Best Mother’s Day Marketing Campaigns
It’s that time of year again – Mother’s Day.
When you think of Mother’s Day gifts and campaign ideas, it’s likely that chocolates, flowers, and jewelry come to mind. Of course, these items will always remain staples of the day. But what about cocktails, 4X4s, and AI?
In our roundup of best Mother’s Day campaigns for 2023, there are some unique and surprising marketing ideas. We hope you’ll use these to inspire your Mother’s Day strategy:
Funkin Cocktails – Audience survey
Every marketer knows that interactive content is the most engaging kind. London-based cocktail e-tailer Funkin Cocktails took this concept very seriously for Mother’s Day, running a research survey to discover what makes Mums cool. The findings were pretty cool too – it turns out that if you buy clothes that your teens want to steal for themselves, you’re a cool mum. And what was the top indicator of a cool mum? One who doesn’t try to be cool. Besides being a fascinating survey, the campaign was also a great way to associate the Funkin Cocktails brand with said coolness. So, who’s up for a cocktail?
Showcase – Mother’s Day powered by AI
This Mother’s Day campaign by Showcase is very 2023 – which means it’s got ChatGPT in there somewhere! Showcase is an online retail store that follows upcoming trends on social media and recommends the hottest products to buy in all categories. For Mother’s “DAI” (get it?), Showcase has put AI to work, using ChatGPT to identify and curate Mother’s Day gift lists for different types of Moms. If your mother is a Netflix Mom, TikTok Mom, Instagram Mom, Pinterest Mom, or something else, Showcase’s AI-based campaign suggests the perfect gift for her.
Bvlgari and Vogue – Short video format
Let’s get back to the more traditional type of Mother’s Day campaign, and one that fits the Bvlgari and Vogue brands very nicely. For last year’s Mother’s Day, the high fashion brand collaborated with Vogue magazine to create two short videos titled “A Mother’s Legacy”, featuring famous mom-and-daughter duos Melanie Griffith and Stella Banderas, and Vanessa and Natalia Bryant. The videos are equal parts stylish and emotional, dubbed a ‘rare glimpse’ into the unique connection between these celebrity mothers and their daughters. Sometimes in marketing, audiences don’t need to be shocked or surprised. What’s expected is perfectly appropriate. Case in point.
Chanel – Surprising TV spot
Unlike the Bvlgari and Vogue videos above, the prestigious Chanel company definitely did the unexpected, and it worked wonders. To celebrate Mother’s Day 2022, the iconic brand released an irresistible and completely watchable short video, featuring kids dressed up in homemade costumes of Chanel’s famous perfumes and cosmetics and dancing goofily to the 1990 song “Groove is in the Heart” by Deee-lite. The clip is beyond adorable and exquisitely captures the vibe of the target audience of Moms, who were kids back in the days of “Groove” and are today Chanel’s customer base. Love it!
Samsung – Gen Z + social media
While moms are the most important people in the world, they are usually too busy to notice! Samsung set out to change that, with a campaign targeting their large base of Gen Z customers. The brand encouraged the audience to #MakeMomEpic #withGalaxy, and celebrate her in front of the world. The TikTok challenge involved lip-synching and dancing to the song Mommy by Missy Elliott, and sharing photos of Mom in time with the music. The audience could also share a portrait of Mom on their Instagram feed, using the Galaxy S21 and appropriate hashtags of course. This is a campaign with all the ingredients for Gen Z success, and we hope the Moms enjoyed it too!
Dunkin’ – Emotional ad with a twist
Mothers juggle a lot of different jobs, inside and outside the home. During COVID lockdowns and work-from-home mandates, mom’s job became so much more blurred and complicated. For Mother’s Day 2021, donut brand Dunkin’ in the UAE decided to embrace the strange times and do something different. So the company invited three women employees to their annual work appraisal, but it was far from business as usual. In the moving campaign video, the women were thanked and appreciated for the incredible job they did in the past year – cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, quarantine, Zooms, and more, all while succeeding at their careers too. As sweet as a Dunkin’ donut!
Kia – Social media video
For busy moms, there’s little time left over for adventure. In this Kia campaign, a few mothers got to celebrate Mother’s Day by pushing their boundaries and going off-road in a Kia Sorento with professional stunt driver Stina Hübinette. In a video shared on social media, it was great fun watching the moms shriek with excitement as they bounced over bumpy backroads and swerved around dangerous bends. The views were amazing and the vibe was electric. Forget chocolates and flowers. A bit of extreme action is the perfect treat for Mother’s Day, and Kia shows its target audience of moms how anything is possible.
