study entitled: The Power of the PANK, by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick, there are 23 million PANKs in North America, women age 18+ who are not (yet) moms but have a special bond with a child in their life. PANKs spend $9 billion a year on those children, baseline just one child per PANK. A whopping 76% of PANKs spend over $500 per child in her life, per year. Notkin’s annual toy list helps those generous aunts and godmothers pick the right toys for the children they love.

    Notkin’s annual toy list certainly helps Aunties maintain that “Cool Aunt” status. And Notkin’s toy list also fosters what she’s playfully dubbed: “QualAuntie Time.” The playtime time an Auntie spends with a niece or nephew of any age is quality time - often uninterrupted playtime - an important part of any baby and child’s developmental growth. Studies show that from pretend play as babies and toddlers to social development and problem solving as big kids, toys that children enjoy playing with are often an important part of their development. Savvy Aunties are giving kids gifts they crave as well as giving them the opportunity to develop necessary skills through having fun.

    As a respected toy expert, Notkin meets with toy manufactures and industry analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys – the ones on the top of most nieces’ and nephews’ lists. “I find the most buzzed about toys based on industry outlooks, toy quality, strong pop culture tie-ins, modern twists on the classics - and then I add a little of my own “Savvy Auntuition” to produce this list each year,” Notkin says. “The toys children want to play with the most are the definitely the coolest toy choices an aunt can make.”

    2014 SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARD WINNERS

    There are 20 winners in all, sorted by age. For more information on each award winner and ‘Why Savvy Auntie Loves It’, visit SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards. Please note: prices may vary throughout the season.

    Ages 1+

    VTech Go! Go! Smart Animals - Zoo Explorers Playset ($40)

    Ages 3+

    Leapfrog LeapTV ($150)

    Tolly Tots Disney Frozen Snow Glow Elsa Doll ($40)

    Just Play Doc McStuffins Get Better Talking Mobile Cart ($45)

    Ages 4+

    Mattel HOT WHEELS® RC Street Hawk Remote Controlled Flying Car ($60)

    Hasbro FurReal Friends Get Up and GoGo My Walkin Pup Pet ($60)

    Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Secret Sewer Lair Playset ($100)

    Ages 5+

    Spin Master Zoomer Dino ($80)

    Moose Toys Shopkins™ Small Mart ($20)

    Mattel HOT WHEELS® Airbrush Auto Designer ($30)

    Ages 6+

    LEGO Friends Heartlake Shopping Mall (41058) ($95)

    LEGO Super Heroes The Batcave (6860) ($75)

    Spin Master Kinetic Sand Sandbox and Molds ($20)

    Spin Master Sew Cool Sewing Machine ($30)

    Crayola Virtual Design Fashion Collection ($30)

    Jakks Pacific Max Toy Truck ($60)

    Ages 8+

    Nerf Mega ThunderBow Blaster ($40)

    Hexbug VEX Robotics Spider ($70)

    Wowwee MiP Robot ($100)

    Ages 10+

    LEGO Cuusoo Minecraft III (21106) ($40)

     Each winning toy is listed on SavvyAuntie.com/Gifts with links to an online retailer and an “Ask a Parent” button to help ensure parental approval when needed. The winning toys earn a 2014 Savvy Auntie Coolest Award Winner seal for promotional purposes, attracting the PANK demographic with Notkin’s ‘stamp of approval.’

    ###

     About Savvy Auntie

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multiplatform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day® - a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands.

    Melanie Notkin is also the author of Otherhood: Modern Women Finding a New Kind of Happiness (Seal Press / Penguin Canada 2014) and appears on TV as taste-maker for children’s trends and is available immediately as a lifestyle expert for Holiday Gift Guide stories and TV segments, as well as other child lifestyle expertise as needed.

    For additional information on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards or on-air and talent inquiries: Press@SavvyAuntie.com.  For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com.


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  • July 2013

  • Sixth Annual Auntie’s Day® is Sunday, July 27, 2014

    Sixth Annual Auntie’s Day® is Sunday, July 27, 2014
    National Day Honoring Aunts and Godmothers founded by Melanie Notkin, Creator of Popular Savvy Auntie® Lifestyle Brand

    - Aunthood is a Gift. This Day is Yours. –

    NEW YORK—July 29, 2013—Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie, the multi-platform lifestyle brand designed for cool aunt, great-aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids and and national bestselling author of SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011) announces the date for the sixth annual national day dedicated to honoring and celebrating aunts and godmothers. Auntie’s Day will take place on Sunday, July 27, 2014. Like all official national days of recognition, Auntie’s Day is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events.

    Sponsored by Savvy Auntie, Auntie’s Day, is a time to thank, honor and celebrate the aunt in a child’s life, whether she is an Auntie by Relation (ABR), Auntie by Choice (ABC), or godmother, for everything she does for a child not-her-own.  While all aunts are celebrated on this day, the day is especially poignant to one in five American women who identify as PANKs®, or Professional Aunts No Kids. PANKs self-identify as childless or childfree and have a bond with at least one child by relation or by friendship. A study called The Power of the PANK released in November 2012 by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick, a global PR firm, with KRC Research, revealed that childless aunts are a sizeable segment of younger women with disposable income, dynamic influence, and a digitally-connected lifestyle who are extraordinarily generous with the children in their lives, those children’s parents, and our communities at large. 23 million American women are PANKs and are found to collectively spend $9 billion on gifts for children not-their-own each year.

    On Auntie’s Day – a ‘Mother’s Day’ for aunts - aunts and godmothers will be celebrated with special activities and gifts. The official Auntie’s Day web destination (www.AuntiesDay.com) will feature ideas on how parents and nieces and nephews can celebrate the Savvy Auntie in their lives and how aunts can pamper and treat themselves on their special day.

     “It’s time that all women in the American Family Village are honored for their selfless giving to the children in their lives,” says Melanie Notkin. “An aunt is there to provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ and experiences as a loving caregiver and “ConfidAunt” to her nieces and nephews from the day they are born and as they grow up. Many women without children of their own also give tirelessly to children all over the world. These BenevolAunts are due their day to be honored.”

    ###

    About Savvy Auntie

    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and PANKPower.com.

    More
  • November 2012

  • Melanie Notkin Reveals the 2012 Savvy Auntie® Coolest Toy Award Winners

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


     

    Contact:

    Melanie Notkin

    CEO, Savvy Auntie

    (917) 449-2917

    Press@SavvyAuntie.com

     

     Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards Seal 2012

     
    Melanie Notkin Reveals the 2012 Savvy Auntie® Coolest Toy Award Winners
    16 Toys Make the Prestigious List of Gifts Kids Want Most -
    Making Aunts and Godmothers Feel like Heroes at the Holidays

     

    NEW YORK, November 21 2012 -- Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts and godmothers, announces her fourth annual list of coolest toys for the 2012 holiday season. 16 toys in all have made the coveted list this year.

    With many toy marketers and toy lists focusing on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards in 2009 to give aunts and other secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the best gift choices for the children in their lives. As a respected toy expert, Notkin meets with toy manufacturers and industry analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys – the ones on the top of most nieces’ and nephews’ lists. “I find the most buzzed about toys based on industry outlooks, toy quality, strong pop culture tie-ins, modern twists on the classics - and then I add a little of my own 'Savvy Auntuition' to produce this list each year,” Notkin says. “The toys children want to play with the most are the definitely the coolest toy choices an aunt can make.”

    Notkin’s annual toy list certainly helps Aunties maintain that “Cool Aunt” status. And Notkin’s toy list also fosters what she’s playfully dubbed: “QualAuntie Time.” The playtime time an Auntie spends with a niece or nephew of any age is quality time - often uninterrupted playtime – and an important part of any child’s developmental growth.  Studies show that from pretend play as babies and toddlers to social development and problem solving as big kids, toys that children enjoy playing with are often an important part of their development. Savvy Aunties are giving kids gifts they crave as well as giving them the opportunity to develop necessary skills through having fun.


    2012 Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners


    There are 16 winners in all, sorted by age. For more information on each award winner and ‘Why Savvy Auntie Loves It’, visit SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards. Please note: prices may vary.


    Ages 2+

    Playskool: Sesame Street Flying Super Grover 2.0, ages 2-4 ($29.99)

    Ages 3+

    Hasbro: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Pony Princess Wedding Castle Playset, ages 3-5 ($39.99)

    Tolly Tots: My Magical Wand Cinderella, ages 3-5 ($49.99)

    Just Play: Disney Doc Mcstuffins “Time For Your Check-Up” Doll, ages 3-5

    Fisher-Price: Jake and the Never Land Pirates - Musical Pirate Ship Bucky, ages 3-5

    Innovation First International: Hexbug Warriors Battle Stadium, Ages 3-8 ($29.99)

    LeapFrog: LeapPad2 Explorer Learning Tablet, ages 3-9 ($99.99)

    Mattel: Monster High® High School, Ages 3 and up ($79.99)

    Ages 4+

    Mega Brands: Mega Bloks Barbie Build ‘n Play Pet Shop, Ages 4 -8 ($24.99) Available for pre-order 12.1.12

    Playmates Toys: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shellraiser, Ages 4 and up ($37.99)

    Jakks Pacific: Winx Club Deluxe Fashion Doll, Ages 4 and up ($19.99)

    Ages 6+

    Mattel: Hot Wheels® Team Hot Wheels™ Total Control Racing™ Supercharged® Stunt Park, Mattel, Ages 6-8 ($49.99)

    LEGO: LEGO Friends Heartlake Stables 3189, Ages 6-12 ($49.99)

    LEGO: LEGO Ninjago Epic Dragon Battle 9450, Ages 6-14 ($119.99)

    Ages 8+

    Hasbro: Furby, Ages 8-10 ($54.99)

    Ages 10+

    Activision Publishing, Inc: Skylanders Giants™, Ages 10+ ($74.99)

    Each winning toy is listed on SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards with links to an online retailer and an “Ask a Parent” button to help ensure parental approval when needed. The winning toys earn a 2012 Savvy Auntie Coolest Award Winner seal for promotional purposes, attracting the powerful PANK® – Professional Aunt No Kids - demographic with Notkin’s “Savvy Auntie Seal of Approval.’

