5 most memorable Mother’s Day campaigns

According to Statista, Mother’s Day spending has seen a gradual increase over the past few years, with 2022 reaching a record peak of £1.49B. And it’s certainly shaping up like spending money on loved ones isn’t something that customers are looking to cut back on in 2024.

If there’s one thing that remains constant, it’s the importance of showing and telling our loved ones how much they matter to us.

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, and many companies already planning their marketing strategies, we thought it would be fun to look back at some of the most memorable Mother’s Day marketing campaigns of the last decade or so.

Here are our favourites…

#1 Pandora – ‘For everyone who loves like a Mum’ (2023)

Last year, jewellery brand Pandora warmed hearts around the nation with this short tribute to what it means to love like a mother. By exploring examples of unconditional love and support, the theme is also inclusive for anyone looking to express gratitude to someone who loves them in the same way.

In one fell swoop, they’ve celebrated everything that Mother’s Day is whilst opening the holiday up to a wider audience and customer base.

It’s also worth mentioning their 2015 campaign, ‘How well do you know your mother?’ where a group of 3-9-year-old children were challenged to see if they could identify their mother blindfolded and by touch alone. The experiment went viral and achieved more than 17M YouTube views.

#2 P&G – ‘It takes someone strong to make someone strong.Thank you, Mom’ (2016)

This 2016 campaign from P&G focuses on the theme of unconditional love, support and the greatness that is born from this. Featuring world-class athletes and the home support that they’ve had to help them get to the level of Olympic status, this heartfelt montage of blood, sweat, and tears, tells an inspirational story of familial love and perseverence.

#3 Stockland – ‘To all those who Mum’ (2018)

In this campaign, Stockland has focused on the theme of sacrifice and perseverance in the name of love. They’ve explored the more challenging aspects of being a mum and how being a Mum can look different for everyone.

They also encouraged their customers to send in clips and show what being a mum looks like for them, with real stories and experiences. The true stories behind this campaign do an effective job of tapping into the shared emotional connection that everyone experiences surrounding sentimental holidays like this one.

#4 Tesco – ‘Every Mum’ (2020)

Tesco interviewed a selection of customers and asked them to talk about who they will be celebrating this Mother’s Day. In a fresh take on their Everyday value brand, this collection of interviews highlights ‘Every Mum’ and celebrates all types of unconditional love, no matter where it comes from.

This stunning series of stories explores non-biological motherly love that’s just as worthy of recognition as its biological counterpart. The result was this successful campaign that felt relatable and inclusive for more shoppers in their customer base.

#5 McDonald’s – ‘Mummy By Me’ (2023)

In McDonald’s 2023 Mother’s Day campaign, we see one mother through the eyes of her young daughter. This ‘home-made’ film highlights all of the things that she does as a mum. From positioning this campaign through the lens of a loving daughter, we’re able to relate in a way that brings us closer to their brand.

The theme is that mothers will never settle for second best, and for that, they will always hold a top spot in our hearts.

Use SMS and WhatsApp to make an impact with customers this Mother’s Day

If there’s one thing that all of these iconic Mother’s Day campaigns share, it’s the understanding that this celebration means something different to everyone. For your campaign themes this year, embrace the differences and be inclusive to connect with a wider audience.

It’s the perfect opportunity to build an omnichannel campaign that celebrates the strong bonds that are formed and forge closer ties with your customer base by embracing the whole spectrum of emotion that comes with this.

Top tips to get you started:

• Set up regular alerts to remind your customers of the delivery deadlines for Mother’s Day. 
• Put together a specific Mother’s Day gift guide or landing page featuring your special collection and send out a web link to make it quick and easy for customers to shop. 
• Centre your campaign around real stories and real people. Relate to your customers on a new level by putting everyday people and authentic experiences at the heart of your mobile messaging campaign with an interactive challenge and incentive. 
• Give customers a voice with your brand. Introduce surveys and polls to get a greater sense of what worked well and what fell flat after your last seasonal campaign. Starting a conversation with customers is also an effective way of encouraging longer-lasting ties of brand loyalty. 
• Boost conversion rates by sending out exclusive offer codes to help customers purchase the perfect gift for less. Back this up by offering extra rewards or loyalty points for anything purchased from your Mother’s Day collection. 
• Make the most of customer loyalty by rewarding your customers when they purchase something from your Mother’s Day collection.

Customers are spending more time on their phones than ever before. If you haven’t already, this is the time to converse and connect directly with your customers through SMS and WhatsApp. Become a seamless part of their journey to purchase this year.

The floor is yours 

What will you decide on as your Mother’s Day campaign for 2024? 

There’s no doubt that seasonal campaigns play an important role in gathering leads and making sales, but they also present an opportunity to build a stronger connection with your customers. The emotions and themes surrounding Mother’s Day are an ideal opportunity to go beyond the surface level with your comms, and take things from merely transaction to conversational. 

Mobile messaging is an efficient and easy way to reach your customers. Currently, 7.26 billion people worldwide own a mobile phone. That’s 91% of the global population. Plus, 98% of text messages are read within 15 minutes of receipt. So using WhatsApp to get in front of your customers just makes sense.