Best Mother’s Day Campaigns 2022
It’s 2022, and we can only look back over the past couple of years and appreciate how challenging it’s been for moms all over the world. From homeschooling, to working from home and social distancing, this Mother’s Day is shaping up to be a real celebration and release. It’s no wonder that Mother’s Day spending is expected to reach a record high of $31.7 billion in the US, an increase of $3.6 billion over last year’s record spend. With around 84% of US adults expected to celebrate Mother’s Day this year, the party is well deserved and long overdue!
So we’ve gathered some of the freshest and fun Mother’s Day marketing campaigns this year to see the tone that brands are taking in 2022. Campaigns range from syrupy to cheesy to sassy, and smart, but the solid foundation of compelling storytelling, video marketing, and native advertising strategy is definitely there.
Check out our selection of the best Mother’s Day marketing campaigns for 2022, and wishing a happy day to all the moms out there!
Sephora – Long-form video
When it comes to content marketing, Sephora is a definite king, and we really enjoyed their newly released Mother’s Day video. It’s a long-form video that takes the ‘gift guide’ concept in a great direction. Instead of just a product page or digital catalog, the video is a 10-minute presentation featuring recommended products for Mother’s Day. The presenter is Sephora Pro Artist Myiesha, who brings along her mom to try out and discuss the collection, adding a warm and human touch. Of course, the YouTube video description includes links to all the featured products. All in all, this is a perfect example of relevant, helpful, and engaging video content that brands can do all year round, as well as for Mother’s Day.
Lululemon – Native content
One of the first and most popular “athleisure” brands, Lululemon is no stranger to marketing successfully to its target audience and loyal customer base. This sponsored article is a classic example of one type of native advertising. Published online in the Style section of Yahoo.com, the article features 11 recommended Lululemon products for Mother’s Day gifts, embedded with direct links to the product pages on Lululemon’s website. The article succeeds because it behaves just as native ads should – matching the look and feel of the web page so it doesn’t feel like advertising. In addition, we love the shipping reminder that features prominently on Lululemon’s Mother’s Day landing page – it does a great job of creating a sense of urgency, with the latest date and time you should buy your gift to make sure it arrives in time for Mother’s Day. Some good lessons here for Mother’s Day marketing, and for any holiday marketing campaign.
DICK’s Sporting Goods – Smart banner
Mother’s Day always offers its share of cheesy marketing campaigns. But when done correctly, video storytelling can be meaningful and moving. We liked this year’s Mother’s Day video from DICK’s Sporting Goods, because it tells a lovely story via the mothers who work at the company, in their own words. The video is a collage of those mothers caring for their kids and soothing them with loving messages, against a backdrop of sport and play scenes. The brand also gets practical of course, with a banner on the website homepage featuring two options: click to shop, or click to see gifts that cost $50 or less. It’s a great way to engage shoppers who are on a tight budget, and grab those extra sales and revenue that might otherwise have fallen away.
Babyshop – Emotional video storytelling
This Mother’s Day video by Swedish infant clothing brand Babyshop might just be the best example of on-point messaging we’ve seen in a while. The video is a montage of scenes in which mothers are struggling with fears and worries in an uncertain world. And each time, they are cheered by their kids, whose innocent smiles and open hearts show them that everything will be okay. The end features a beautiful twist: after the message “Happy Mother’s Day’’ appears on screen, suddenly Dad pops out to play with his daughter, and the message appears, “and to our dads, for all you do.” The past couple of years have been tough on a lot of people, and this less-than-two-minute video manages to capture the mood and turn it into something heartwarming. Well done.
Victoria’s Secret – Authenticity & celebrity
Here’s an original and interesting video story from Victoria’s Secret. The iconic brand released a 2.5 minute video for Mother’s Day, featuring several of its famous models, including Brooke Shields, Chanel Iman, and Abby Champion, talking about motherhood with their mothers, grandmothers, and children. Yes, it is a bit cheesy, but that’s ok – it is also quite compelling, and the star quality of the featured celebs generates enough curiosity to want to see it through. The fact that they are all wearing the brand’s nightwear and loungewear adds an atmospheric touch. Like!