    ###

     

    About Savvy Auntie


    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day® – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands. For more information, visit:     SavvyAuntie.com.

     

    **Melanie Notkin appears on TV as an expert in children’s trends and is available immediately for Holiday Gift Guide stories and TV segments, as well as other child lifestyle expertise as needed.**

     For additional information on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Savvy Auntie:  917.449.2917 or Press@SavvyAuntie.com.  For on-air and talent inquiries, please contact Steven DeVall, N.S. Bienstock, sdevall@nsbtalent.com.

    More

    Joint Study Finds PANKs® Spend $9 Billion on Children Annually

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


    Contact:
    Melanie Notkin
    CEO, Savvy Auntie
    (917) 449-2917
    Press@SavvyAuntie.com

    Joint Study Finds PANKs® - “Professional Aunts No Kids” –
    Spend $9 Billion on Toys and Gifts for Children Annually
    23 million untapped “Savvy Aunties” are primed to be engaged by brands
    at the holiday gift-giving season and all year-round

    – Savvy Auntie® and Weber Shandwick Research ‘The Power of the PANK’ –


    NEW YORK, December 3, 2012 – A new joint national study released today by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick with KRC Research reveals that PANKs - or Professional Aunts No Kids – are a sizeable segment of younger women with disposable income, dynamic influence, and a digitally-connected lifestyle, primed and ready to be engaged by brands. Yet, this powerful market remains virtually untapped.

    PANKs, the emerging demographic of child-loving women who do not have children of their own, was coined and first brought to the attention of marketers by Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie. The sizeable niche represents approximately 23 million Americans, a population size comparable to Black/African American adults (28 million) and a segment larger than other highly sought-after niche markets, such as the LGBT market, estimated to be 16 million. One in five women is a PANK.

    “Move over soccer moms. There’s a new group of smart, powerful women spenders out there. PANKs have time, income and a passion for purchasing the best for the kids in their lives,” says Leslie Gaines-Ross, Chief Reputation Strategist for Weber Shandwick. “It’s a perfect marketing trifecta.” Gaines-Ross notes that the marketing world has long and rightfully focused its resources on moms. “But,” she says, “Our deep dive into social networks has revealed vibrant communities of women who aren’t moms. They are groups – like PANKs – that are well worth a marketer’s attention.”

    In 2008, Notkin launched Savvy Auntie, the only multiplatform lifestyle brand designed specifically for this powerful segment. As the leader of this tribe, Notkin has become the national authority on, and gatekeeper to, this multi-billion dollar demographic. Earlier this year, in order to more deeply explore PANKs and quantitatively address the business opportunity they present, Notkin teamed up with Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations firm.

    The result is ‘The Power of the PANK,’ the first study released from ‘Digital Women Influencers,’ a survey of 2,000 North American women conducted by Weber Shandwick with KRC Research to identify segments who not only have gone unnoticed in the marketing mix but who are influential in their own right.  “I am thrilled to have partnered with Weber Shandwick on this study to be able to quantitatively confirm the generous contributions of this under-targeted niche. While parents are stretched to their limits, PANKs are able – and happy – to offer support to the children in their lives in meaningful ways. They may be secondary caregivers, but with their emotional, financial and material gifts – not to mention their quality time and positive influence – PANKs play a primary role in the vitality of the American Family Village,” says Notkin. “Plus,” Notkin adds, “PANKs demonstrate sizeable market influence in CPG, home, and service categories traditionally marketed mainly to moms.”

    The joint study, available free for download, provides marketers and communicators with key quantitative findings proving PANKs’ value and outlines ways to successfully engage them. According to Notkin, PANKs are the next marketing frontier because while half of all PANKs believe that society overlooks women who don’t have children, there is great opportunity for brands to recognize and acknowledge these women at the holiday gift-giving season, and all year-round.

    Why Marketers Are Paying Attention:
    Weber Shandwick identified 14 Principles of PANKs – compelling reasons why PANKs are integral to any consumer segment-driven marketing plan. Some key characteristics include:

    •    PANKs are an attractive demographic
    PANKs have a higher rate of full-time employment than the average woman and an annual household income that matches that of the average woman. These facts are impressive since PANKs are more than twice as likely as other women to be single. It means that PANKs don’t have to stretch their income among as many people. This household and income profile points to discretionary income as a compelling differentiator from other women. Additionally, PANKs are younger. The average age of a PANK is 36 (vs. 46 years for overall women), a highly desirable age cohort for marketers because it suggests that PANKs potentially have a network of friends and family members with growing families.

    •    PANKs spend money on kids and assist kids’ parents financially.
    PANKs estimate that they spent an average of $387 on each child in their lives during the past year, with 76% having spent more than $500 per child. This translates to an annual PANK buying power estimate averaging roughly $9 billion. PANKs also offer economic assistance by providing kids with things kids’ parents sometimes cannot or will not offer them and many have given gifts to parents to help them provide for their kids.

    •    PANKs are avid info-sharers.
    PANKs are sharing information on a wide range of products and services. They are exceptionally good sharers of information about clothing, vacation/travel, websites/social networks sites, and products for digital devices but also index higher on traditional “mom” categories such as groceries/food and beverages, home appliances and decorating goods.

    •    PANKs are devoted “nesters” but highly social too.
    PANKs are significantly more likely than the average woman to enjoy home decorating and home improvements. They are just as likely as overall women to enjoy domestic life – spending time at home, cooking, entertaining, yard work, and even housekeeping. And at the same time, PANKs are significantly more likely than women overall to enjoy social activities – hanging out with friends, dating, using social networks, volunteering, and participating in sports. PANKs also enjoy attending religious services as much as the average woman.

    How to Reach PANKs
    To give marketers the opportunity to effectively understand, reach, acknowledge and engage PANKs, Melanie Notkin has developed several platforms designed specifically for PANKs, otherwise known to consumers as “Savvy Aunties,” including: SavvyAuntie.com, Auntie’s Day® - a national holiday to celebrate and honor aunts – and a large and influential social media following on Facebook and Twitter. As ‘America’s Savvy Auntie,’ a national bestselling author, and on-air lifestyle expert, Notkin is regularly called upon as a brand spokesperson and influencer. As the national authority on PANKs, Notkin offers strategic consulting to brands looking for a deeper understanding of the market segment at PANKPower.com. Notkin will announce the first PANK Marketing conference in the coming weeks.

    For more detailed information, the executive summary and  infographic, please go to Melanie Notkin’s PANK Marketing Website at: PANKPower.com and Weber Shandwick’s Digital Women Influencers site at: WeberShandwick.com/PANKPower

    About the Study
    The online research was conducted with KRC Research in August 2012 among 2,000 women, ages 18 and over, in the United States and Canada. The margin of error at the 95% level of confidence is ± 5.1 percentage points for PANKs and ±2.25 percentage points for total women.

    # # #


    About Savvy Auntie
    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day® – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and PANKPower.com


    About Weber Shandwick
    Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations firm with offices in 81 countries around the world. The firm has won numerous awards for innovative approaches and creative campaigns, and it has deep expertise in social media and digital marketing. Major practice areas include consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit: http://www.webershandwick.com.  


    About KRC Research
    KRC Research is a full-service market research firm that specializes in the kind of research needed for effective communications—communications that reach, engage and persuade. A unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research offers the quality and custom service of a small firm along with the reach of a global organization. For over 30 years, KRC Research has worked on behalf of corporations, governments, not-for-profits and the communications firms that represent them. Staffed with market research professionals from the worlds of political campaigns, consumer marketing, journalism and academia, we are flexible, practical, creative, knowledgeable and fast, combining sophisticated research tools with real-world communications experience. For more information, visit www.krcresearch.com

    More
  • November 2012

  • Melanie Notkin Reveals the 2012 Savvy Auntie® Coolest Toy Award Winners

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


     

    Contact:

    Melanie Notkin

    CEO, Savvy Auntie

    (917) 449-2917

    Press@SavvyAuntie.com

     

     Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards Seal 2012

     
    Melanie Notkin Reveals the 2012 Savvy Auntie® Coolest Toy Award Winners
    16 Toys Make the Prestigious List of Gifts Kids Want Most -
    Making Aunts and Godmothers Feel like Heroes at the Holidays

     

    NEW YORK, November 21 2012 -- Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts and godmothers, announces her fourth annual list of coolest toys for the 2012 holiday season. 16 toys in all have made the coveted list this year.

