Mother’s Day presents the perfect opportunity to boost your PR campaign, whether your company or brand is in household goods or wearable technology. Sometimes dubbed a “Hallmark Holiday,” the occasion is sure to generate social buzz and sharing, so why not position your brand to be in on the action? We looked at some of the most successful, buzzworthy Mother’s Day PR and communications campaigns in recent years to see what we can learn. Here are some insights.
Nostalgia is powerful. Heart-tugging memories can work any time of year, but on Mother’s Day, childhood remembrances pack even more poignancy than usual. P&G, with its roster of popular household brands, has been running the mother of all mom-focused campaigns for several years now, but its tear-jerker salute to moms to leverage its Olympics sponsorship still resonates.
To their moms they will always be kids,” where small children are subbed in for Olympic athletes (because that’s how moms view their kids at any age), is the very definition of nostalgia — “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past.” The brand backed up its messaging with action by providing $1,000 gift cards to help moms with costs of getting to the Olympics — a move that earned media coverage and more buzz.
Find creative ways to connect your brand to a “period or place with happy personal associations”, and you’re touching on unbeatable emotional appeal. A winner.
Incorporate a global sweep. Layer this one on top of nostalgia for the broadest possible appeal. From the Olympics to this heartwarming short film, shot entirely using Google Glass, smart consumers and businesses alike see themselves as globally connected.The film “Seeds,” which went viral on social media, was shot over 10 days in four cities on two continents across three different time zones, appealing to viewers’ feelings of interconnectedness across distance – a strong theme for Mother’s Day. It’s also a great example of how a cutting-edge wearable tech device — not exactly traditionally associated with moms — can be the inspiration for a brilliant Mother’s Day piece. It’s tech PR at its finest!
Offer practical solutions to common problems. Marketers and PR people know many will be short on either time or ideas for what to do for Mother’s Day. This roundup of ways to score deals on gifts for mom also employs the digital angle, providing helpful ways to impress mom while making her life easier. Mulberry created a partnership with a florist to provide flower bouquets to customers on the spot. Offering real-life solutions to consumer problems or challenges around Mother’s Day is bound to gain media traction.