Mondello Park – Humor wins
Ok, so enough with the syrupy Mother’s Day videos. Here’s something quite different, and funny too. Irish motorsport venue Mondella Park released a short video, featuring a young man who decides to take his granny for a ride in a fast car, only to discover that she wanted to drive. Throw away the walker! Granny gets behind the wheel and gives her grandson a surprisingly wild ride. Simple, catchy, and lovable storytelling the way it should be. And the parting message? “Give her a memory that will last forever this Mother’s Day”. Perfect!
Lucit – DOOH advertising
Digital Out of Home advertising (DOOH) is seriously on the rise. In 2023, DOOH ad spend is forecast to reach $3.84 billion in the US, up from $2.72 billion in 2020. Lucit, a North Dakota-based software company that has developed an app for digital billboards, is jumping on the bandwagon with a smart and fun campaign for Mother’s Day. Lucit is offering the chance to put mom’s photo on a digital billboard in participating areas, simply by signing up to the app and posting the image. Especially after these past couple of years of stay-at-home and too much time spent in pj’s and slippers, this is a great (and free!) way to celebrate mom and an amazing marketing strategy from Lucit.
KFC – Irreverent product marketing
Just when you thought you’d seen it all, KFC is partnering with Proflowers to offer a fried chicken “buckquet” for Mother’s Day! Yes, it is actually a bouquet that combines fresh flowers with pieces of fried chicken, in a vase with a KFC decal for decoration. To be sure, it’s a strange and unexpected combination but, we’ve got to admit, it’s absolutely brilliant. Savory and sweet, fresh and greasy – for so many moms out there, this will be the best gift ever. Plus we love the play on words with ‘buckquet’. And what an original marketing collaboration for both KFC and Proflowers! Definitely a campaign to be remembered. The only question remains: what will they come up with next year?
Best Mother’s Day Marketing Campaigns 2021
Seasonal holidays are always a busy time for marketers. Think Valentine’s Day, Black Friday, and Christmas. Not every holiday is relevant to every marketer of course. But savvy retailers will figure out ways to create marketing opportunities during the various seasons. What is “Singles Day”, after all, if not an alternative Valentine’s concept for those without a special Valentine?
But everyone has a mother, which makes Mother’s Day a holiday we can all get behind. Even in the face of COVID-19 – and perhaps even because of it – Mother’s Day is becoming more special and spend-worthy. In fact, according to current research by the National Retail Federation, 78% of consumers say that Mother’s Day is important to them, given the current state of the pandemic, and they are even planning a small increase in their holiday spending.
With or without a pandemic, celebrating mothers is universal and relatable, and that’s why it’s on the holiday marketing list for B2C retailers and brands. In that spirit, we’ve taken a look at Mother’s Day marketing campaigns from the past few years and compiled a list of the ones we love. Usually sentimental (and only rarely daring or subversive), Mother’s Day campaigns are all about love, gratitude, and spoiling mom with the things that matter most to her.
So let’s take a look:
Coca-Cola – Mother vs. daughter perspective
Mothers and daughters share a complex relationship. This universal story is beautifully told in a Mother’s Day video by Coca-Cola, showing a woman’s coming of age from the perspective of the mother, and then from the perspective of the daughter. Silhouettes of the familiar Coke bottle in the top right corner of the screen indicate which side of the story is being told. Smart, interactive, engaging: this is video storytelling at its best.
Discovery Channel – Expressing gratitude for mothers (of all species)
The world-famous nature channel, Discovery, decided to celebrate Mother’s Day with a heartwarming video showing moms of other species doing what mothers do best: caring for their young. It’s a fitting thank you “to all the mothers on earth”, as the brand wrote in a social media post. After all, who doesn’t love watching animals in action in the wild? It’s a perfectly toned, sentimental campaign for the occasion.
Unique in the Creek – Which TV mom are you?
You don’t have to be an international brand to get clever with Mother’s Day marketing. Unique in the Creek™ is an e-commerce company manufacturing and selling DIY wreath-making boards and accompanying products. The brand created its own kind of “board” for a fun Mother’s Day Twitter post: it features images of famous moms from TV shows, with the simple question, “Which TV Mom Are You (or which is your Mom most like)?” What a creative and entertaining way to draw attention to the Unique in the Creek brand as Mother’s Day approaches!