    With many toy marketers and toy lists focusing on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards in 2009 to give aunts and other secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the best gift choices for the children in their lives. As a respected toy expert, Notkin meets with toy manufacturers and industry analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys – the ones on the top of most nieces’ and nephews’ lists. “I find the most buzzed about toys based on industry outlooks, toy quality, strong pop culture tie-ins, modern twists on the classics - and then I add a little of my own 'Savvy Auntuition' to produce this list each year,” Notkin says. “The toys children want to play with the most are the definitely the coolest toy choices an aunt can make.”

    Notkin’s annual toy list certainly helps Aunties maintain that “Cool Aunt” status. And Notkin’s toy list also fosters what she’s playfully dubbed: “QualAuntie Time.” The playtime time an Auntie spends with a niece or nephew of any age is quality time - often uninterrupted playtime – and an important part of any child’s developmental growth.  Studies show that from pretend play as babies and toddlers to social development and problem solving as big kids, toys that children enjoy playing with are often an important part of their development. Savvy Aunties are giving kids gifts they crave as well as giving them the opportunity to develop necessary skills through having fun.


    2012 Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners


    There are 16 winners in all, sorted by age. For more information on each award winner and ‘Why Savvy Auntie Loves It’, visit SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards. Please note: prices may vary.


    Ages 2+

    Playskool: Sesame Street Flying Super Grover 2.0, ages 2-4 ($29.99)

    Ages 3+

    Hasbro: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Pony Princess Wedding Castle Playset, ages 3-5 ($39.99)

    Tolly Tots: My Magical Wand Cinderella, ages 3-5 ($49.99)

    Just Play: Disney Doc Mcstuffins “Time For Your Check-Up” Doll, ages 3-5

    Fisher-Price: Jake and the Never Land Pirates - Musical Pirate Ship Bucky, ages 3-5

    Innovation First International: Hexbug Warriors Battle Stadium, Ages 3-8 ($29.99)

    LeapFrog: LeapPad2 Explorer Learning Tablet, ages 3-9 ($99.99)

    Mattel: Monster High® High School, Ages 3 and up ($79.99)

    Ages 4+

    Mega Brands: Mega Bloks Barbie Build ‘n Play Pet Shop, Ages 4 -8 ($24.99) Available for pre-order 12.1.12

    Playmates Toys: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shellraiser, Ages 4 and up ($37.99)

    Jakks Pacific: Winx Club Deluxe Fashion Doll, Ages 4 and up ($19.99)

    Ages 6+

    Mattel: Hot Wheels® Team Hot Wheels™ Total Control Racing™ Supercharged® Stunt Park, Mattel, Ages 6-8 ($49.99)

    LEGO: LEGO Friends Heartlake Stables 3189, Ages 6-12 ($49.99)

    LEGO: LEGO Ninjago Epic Dragon Battle 9450, Ages 6-14 ($119.99)

    Ages 8+

    Hasbro: Furby, Ages 8-10 ($54.99)

    Ages 10+

    Activision Publishing, Inc: Skylanders Giants™, Ages 10+ ($74.99)

    Each winning toy is listed on SavvyAuntie.com/ToyAwards with links to an online retailer and an “Ask a Parent” button to help ensure parental approval when needed. The winning toys earn a 2012 Savvy Auntie Coolest Award Winner seal for promotional purposes, attracting the powerful PANK® – Professional Aunt No Kids - demographic with Notkin’s “Savvy Auntie Seal of Approval.’

    ###

     

    About Savvy Auntie


    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day® – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands. For more information, visit:     SavvyAuntie.com.

     

    **Melanie Notkin appears on TV as an expert in children’s trends and is available immediately for Holiday Gift Guide stories and TV segments, as well as other child lifestyle expertise as needed.**

     For additional information on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Savvy Auntie:  917.449.2917 or Press@SavvyAuntie.com.  For on-air and talent inquiries, please contact Steven DeVall, N.S. Bienstock, sdevall@nsbtalent.com.

    More

    Joint Study Finds PANKs® Spend $9 Billion on Children Annually

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


    Contact:
    Melanie Notkin
    CEO, Savvy Auntie
    (917) 449-2917
    Press@SavvyAuntie.com

    Joint Study Finds PANKs® - “Professional Aunts No Kids” –
    Spend $9 Billion on Toys and Gifts for Children Annually
    23 million untapped “Savvy Aunties” are primed to be engaged by brands
    at the holiday gift-giving season and all year-round

    – Savvy Auntie® and Weber Shandwick Research ‘The Power of the PANK’ –


    NEW YORK, December 3, 2012 – A new joint national study released today by Savvy Auntie and Weber Shandwick with KRC Research reveals that PANKs - or Professional Aunts No Kids – are a sizeable segment of younger women with disposable income, dynamic influence, and a digitally-connected lifestyle, primed and ready to be engaged by brands. Yet, this powerful market remains virtually untapped.

    PANKs, the emerging demographic of child-loving women who do not have children of their own, was coined and first brought to the attention of marketers by Melanie Notkin, founder of Savvy Auntie. The sizeable niche represents approximately 23 million Americans, a population size comparable to Black/African American adults (28 million) and a segment larger than other highly sought-after niche markets, such as the LGBT market, estimated to be 16 million. One in five women is a PANK.

    “Move over soccer moms. There’s a new group of smart, powerful women spenders out there. PANKs have time, income and a passion for purchasing the best for the kids in their lives,” says Leslie Gaines-Ross, Chief Reputation Strategist for Weber Shandwick. “It’s a perfect marketing trifecta.” Gaines-Ross notes that the marketing world has long and rightfully focused its resources on moms. “But,” she says, “Our deep dive into social networks has revealed vibrant communities of women who aren’t moms. They are groups – like PANKs – that are well worth a marketer’s attention.”

    In 2008, Notkin launched Savvy Auntie, the only multiplatform lifestyle brand designed specifically for this powerful segment. As the leader of this tribe, Notkin has become the national authority on, and gatekeeper to, this multi-billion dollar demographic. Earlier this year, in order to more deeply explore PANKs and quantitatively address the business opportunity they present, Notkin teamed up with Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations firm.

    The result is ‘The Power of the PANK,’ the first study released from ‘Digital Women Influencers,’ a survey of 2,000 North American women conducted by Weber Shandwick with KRC Research to identify segments who not only have gone unnoticed in the marketing mix but who are influential in their own right.  “I am thrilled to have partnered with Weber Shandwick on this study to be able to quantitatively confirm the generous contributions of this under-targeted niche. While parents are stretched to their limits, PANKs are able – and happy – to offer support to the children in their lives in meaningful ways. They may be secondary caregivers, but with their emotional, financial and material gifts – not to mention their quality time and positive influence – PANKs play a primary role in the vitality of the American Family Village,” says Notkin. “Plus,” Notkin adds, “PANKs demonstrate sizeable market influence in CPG, home, and service categories traditionally marketed mainly to moms.”

    The joint study, available free for download, provides marketers and communicators with key quantitative findings proving PANKs’ value and outlines ways to successfully engage them. According to Notkin, PANKs are the next marketing frontier because while half of all PANKs believe that society overlooks women who don’t have children, there is great opportunity for brands to recognize and acknowledge these women at the holiday gift-giving season, and all year-round.

    Why Marketers Are Paying Attention:
    Weber Shandwick identified 14 Principles of PANKs – compelling reasons why PANKs are integral to any consumer segment-driven marketing plan. Some key characteristics include:

    •    PANKs are an attractive demographic
    PANKs have a higher rate of full-time employment than the average woman and an annual household income that matches that of the average woman. These facts are impressive since PANKs are more than twice as likely as other women to be single. It means that PANKs don’t have to stretch their income among as many people. This household and income profile points to discretionary income as a compelling differentiator from other women. Additionally, PANKs are younger. The average age of a PANK is 36 (vs. 46 years for overall women), a highly desirable age cohort for marketers because it suggests that PANKs potentially have a network of friends and family members with growing families.

    •    PANKs spend money on kids and assist kids’ parents financially.
    PANKs estimate that they spent an average of $387 on each child in their lives during the past year, with 76% having spent more than $500 per child. This translates to an annual PANK buying power estimate averaging roughly $9 billion. PANKs also offer economic assistance by providing kids with things kids’ parents sometimes cannot or will not offer them and many have given gifts to parents to help them provide for their kids.

    •    PANKs are avid info-sharers.
    PANKs are sharing information on a wide range of products and services. They are exceptionally good sharers of information about clothing, vacation/travel, websites/social networks sites, and products for digital devices but also index higher on traditional “mom” categories such as groceries/food and beverages, home appliances and decorating goods.

    •    PANKs are devoted “nesters” but highly social too.
    PANKs are significantly more likely than the average woman to enjoy home decorating and home improvements. They are just as likely as overall women to enjoy domestic life – spending time at home, cooking, entertaining, yard work, and even housekeeping. And at the same time, PANKs are significantly more likely than women overall to enjoy social activities – hanging out with friends, dating, using social networks, volunteering, and participating in sports. PANKs also enjoy attending religious services as much as the average woman.

    How to Reach PANKs
    To give marketers the opportunity to effectively understand, reach, acknowledge and engage PANKs, Melanie Notkin has developed several platforms designed specifically for PANKs, otherwise known to consumers as “Savvy Aunties,” including: SavvyAuntie.com, Auntie’s Day® - a national holiday to celebrate and honor aunts – and a large and influential social media following on Facebook and Twitter. As ‘America’s Savvy Auntie,’ a national bestselling author, and on-air lifestyle expert, Notkin is regularly called upon as a brand spokesperson and influencer. As the national authority on PANKs, Notkin offers strategic consulting to brands looking for a deeper understanding of the market segment at PANKPower.com. Notkin will announce the first PANK Marketing conference in the coming weeks.

    For more detailed information, the executive summary and  infographic, please go to Melanie Notkin’s PANK Marketing Website at: PANKPower.com and Weber Shandwick’s Digital Women Influencers site at: WeberShandwick.com/PANKPower

    About the Study
    The online research was conducted with KRC Research in August 2012 among 2,000 women, ages 18 and over, in the United States and Canada. The margin of error at the 95% level of confidence is ± 5.1 percentage points for PANKs and ±2.25 percentage points for total women.

    # # #


    About Savvy Auntie
    Founded by Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie is the multi-platform lifestyle brand that empowers and engages aunts, serving the PANK demographic discovered and coined by Notkin, and heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a modern celebration of Aunthood. Notkin launched SavvyAuntie.com in 2008 and it remains the first and only resource and online community for this demographic. The brand also includes a popular and engaged social media following, Auntie’s Day® – a national day founded by Notkin to honor aunts and godmothers, the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Melanie Notkin’s national bestseller: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and all Women Who Love Kids (Morrow 2011). As a lifestyle expert, toy expert and a taste-maker for children’s trends, Notkin appears on TV and as a spokesperson for brands. For more information, visit: SavvyAuntie.com and PANKPower.com


    About Weber Shandwick
    Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations firm with offices in 81 countries around the world. The firm has won numerous awards for innovative approaches and creative campaigns, and it has deep expertise in social media and digital marketing. Major practice areas include consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit: http://www.webershandwick.com.  


    About KRC Research
    KRC Research is a full-service market research firm that specializes in the kind of research needed for effective communications—communications that reach, engage and persuade. A unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research offers the quality and custom service of a small firm along with the reach of a global organization. For over 30 years, KRC Research has worked on behalf of corporations, governments, not-for-profits and the communications firms that represent them. Staffed with market research professionals from the worlds of political campaigns, consumer marketing, journalism and academia, we are flexible, practical, creative, knowledgeable and fast, combining sophisticated research tools with real-world communications experience. For more information, visit www.krcresearch.com

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  • January 2012

  • Fourth Annual “Auntie’s Day®” is Sunday July 22nd, 2012



    Fourth Annual “Auntie’s Day™” is Sunday July 22th, 2012

    National Holiday Honoring Aunts and Godmothers, Sponsored by Savvy Auntie®

    ‘Aunthood is a Gift. This Day is Yours.’


    NEW YORK—January 9, 2012—Melanie Notkin, lifestyle expert, founder of SavvyAuntie.com,  and author of national bestseller, SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (Morrow/HarperCollins) announces the date for the fourth annual national holiday honoring and celebrating aunties and godmothers. Auntie’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday, July 22nd, 2012.

    Auntie’s Day, sponsored by Savvy Auntie, is a time to thank, honor and celebrate the aunt in a child’s life, whether she is an Auntie by Relation (ABR), Auntie by Choice (ABC), or godmother, for everything she does for a child not-her-own. An estimated 50 percent of American women do not have children but still devote discretionary time and income to their nieces, nephews, godchildren and other kids. Notkin has dubbed this powerful and influential segment of American women PANKs® - Professional Aunts No Kids.

    On Auntie’s Day – a ‘Mother’s Day’ for aunts - aunts and godmothers will be celebrated with special activities and gifts. The official Auntie’s Day web destination (www.AuntiesDay.com) will feature ideas on how parents and nieces and nephews can celebrate the Savvy Auntie in their lives and how aunts can pamper and treat themselves on their special day. In honor of the day, Savvy Auntie will also host promotions for aunties on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie, and on Facebook: http://Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie.

    “It’s time that all women in the American Family Village are honored for their selfless giving to the children in their lives,” said Notkin. “An aunt is there to provide ‘QualAuntie Time’ and experiences as a loving caregiver and “ConfidAunt” to her nieces and nephews from the day they are born and as they grow up. Many women without children of their own also give tirelessly to children all over the world. These BenevolAunts are due their day to be honored.”

    ###

    About Savvy Auntie
    Savvy Auntie is the lifestyle destination designed for the nearly 50 percent of American women who are not moms but love the children in their lives. Founded in 2007 by lifestyle expert and now national bestselling author, Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie has become a phenomenon heralded by fabulous, kid-friendly women everywhere as a celebration of modern, cosmopolitan aunthood. Launched in 2008, SavvyAuntie.com is the Webby Award–nominated premier destination for aunts –dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents.” SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (Morrow/HarperCollins) was released earlier this spring and is a Wall Street Journal National Bestseller.

    About Melanie Notkin
    Melanie Notkin is America’s premier Savvy Auntie, empowering the nearly 50 percent of American women who are not moms to celebrate all they do for the children in their lives, while living their own lives to the fullest. As lifestyle expert and tastemaker, Auntie Melanie has been featured numerous times on CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX , as well as in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and NPR and is author of the national bestseller, SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (Morrow/HarperCollins).  http://MelanieNotkin.com.
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  • November 2011

  • 2011 Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners Announced

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Media Contact:
    Melanie Notkin (Founder)
    Press@SavvyAuntie.com
    (917) 449 2917 (PRESS ONLY)

    Child Lifestyle Expert, Best-Selling Author and Premier SAVVY AUNTIE®
    Melanie Notkin Honors the Most Coveted Toys of the Year:
    THE 3RD ANNUAL SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS.




    New York, NY – November 17, 2011 – Melanie Notkin,  founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts by relation, aunts by choice and godmothers, announces her annual list of coolest toys for the 2011 holiday season. Thirty toys in all have made the coveted list this year.

    Notkin is the tribal leader for the underrepresented 50% of American women whom she’s dubbed “Savvy Aunties.”  This influential demographic of PANKs® (Professional Aunts No Kids) has a strong desire to make the most savvy toy choices each season. With many toy marketers and toy lists focusing on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards in 2009 to give aunts and other secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the best gift choices for the children in their lives.

    Notkin’s toy list certainly helps Aunties maintain that “Cool Aunt” status. And Notkin’s toy list also fosters what she’s playfully dubbed: “QualAuntie Time.” The playtime time an Auntie spends with a niece or nephew of any age is quality time - often uninterrupted playtime - an important part of any baby and child’s developmental growth.  Studies show that from pretend play as babies and toddlers to social development and problem solving as big kids, toys that children enjoy playing with are often an important part of their development. Savvy Aunties are giving kids gifts they crave as well as giving them the opportunity to develop necessary skills through having fun.

    As a respected toy expert, Notkin meets with toy manufactures and industry analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys – the ones on the top of most nieces’ and nephews’ lists. “I find the most buzzed about toys based on industry outlooks, toy quality, strong pop culture tie-ins, modern twists on the classics - and then I add a little of my own “Savvy Auntuition” to produce this list each year,” Notkin says. “The toys they want to play with the most are the definitely the coolest toy choices an aunt can make.”

     
    SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS By Age

    Babipouce Sorbet First Baby Doll, ages infant+ (Corolle)

    Sesame Street Let's Rock! Elmo, ages 18 months-4 (Playskool)

    Rock Star Mickey, ages 2-4 (Fisher-Price)

    Big Action Construction Site with Remote Control, ages 3-5 (Fisher-Price)

    Dora the Explorer Fiesta Favorites Kitchen, ages 3-5 (Fisher-Price)

    Disney Animators' Collection Dolls, ages 3+ (Disney)

    Disney Princess Castle Dollhouse: Ultimate Dream Castle, ages 3-5 (Disney)

    Squinkies Barbie Dream House Playset, ages 4-6 (Blip Toys)

    Lalaloopsy Dolls, ages 4-6 (MGA Entertainment)

    Angelina Ballerina Dance with Me! Game, ages 4-6 (Wonder Forge)

    Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Starter Set, ages 4-6 (Mattel)

    Smurfs Toys, ages 4-6 (Jakks Pacific)

    LeapPad, ages 4-9 (LeapFrog)

    Angry Birds Knock on Wood Game, ages 5-7 (Mattel)

    Spy Net Rearview Spy Glasses, ages 5-8 (Jakks Pacific)

    Crayola Glow Book, ages 6-12 (Crayola)

    Moshi Monsters, ages 6-10 (Spin Master)

    Umagine Bizu Bead Style Studio, ages 6-8 (Spin Master)

    Justin Bieber Rockin' Tour Bus and Concert Stage, ages 6-8 (The Bridge Direct)

    Fijit Friends Interactive Toy, ages 6-9 (Mattel)

    Monster High Lagoona's Hydration Station & Doll, ages 6-8 (Mattel)

    Crayola Model Magic Jewelry Studio, ages 6-8 (Crayola)

    Beyblade Extreme Top System IR Spin Control Galaxy Pegasus Set, ages 8-10 (Hasbro)

    Real Steel playest, ages 8-10 (Jakks Pacific)

    LEGO Fire Temple – Ninjago, ages 8-10 (LEGO)

    Nerf Vortex Vigilon Blaster, ages 8+ (Hasbro)

    Monopoly: Electronic Banking Edition, ages 8+ (Hasbro)

    Perplexus – Epic, ages 8-10  (PlaSmart)

    Hedbanz Game, ages 8-12 (Spin Master)

    Kre-O Transformers Optimus Prime Construction Set, ages 8-14 (Hasbro)

    Each winning toy is listed on Savvy Auntie with links to an online retailer for purchase. The winning brands receive a 2011 Savvy Auntie Coolest Award Winner seal for promotional purposes, attracting the PANK demographic with Notkin’s ‘stamp of approval.’