Lancome – Beauty in a 3D poster
Widespread lockdowns and social distancing meant that OOH (Out of Home) advertising was a less prominent concern among marketers during the pandemic. Just prior, Lancome came out with a fabulous build poster in Westfield London shopping mall, featuring a larger-than-life Julia Roberts wearing a 3D cascading dress. What an incredible visual experience that takes the billboard concept to the next level. We’ll surely be seeing more like it as the world opens up and foot traffic returns. In the meantime, enjoy the view of a head-turning poster that makes Mother’s Day makeup an occasion!
IKEA – Tell Mom you love her
The Swedish icon took a more traditional catalog-style approach to Mother’s Day on its website but with an interactive twist: a hover feature over the images highlighting product details and prices. This was combined with the theme “There are more ways to say ‘I love you mum’”, showcasing curated product combinations. For example, “Take her breakfast in bed” displays utensils and bed accessories. “Give her some me time” features relaxing armchairs, candles, and blankets. “Help her travel back in time” includes photo frames and shelving. IKEA never fails to inspire with its straightforward yet cleverly engaging approach.
THE ICONIC – All the ways she “mums”
For Mother’s Day 2020, Australian online fashion retailer THE ICONIC teamed up with creative agency Emotive to launch a video that sat perfectly with the consumer mood. At a challenging time when mothers were handling lockdowns and homeschooling, THE ICONIC decided to honor them with a montage of real mothers and kids in all kinds of everyday moments. The result is a moving (if not slightly syrupy) video that definitely does the job it set out to do. It was also a fitting testament to the unique time of the pandemic when mothering required wearing even more hats than ever before.
The Academy – Thank you, Mom (sob, sniffle)
Do you know that spine-tingling feeling you get when an Oscar-winner gives an emotional acceptance speech? And that moment when they burst into tears and thank their mom? Now, imagine dozens of those moments from the world’s biggest stars, patched together in a 2-minute video and you’ve got a simple, powerful, and irresistible piece of Mother’s Day marketing from The Academy, the institution behind the Academy Awards. This video is perfect in every way because it is totally authentic. It is made up of genuine moments in which the love felt by the winners towards their mothers can’t help but jump off the screen. And the Oscar goes to… this Mother’s Day campaign!
McDonald’s – The gift she never knew she wanted
OK, so Mother’s Day campaigns tend to be emotional, sentimental, even a bit cheesy, but this social media campaign does it all with tongue firmly planted in cheek. McDonald’s promoted a simple image of the brand logo and slogan “I’m lovin’ you”, and asked viewers to “Give mom the gift she never knew she wanted – being tagged in a #MothersDay card from McDonald’s”. Hmm, spa day? Yes, please! Jewelry? Sure! A McDonald’s card? 🤔.
In any case, it’s a funny, catchy idea and it definitely got the conversation going in the comments!
Swarovski Touchstone Crystal – Copy that does the job
Sometimes, it’s the small touches that leave a big impression. The Touchstone Crystal brand of Swarovski did a great job with the opening copy on its Mother’s Day gifts page:
“Loves unconditionally. Does the work of many – for free. Kisser of boo-boos. Has mastered the art of answering the same question 1,000 times. Teacher. Healer. Disciplinarian. Friend. Whomever you call Mom – show her you care every day – and especially on her special day. Wrap up gifts of sparkle – and lots of hugs (virtually or in-person). We recommend ordering by or before April 27th (cannot guarantee holiday delivery).”
Cute and catchy. Never underestimate the power of great copy!
Yard NYC – Challenging the status quo
When the typical Mother’s Day campaign seems to follow a familiar, wholesome theme, one award-winning ad agency in New York decided to stand out with something different. Very different. During the COVID pandemic, moms were juggling a lot of balls in the air: work from home, homeschooling, conference calls, and much more. So Yard NYC suggested its own take on what mothers really want for Mother’s Day: to be left alone. The campaign (which features language more colorful than we ordinarily like to publish on this blog) included a video, digital swag, such as screen wallpapers and Zoom backgrounds, and printed tote bags, all themed with leaving mom alone. As a boutique agency-driven campaign, it works in its cheekiness and spirit. And kudos to Yard NYC, which donated the proceeds from sales of the campaign’s branded items to a charity assisting mothers affected by the pandemic.
But how would the brash tone go down for a B2C brand? You decide.