    ###


    About Melanie Notkin

    Melanie Notkin (a.k.a Savvy Auntie) is the founder of SavvyAuntie.com and creator of the popular Savvy Auntie lifestyle brand – the phenomenon heralded by fabulous kid-loving women everywhere as a celebration of modern, cosmopolitan Aunthood.  She’s also the national best-selling author of Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (April 2011 - Morrow/Harpercollins). She’s the founder of Auntie’s Day™, the first national holiday to honor and celebrate aunts and aunthood. Notkin is one of the most influential personalities in social media, including a Top 100 Most Powerful Woman on Twitter (grader)  and a Top 10 Woman in Social Media (genConnect/Yahoo Shine) As toy expert, Notkin serves on the Toy Industry Association – ‘Toy of the Year’ Nomination Committee.

    Melanie Notkin appears on TV as taste-maker for children’s trends and is available immediately as a lifestyle expert for Holiday Gift Guide stories and TV segments, as well as other child lifestyle expertise as needed. For additional information on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Savvy Auntie:  917.449.2917 or Press@SavvyAuntie.com .

    Savvy Auntie.com  l  MelanieNotkin.com  l  Reel  l Twitter.com l  Facebook.com l  Youtube.com

    About Savvy Auntie

    SavvyAuntie.com, a 2011 Forbes Top 100 Websites for Women and 2009 Webby Award nominee, is the first resource and online community for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR), Aunts by Choice (ABC) and all fabulous kid-friendly women. The website offers advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews. The Savvy Auntie community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of aunt-hood. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” and earning praise from the New York Times to Elle Italy, Savvy Auntie empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunthood.

    More
  • April 2011

  • SAVVY AUNTIE - It’s Not Just a Book, It’s a Movement.

    Publicity Contacts:
    Sharyn Rosenblum sharyn.rosenblum@harpercollins.com/ (212) 207-7470
    Stephanie Kim stephanie.kim@harpercollins.com/ (212) 207-7692


    Not since Helen Gurley Brown championed the single woman in her seminal 1962 book: Sex and the Single Girl, has there been a more influential advocate for the underappreciated, powerful segment of childless women who embrace aunthood and cherish the presence of children in their lives.

    SAVVY AUNTIE
    It’s Not Just a Book, It’s a Movement.
    On-Sale: April 26, 2011


    "What a wonderful gift this book is for aunties of all of ages, backgrounds, shapes, and varieties! This world is full of child-loving childless women (myself included) and finally we have been given a clever and thoughtful voice of our own. Read this book, embrace it, pass it along: SAVVY AUNTIE, like the women it celebrates, is destined to be dearly loved."
    —Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and Committed

    “I honestly don't know what I would do without the aunties, uncles, and of course, The Guncles in my kids' lives. Melanie's book is invaluable to me as a mom—and as a Savvy Auntie and godmommy myself—because I understand what a gift it is for a child to be loved by so many adoring grownups. On behalf of the kids and moms, thank you, Savvy Auntie!  We love you!”
    —Tori Spelling, bestselling author and actress

    “Nothing makes people happier than loving relationships – and in this marvelous celebration of Savvy Aunties' love for their nieces and nephews, Melanie Notkin shines a much-needed spotlight on a bond that brings so much happiness to so many people.”
    —Gretchen Rubin, Bestselling Author of The Happiness Project

    “A chic guide for new and experienced aunts that establishes their valuable family role…
    Communal childrearing at its finest.”
    —Kirkus Reviews

    Amazingly, nearly 50% of American women don’t have biological children; yet, most of these women still enjoy the presence, privilege, and love of children in their lives. This all-important tribe of women are the Aunts—and they are a vital part of the American Family Village.  As the original Savvy Auntie and founder of massively popular web community, SavvyAuntie.com, launched in July 2008, Melanie Notkin has quickly emerged as the voice of an ever-growing movement. A social media entrepreneur with more than 42,000 fans on Facebook, and 15,000 followers on Twitter, Melanie was recently named one of the 10 Power Women in Social Media by Shine.Yahoo.com.

    Melanie’s debut publication, SAVVY AUNTIE: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers, and All Women Who Love Kids (William Morrow; On-Sale: April 26, 2011; Hardcover; Price: $24.99/$32.99 Can.), encompasses tips on everything from “what to expect when she’s expecting,” how to facilitate “QualAuntie” playtime with your niece or nephew, and disenfranchised grief for those who do not have children but want them, to create the first all-inclusive guide to aunthood.

    When Melanie welcomed her first nephew into the family, the overwhelming love and devotion she felt as she stood in the delivery ward, carefully cradling her newborn nephew, inspired her to learn more about the influential role aunts have in helping shape a child’s life. But she was hard-pressed to find resources for non-moms who have children in their lives by relation and by choice. After realizing that there were many women just like her, Melanie took it upon herself to create a unifying lifestyle platform for the modern, cosmopolitan American woman. She dubbed these women PANKs®: Professional Aunts No Kids.

    Drawing from sound psychological guidance, expert testimonials, and practical anecdotes from real aunts: SAVVY AUNTIE smartly explores the evolving role of the aunt and the changing nature of family in a modern era—it is a true celebration of aunthood.

    The Savvy Experts Include…

    •    Dr. Miriam Greene: Hosts Doctor Radio on Sirius Channel 114 and XM Channel 119. Fun fact: Dr. Greene also played an ob-gyn on TV. She delivered Miranda's baby, Brady, on Sex and the City!
    •    Rosemarie Truglio, Ph.D: VP of Education and Research for Sesame Street.
    •    Carley Roney: Founder of The Knot.com and TheBump.com.
    •    Stephanie Baffone, LPCMH, NCC: A grief counselor who discusses disenfranchised grief for childless women.
    •    Dr. Christiane Northrup: Bestselling author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing.
    •    Alexis Martin Neely: Founder and CEO of the Family Wealth Planning Institute.
    •    Lyss Stern: Founder of New York City’s social network, www.divalyssciousmoms.com, and editor-in-chief of Observer Playground Magazine.

    …and Many More!

    About the Author:
    Before developing Savvy Auntie, Melanie was an interactive marketing and communications executive for global Fortune 500 companies, including New York Times Digital and American Express, as well as L’Oréal. She is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada where she was born and raised. She is a Savvy Auntie and Auntie by Relation (ABR) to a number of wonderful children who are the loves of her life. She is also an Auntie By Choice (ABC) to all of her friends’ kids, who come in a very close second. Melanie resides in New York.

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  • October 2010

  • The 2nd Annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Media Contact:
    Melanie Notkin (Founder)
    Press@SavvyAuntie.com
    (917) 449 2917 (PRESS ONLY)

    Child Lifestyle Expert, Author and Premier SAVVY AUNTIE®
    Melanie Notkin Honors the Most Coveted Toys of the Year:
    The 2nd Annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards.

    New York, NY – October 21, 2010 – Melanie Notkin, the founder and CEO of Savvy Auntie, the multiplatform lifestyle brand for aunts by relation, aunts by choice and godmothers, announces her gift ideas for nephews and nieces available this holiday season. There are 16 toys with the “Coolest” title, 6 toys with the “Lux” title ($99 and over), and 16 toys with honorable mentions.

    Notkin has proudly accepted the position as tribal leader for the underrepresented 50% of American women whom she’s dubbed PANKs™ (Professional Aunts No Kids).  This underserved demographic has a strong desire to make the most savvy toy choices this season. When Notkin realized many toy marketers focus on primary caregivers, Notkin created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards in 2009 to give aunts and other secondary caregivers the toy-savvy they need to make the right gift choices for the children in their lives.

    As toy expert, Notkin meets with manufactures as well as industry analysts to discover the year’s ground-breaking toys. After all, every Savvy Auntie wants to deliver the “wow” factor to a child when gift giving. “The 2010 holiday season lineup is filled with toys that support music, science or reading, and many toys that foster imaginative, open-ended play,” says Notkin. “The ones I deemed the “Coolest” are ones that I believe bring strong play value - and are also the ones that most kids have at the very top of their wish list.” Notkin also included some nostalgic toys that have come back into fashion for those aunts searching for the tried-and-true perennial favorites.
     
    SAVVY AUNTIE COOLEST TOY AWARDS  (By age range)

    Coolest:

    1.    Sing-A-Ma-Jigs, ages 3-5, $12.99 (Fisher-Price)
    2.    Pillow Pets, ages 3-4, $19.99 (Ontel Products Corp)
    3.    Disney Princess Magic Rise Oven, ages 3-5 $29.99 (Jakks Pacific)
    4.    Hexbug Nano Habitat Set, ages, 3-8, $29.99 (Innovation First Inc)
    5.    Real Construction Deluxe Tool Set , ages 4-6, $21.99(Jakks Pacific)
    6.    Squinkies, ages 4-6, $11.99 (Blip Toys)
    7.    My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Playset, ages 4-6, $19.99,  (Hasbro)
    8.    Zoobles, age 4-7, $9.99 (Spin Master)
    9.    Leapster Explorer Learning Experience, ages 4-9, $69.99 (Leapfrog)
    10.    Disney Princess and Me Doll, ages 5-8, $49.99 (Jakks Pacific)
    11.    Monster High Dolls, ages 6-8 $24.99 (Mattel)
    12.    LEGO Games Creationary, ages 7-14, $36.99 (LEGO)
    13.    Paper Jamz, ages 8-10, $24,99 (WowWee)
    14.    Nerf N Striker Stampede EC, ages 8-10, $49.99 (Hasbro)
    15.    TONKA Ricochet RC Vehicle, ages 8-10, $79.99 (Hasbro)
    16.    LEGO Star Wars Slave I™, ages 9-14, $79.99, (LEGO)

    Lux:

    1.    Fisher-Price Loving Family Grand Dollhouse Super Set, ages 3-6, $159.99 (Fisher-Price)
    2.    Imaginext Big Foot the Monster, ages 3-7, $109.99 (Fisher-Price)
    3.    Great Dragon Castle, ages 4-6, $154.99 (Playmobile)
    4.    Furreal Friends Pony -Butterscotch, ages 5-7, $299.99 (Hasbro)
    5.    Ground Force Drifter, ages 8+, $299.99 (Razor)
    6.    LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle, ages 9-14, $129.99 (LEGO)

    Honorable Mentions:

    1.    Jane Goodall Collection, ages 0-6, $24,99, (Miyim)
    2.    Weebles Wobble-Go-‘Round, ages 12-18 months, $14.99 (Playskool)
    3.    12" Raggedy Ann 95th Anniversary Edition Doll, ages 1-6, $24.00 (Applause)
    4.    Dance Star Mickey, ages 18 months-3, $69.99 (Fisher-Price)
    5.    Learn to Dress Kitty, ages 2-4, $34.99, (Alex Toys)
    6.    Dollie & Me Dolls and Clothes, ages 2-9 $26.99-$44.99(Kahn Lucas)
    7.    StinkyKids, ages 3-6, $16.50 (Madame Alexander)
    8.    18 inch Pinkalicious Cloth Doll, age 3-6, $39.99 (Madame Alexander)
    9.    TAG Activity Storybook - World Map, ages 4-6, $19.99 (Leapfrog)
    10.    Justin Bieber Singing Doll, ages 4-6, $24.99 (The Bridget Direct)
    11.    Les Cheries 13 inch Dolls, ages 4-8, $24.99 (Corolle)
    12.    TRON: Legacy 12 inch Ultimate Action Figure - Sam Flynn, ages 4-11, $39.99 (Spin Master)
    13.    Barbie Video Girl Barbie Doll, ages 5-7, $49.99 (Mattel)
    14.    Bakugan Dragonoid Colossus, ages 5-7, $39.99 (Spin Master)
    15.    RC Rattlesnake, ages 7-13, $39.99 (Natural History Museum)
    16.    Hot Wheels  Remote Control Stealth Rides Power Treads Tank, ages 8-10, $24.99 (Mattel)
    Each winning toy is listed on Savvy Auntie and links to an online retailer.  The representative brands receive an award seal to post on their site, further attracting the PANK demographic with Notkin’s ‘stamp of approval.’

    ###

    About Melanie Notkin

    Melanie Notkin is America’s premier Savvy Auntie, empowering the nearly 50 percent of American women who are not moms to celebrate all they do for the children in their lives, while living their own lives to the fullest. She launched SavvyAuntie.com, the first online community for aunts and godmothers, in the summer of 2008; and in the summer of 2009, she launched Auntie’s Day, the first national holiday to honor aunts and aunthood. Her first book: Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids, will be released in March 2011.

    Notkin has appeared on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX and Better TV as taste-maker for children’s trends and serves on the Toy Industry Association – ‘Toy of the Year’ Nominating Committee.
    Melanie Notkin is available immediately as a lifestyle expert for Holiday Gift Guide stories and TV segments, as well as other child lifestyle expertise as needed. For additional information on the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards and Savvy Auntie:  917.44.2917 or Press@SavvyAuntie.com .

    MelanieNotkin.com  l  Reel  l Twitter.com l  Facebook.com l  Youtube.com

    About Savvy Auntie

    SavvyAuntie.com, Webby Award nominee,  is the first resource and online community for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR), Aunts by Choice (ABC) and all fabulous kid-friendly women. The website offers advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” and earning praise from the New York Times to Elle Italy, Savvy Auntie empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunthood.


    More
  • May 2010

  • Second Annual “Auntie’s Day” is Sunday, July 25th

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    For More Information Contact:
    Melanie Notkin - Founder and CEO
    Press@SavvyAuntie.com
    (917) 449 - 2917


    Second Annual “Auntie’s Day” is Sunday July 25th
    National Holiday Honoring Aunts and Godmothers, Sponsored by SavvyAuntie.com


    NEW YORK—May 18, 2010—Melanie Notkin, lifestyle expert and founder of SavvyAuntie.com, announces the date for the second annual national holiday honoring and celebrating aunties and godmothers. Auntie’s Day will be celebrated this year on Sunday, July 25th, 2010.

    Auntie’s Day, sponsored by SavvyAuntie.com, is a time to thank, honor and celebrate the aunt in a child’s life, whether she is an Auntie by Relation (ABR), Auntie by Choice (ABC), or godmother, for all the love, emotional support and fabulous gifts she offers. An estimated 50% of American women do not have children of their own, but still devote discretionary time and income to their nieces, nephews, godchildren and other kids. Notkin has dubbed this powerful and influential segment of American women PANKs, Professional Aunts No Kids.

    On SavvyAuntie.com’s Auntie’s Day – a Mother’s Day for aunts - aunts and godmothers will be celebrated with special activities and gifts. The official Savvy Auntie’s Day web destination (www.AuntiesDay.com) will feature ideas on how parents can celebrate their child’s auntie and how aunts can pamper and treat themselves. In honor of the day, Savvy Auntie will also host promotions for aunties on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie, and on Facebook: http://Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie.

    “It’s time that childless women in the American Family Village are honored for their selfless giving to the children in their lives,” said Notkin. “An aunt is there to provide quality time and experiences as a loving caregiver and “confide-aunt” to her nieces and nephews from the day they are born and as they grow up. Many childless women also give tirelessly to children all over the world.”

    # # #

    About SavvyAuntie.com
    Savvy Auntie is the Webby Award–nominated premier destination for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR) and Aunts by Choice (ABC). With advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunt-hood. Savvy Auntie can be found at www.SavvyAuntie.com, Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie and Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie.

    About Melanie Notkin
    Melanie Notkin is America’s premier Savvy Auntie, empowering the nearly 50% of American women who are not moms to celebrate all they do for the children in their lives, while living their own lives to the fullest. As child lifestyle expert and tastemaker, Auntie Melanie has been featured numerous times on NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and CW and is author of the upcoming book: The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life: The Ultimate Source for Cool Aunts, Great Aunts, Godmothers and All Women Who Love Kids (William Morrow / HarperCollins). http://MelanieNotkin.com.

    More
  • October 2009

  • Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards 2009 Announced




    Child Lifestyle Expert and Premier SAVVY AUNTIE, Melanie Notkin Honors the Most Trendsetting, the Most Luxurious, and the Most Notable Toys for the 2009 Holiday Season

    New York, NY – October 29, 2009 – Melanie Notkin, the founder and CEO of the multi-platform lifestyle brand for kid-friendly women who are aunts by relation, aunts by choice, and godmothers, Savvy Auntie®, is sharing her favorite gifts for nephews and nieces available this holiday season by awarding 12 toys with the “Coolest” title, 6 toys with the “Lux” title (costing $100 and over), and 8 toys will receive honorable mentions.

    Notkin has identified and stepped to the forefront for the underrepresented 50% of American women whom she refers to as PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids). This underserved demographic has strong, untapped, consumer power. In order to offer these child-loving women a resource to aid in their holiday gift shopping, Notkin has created the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards.

    In order to compile a list of the most coveted and exciting gifts for nieces and nephews, the first toy awards designed for Savvy Aunties, Notkin selected her lists based on the most coveted toys of the season that she found to also be the most innovative. “These toys certainly have that “cool” factor that aunts want when her nieces, nephews and children in her life open their gifts this holiday season,” says Notkin. “From modern twists on the classics to toys that entered the market just this year, we’ve identified the ones we think will encourage play, imagination, as well as learning and role-play.

    SAVVY AUNTIE’S TOY AWARDS

    Coolest:

    Crayola Beginnings: Color Me a Song, ages 2-4, $24.99 (Crayola)

    Leapfrog Tag Junior Book Pal Reading System, ages 2-4 $39.99 (Leapfrog)

    Matchbox Rocky The Robot Truck, ages 3-6, $59.99 (Mattel)

    Playskool Kota and Pals Hatchlings – Triceratops, ages 3-8, $14,99 (Hasbro)

    Harumika Super Style Accents, ages 6-14, $9.99 (Bandai)

    Disney Princess and The Frog Tiana Doll ages 3-6, $10.99 (Mattel)

    Liv Fashion Dolls, ages 3-8, $19.99 (Spin Master)

    zhu zhu Pets Hamsters and assorted play sets, ages 4-8, $9.99-$21.99 (Cepia)

    Dr. Seuss Super Stretchy ABCs Active Game, ages 3-6, $19.99 (I Can Do That Games)

    Printies Pet Design Studio, ages 6-12, $19.99 (Techno Source)

    Bakugan New Vestroia 7 in 1 Maxus Dragonoid, ages 5-12, $39.99 (Spin Master)

    Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen Roleplay Helmet – Bumblebee, ages 5-9, $39.99 (Hasbro)

    Lux:

    Fisher-Price Handy Manny's Repair Shop, ages 3-5 $100, (Fisher-Price)

    Corolle 17" Lila Interactive Baby Doll, ages 3-8, $100 (Corolle)

    Corolle Navy and Pink Baby Doll Carriage Stroller, ages 3-8 (Corolle)

    Steiff Selection – Lying Lamb, ages newborn -2, $135.00 (Steiff)

    Barbie Pink World 3-Story Dream Townhouse, ages 3-8, $159.99 (Mattel)

    LEGO Star Wars: The Clone Wars Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser, ages 9-14, $129.99

    Honorable Mentions:

    Leapfrog My Puppy Pal Scout, ages 6 months -3, $19.99 (Leapfrog)

    Vtech Kidizoom Plus Pre-School 2.0MP Digital Camera, ages 3-9, $59.99 (Vtech)

    Barbie(R) Fashionistas, ages 3-8, $11.99 (Mattel)

    Moxie Girlz Doll, ages 4-8, $9.99 (MGA Entertainment)

    Best Friends Club Dolls, ages 6-10, $39.99 (MGA Entertainment)

    LEGO Bionicle Baramus, ages 9-16, $41.00, (LEGO)

    Nerf N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 Blaster with 35 Darts, ages 6-11, $34.99 (Hasbro)

    Dell Inspiron Mini 10V, Nickelodeon Edition, ages 8-12, $329.00 (Dell)

    Each winning toy will be listed on Savvy Auntie and will link to an online retailer.  Winners will also receive an award winning seal to post on their site, further attracting the PANK demographic with Notkin’s stamp of approval.  “Kids know that the cool aunt, godmother, or best friend always gives the coolest gifts during the holidays.  The Savvy Auntie Toy Awards support all the cool aunts out there,” says Notkin.

    Notkin is a regular on FOX News and has appeared on NBC, CBS and Better TV as taste-maker for children’s trends. She’s been published in The New York Times and writes a blog about her experience as the founder of Savvy Auntie. Additionally, she is the Editor in Chief of SavvyAuntie.com and ensures all content is aunt-friendly and newsworthy to child development as well as the Savvy Auntie lifestyle.  SavvyAuntie.com’s integrity earned a Webby Award nomination in 2009 for Best Parenting/Family site.

    For additional information, follow Melanie Notkin on Twitter @savvyauntie!  For interviews with Melanie Notkin as well as additional information on the Savvy Auntie Toy Awards and on the Savvy Auntie platform, please contact 203-326-1070 or agcrisci@gmail.com.

    ###

    About Savvy Auntie

    SavvyAuntie.com, Webby Award nominee, is the first resource and online community for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR), Aunts by Choice (ABC) and all fabulous kid-friendly women. The website offers advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” and earning praise from the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, More Magazine and others, Savvy Auntie empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunt-hood. The site can be found at www.SavvyAuntie.com



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  • June 2009

  • Savvy Auntie to Launch First National Holiday Honoring Aunts, Godmothers July 26

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    For More Information Contact:
    Melanie Notkin - Founder and CEO
    Melanie@SavvyAuntie.com
    (212) 561-1531


    Savvy Auntie to Launch First National Holiday
    Honoring Aunts and Godmothers July 26


    NEW YORK—June 29, 2009—Melanie Notkin, Founder and CEO of SavvyAuntie.com, announces the first national holiday honoring and celebrating aunties and godmothers, Savvy Auntie’s Day, which will be celebrated annually on the 4th Sunday of July, starting this year on July 26th.

    Savvy Auntie’s Day is a time to thank, honor and celebrate the aunt in a child’s life, whether she is an Auntie by Relation (ABR), Auntie by Choice (ABC) or godmother, for all the love, emotional support and of course fabulous gifts she offers the children in her life. An estimated 50% of American women do not have children of their own, but still devote discretionary time and income to their nieces, nephews, godchildren and other kids. Notkin has dubbed this powerful and influential segment of American women PANKs, Professional Aunts No Kids. Until now, there was no nationally recognized day devoted only to the PANKs. After Notkin received numerous requests to launch such a day from aunts and parents alike, Savvy Auntie’s Day began to take shape.

    On Savvy Auntie’s Day – like a Mother’s Day for aunts - aunts and godmothers will be celebrated with activities and gifts. The official Savvy Auntie’s Day web destination (www.SavvyAuntiesDay.com) features ideas on how parents can celebrate their child’s auntie and how aunts can pamper and treat themselves. Beginning July 20, Savvy Auntie will host giveaways and contests for aunties on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie, and its Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/SavvyAuntie.

    “The aunties in the SavvyAuntie.com community do so much for their nieces, nephews and godchildren,” said Notkin. “I’ve read amazing stories on SavvyAuntie.com, one about an auntie who reached out to her suicidal niece before she hurt herself, ultimately saving her niece’s life, and testimonials from mothers who don’t know how they could raise their children without their sisters. Aunties are the unsung heroes of the family and we wanted to give our thanks by dedicating every fourth Sunday in July to them.”

    The symbol of Savvy Auntie’s Day is the flower, inspired by Notkin, who often wears a brightly colored flower, to the delight of the children in her life. Give a flower to your Savvy Auntie this Savvy Auntie’s Day, and Aunties, wear a flower to show your pride for being a Savvy Auntie on July 26th!

    For more information please visit http://SavvyAuntiesDay.com.


    # # #

    About SavvyAuntie.com
    SavvyAuntie.com is the first resource and online community for aunts – Aunts by Relation (ABR) and Aunts by Choice (ABC). With advice and expertise developed just for aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate aunt-hood. The site can be found at www.SavvyAuntie.com

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  • April 2009

  • SavvyAuntie.com Nominated for “Best Family/Parenting Site” Webby Award

    SavvyAuntie.com Nominated for “Best Family/Parenting Site” in The 13th Annual Webby Awards

    Fans Can Vote Online to Help SavvyAuntie.com Win Internet's Top Honor

    NEW YORK, NY – April 15, 2009 – SavvyAuntie.com announced today that it has been nominated for Best Family/Parenting Site in the 13th Annual Webby Awards.

    The leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, The Webby Awards have been hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times.

    Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com provides resources, activities, gift ideas and community for all women who love kids, including tens of millions of PANKs - Professional Aunts No Kids. Empowering and engaging the women who indulge the children in their lives, as well as themselves, SavvyAuntie.com supplies a valuable online touchstone for women to celebrate Aunt-hood.

    "Nominees like SavvyAuntie.com are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet," said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards. "It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the nearly 10,000 entries we received this year."

    “With or without kids of their own, many women love children, and love indulging them,” said Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of SavvyAuntie.com. “Being nominated for The Webby Awards is a rare honor that recognizes SavvyAuntie.com as a unique site for aunts, while highlighting the strength and support these incredible women bring to their families and to each other.”

    As a nominee, SavvyAuntie.com is also eligible to win a Webby People's Voice Award, which is voted online by the global Web community. From now until April 30th, SavvyAuntie.com fans can cast their votes in The Webby People's Voice Awards at http://pv.webbyawards.com.  

    Winners will be announced on May 5th, 2009 and honored at a star-studded ceremony in New York City on June 8th hosted by Seth Meyers. Winners will be able to share one of the Webby's famous five-word speeches with the world. Past Webby Award winners - and their speeches - include Al Gore ("Please don't recount this vote."), Beastie Boys ("Can anyone fix my computer?"), and Stephen Colbert ("Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.").

    The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 650-person judging academy whose members include Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf, R/GA's Chief Bob Greenberg, "Simpson's" creator Matt Groening, Arianna Huffington, and Harvey Weinstein.

    About SavvyAuntie.com

    SavvyAuntie.com is the first resource and online community for Aunts - the approximately 50% of American woman who are not moms but love and adore children. With advice and expertise developed just for Aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, Aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables Aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of Aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate Aunt-hood. The site can be found at http://beta.savvyauntie.com.  

    About The Webby Awards

    Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 13th Annual Webby Awards received over 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Microsoft Silverlight; The Creative Group; .ORG; Getty Images; The Barbarian Group; Digital Kitchen; Wired; IDG; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image. More
  • October 2008

  • SavvyAuntie.com Launches 'Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas' Gift Guide

    Contact:
    SavvyAuntie.com:
    Melanie Notkin           
    212 561-1531                 
    press@savvyauntie.com


    SavvyAuntie.com Launches 'Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas' Gift Guide
    First Online Community for Aunts Launches First Online Holiday Gift Guide for Non-Parents

    New York, NY (PRWEB) October 13, 2008 - SavvyAuntie.com, the first online community for cool aunts, great aunts, godmothers and all women who love kids, has launched its first-ever Holiday Gift Guide. Savvy Auntie Holiday Gifts is the list of the hottest toys handpicked by Melanie Notkin, Founder and CEO of SavvyAuntie.com, who teamed up with toy experts, retailers and manufacturers, to bring Aunts the best gift ideas for their nieces and nephews and friends' kids this holiday season.

    "Until now, Aunts never had a gift guide designed just for them, and if you don't have kids of your own, it's very challenging to know what kids crave," said Notkin. "With the SavvyAuntie.com Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas holiday gift guide, Aunties can feel confident that they are choosing among the season's top gift ideas and hottest toys for their nieces and nephews."

    SavvyAuntie's picks for the season's best gift and hot toy ideas include some classic characters and brands: Elmo; LEGO; Crayola; Tinker Bell; Star Wars; Fur Real Pets; Barbie; Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob, as well as newer trends like: Bakugan; Kota the Triceratops; Yo Gabba Gabba; Wow Wow Wubbzy; iCarly; Hannah Montana; Guitar Hero; U-Dance; Ming Ming and Fancy Nancy.

    In true Savvy Auntie fashion, the Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas can be custom filtered so Aunties can find the perfect holiday gift for a niece or nephew. Besides the basics, such as age, price and category, Savvy Aunties can also filter gifts by the child's personality, a beloved character or brand, and the child's favorite color. And since she may want to include a little bit of herself in her gift choice, Auntie can also choose gifts that reflect her own Auntie personality.

    Each gift idea includes a special reason 'Why Savvy Auntie Loves it.' But SavvyAuntie.com members can also share their own opinions on the Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas gift guide by adding a comment review or by ranking the toy. Members can also save their favorite gifts to their Gift List to keep track as new holiday gift ideas are added regularly. Finally, just to be sure, the 'Ask A Parent' feature can confirm Auntie's choice is parent-approved with the click of a button. While these tools are open only to members, it's free to join.

    As the season gets closer, the site will provide round-ups of Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas like 'recession-proof' gift ideas, best 'toys for boys,' and 'over-the-top' gifts, so that every Auntie can discover gift-giving in a whole new - and more savvy -- way.

    The Savvy Auntie Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas holiday gift guide, while geared for aunts, is open to anyone looking for Savvy Holiday Gifts Ideas, including uncles, grandparents, cousins, friends, and yes - even parents. And kids are invited to peruse the gift guide and seamlessly send a link of their favorite choice to their own Savvy Auntie -or any gift giver-- through the "Just for Kids" button.

    The Savvy Holidays Gift Ideas holiday gift guide can be found at SavvyAuntie.com/HolidayGifts

    About SavvyAuntie.com
    SavvyAuntie.com is the first resource and online community for Aunts - the approximately 50% of American woman who are not moms but love and adore children. With advice and expertise developed just for Aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, Aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables Aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of Aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed 'the first parenting site for non-parents,' SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate Aunt-hood. The site can be found at http://beta.savvyauntie.com



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  • September 2008

  • US Census Points to Increase of PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids)
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    September 4, 2008

     

    Contact:
    Melanie Notkin
    212 561-1531
    press@savvyauntie.com
     

    US Census Points to Increase of PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids)
    SavvyAuntie.com launches perfectly into a growing niche

     
    NEW YORK—September 4, 2008—An ever higher number of American women are childless, according to statistics* released by the U.S. Census Bureau on August 18, 2008.  The data, which reports a significant rise over the last two years, shows that the percentage of non-moms is nearing the 50 percent mark, making the ratio of moms to non-moms in America almost 1:1.

    The trend, while of strong interest to fertility experts and sociologists, also signals the opening of a new demographic segment and opportunity for marketers hoping to reach women with discretionary income and time.

    “With or without kids of their own, many women love children, and love indulging them,” said Melanie Notkin, founder and CEO of SavvyAuntie.com, the first online resource and community for PANKs - Professional Aunts No Kids – a term she coined. “What makes this growing segment appealing to marketers is that PANKs are in the workforce, affluent and control or influence 85% of their household purchasing decisions.”

    While spending some of their discretionary income to indulge their nieces, nephews, godchildren and friends’ kids with gifts and activities, PANKs also have more time and money than moms for leisure, travel, beauty, fashion, as well as new homes, home improvement, cars and consumer electronics. And PANKs are listening. In just eight weeks since launch, SavvyAuntie.com has received 50,000 visits, with membership growing daily.

    SavvyAuntie.com provides resources, activities, gift ideas and community for the tens of millions of women who indulge their nieces and nephews and other children in their lives, as well as themselves. “I’m an aunt to eight awesome nieces and nephews,” states SavvyAuntie.com member ‘Aunt Pam’ in a Savvy Auntie Forum post. “Plus, I’m an honorary aunt to some of my friends' kids. I love being an aunt, it's been incredibly rewarding, fun and gets better every year….This site is a great idea. We aunties need recognition!!”

    *Fertility of American Women: 2006

    About SavvyAuntie.com
    SavvyAuntie.com is the first resource and online community for Aunts – Aunts by Relation and Aunts by Choice. With advice and expertise developed just for Aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, Aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables Aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of Aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate Aunt-hood. The site can currently be found at http://beta.savvyauntie.com

     

    # # #
    More
  • July 2008

  • Savvy Auntie, First Online Community for Aunts, Launches

    Contacts:
    Melanie Notkin, Founder
    Press@savvyauntie.com



    Savvy Auntie, First Online Community for Aunts, Launches
    Site Targets PANKs (Professional Aunts, No Kids) - the Other 50% of  American Women who are Not Moms.

    NEW YORK—July 9, 2008—SavvyAuntie.com launches today in Beta form as the first online resource and community for Aunts. The site, which is free to join, is the only one to provide expertise designed specifically for Aunts, gifts for their nieces and nephews, activities and a community where Aunts can connect and share their experiences.

    The launch of SavvyAuntie.com comes at a time when the traditional landscape of American women is shifting. “The image of ‘Woman’ as a mom with 2.1 kids is radically changing,” says founder and CEO Melanie Notkin. “It’s estimated that today, non-moms represent 50% of American women, and that number continues to grow.”  

    Regardless of why these women do not (yet) have kids, children are front-and-center in their lives: “People always tell mothers that having children will change their lives but nobody tells the Aunts that their lives will change too,” says one Savvy Auntie member. “I would do anything for my nieces and nephews. I love them more than I thought I could love anything or anyone.”

    “At Savvy Auntie, we call this emerging demographic of American women: “PANKs - Professional Aunts, No Kids,” says Notkin.  “PANK is the new pink; it’s the new, modern segment of women finally getting the attention it deserves through Savvy Auntie - the first online community for Aunts.”

    PANKs are in the workforce and affluent, controlling or influencing 85% of their household purchasing decisions. While using their discretionary income to indulge their nieces, nephews, godchildren and friends’ kids with gifts and activities, Savvy Aunties also have more time and money than moms for leisure, travel, beauty, fashion, as well as new homes, home improvement, cars and consumer electronics.

    Mary Lou Quinlan, CEO of Just Ask a Woman, a consultancy that advises Fortune 500 companies on marketing to women, says, “These professional aunts are loved by their lucky nieces and nephews, yet often overlooked by marketers. Many brands are so focused on moms that they are missing the economic clout of these generous aunts who love to indulge the kids they never had with the gifts and experiences that they can afford. Savvy Auntie is the first site we've seen that's recognizing this powerful segment.”

    Dubbed a ‘parenting site for non-parents,’ SavvyAuntie.com provides numerous ways for Aunts to connect and become savvier about kids and what kids love, so they no longer have to rely on a mom or a parenting guide for advice. Through Expertise, Activities, Gifts and Community designed just for Aunts and their perspective, the site provides all the tools Aunts need to get savvier and share their savvy knowledge with other Savvy Aunties.



    About SavvyAuntie.com
    SavvyAuntie.com is the first resource and online community for Aunts. With advice and expertise developed just for Aunts, along with activities and gift ideas for their nieces and nephews, Aunts can get what they need to live the Savvy Auntie lifestyle. Moreover, the Savvy Auntie Community enables Aunts to connect and share the best and most challenging parts of Aunt-hood with their Savvy Auntie friends. Dubbed “the first parenting site for non-parents,” SavvyAuntie.com empowers and engages aunts with whatever they need celebrate Aunt-hood. The site can currently be found at http://beta.savvyauntie.com

    # # #

    Notes to editors: Melanie Notkin is available for interviews. At holiday time, SavvyAuntie.com will provide a list of the top 10 gifts for nieces and nephews.



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