less flower, more power
Mother’s day brand campaigns round-up
Are you over the pastel-drenched, flower-filled, sugar-coated Mother’s Day campaigns that brands seem to churn out year after year? I, for one, believe it’s time for something bolder. Mother’s Day is a prime opportunity for brands that say they support women to show up and stand behind the real issues mothers and mother figures face: the hidden load, the motherhood penalty, and the pay gap. In the UK alone, over 74,000 mothers a year lose their jobs for getting pregnant or taking maternity leave. So, it’s going to take more than flowers, cupcakes, jewellery, or skincare to make women feel appreciated.
STAND OUT + stand up
Standing up doesn’t have to mean standing on a soapbox. A campaign can be bold, creative, and eye-catching while still making an impact. Enter Rolling Stone’s Rockin’ Mamas campaign. This 2020 campaign flipped the script, highlighting how the extra burden the pandemic placed on women and showing that the most extreme, chaotic lifestyle no longer belongs to rock stars; it belongs to mums. This is the kind of work we need more of. Thoughtful. Daring. Unignorable.
ROLLING STONES MAGAZINE. ROCKIN’ MAMAS CAMPAIGN
OFFER MORE THAN PRODUCTS. GIVE PRACTICAL SUPPORT.
DOVE CHOCOLATE, ‘THE MOM EXPERIENCE TRANSLATOR’ AI TOOL + CAMPAIGN
Last Mother’s Day, Dove Chocolate unveiled an AI tool, the ‘Mom Experience Translator,’ an AI tool designed to help mothers re-enter the workforce by turning parenting skills into marketable job assets.
While the name wasn’t my favorite, the need for tools like this is clear. Over 60% of people with year-long employment gaps are women (JobsList survey), and research from Harvard Business Review confirms bias against caregivers returning to work.
The tool is now offline, but my talented pal, Lo, founder of Good Copy, champions women re-entering the workforce with her killer CVs and cover letter services.
SHOW THE REALITY OF MOTHERHOOD.
PEANUT + BURGER KING + NIKE + OHRBACHS + OTHER’S DAY + Pregnant then screwed
Aspirational works. But in terms of ad campaigns, these brands hit the spot by standing in the realities of being a parent and mother. Take note of the connection and community the founders of Other’s Day have created by standing with those who find this time of year difficult for so many different reasons.
Nike’s 2023 Mom’s All That campaign, featuring WNBA star and new mom Napheesa Collier, spotlighted the many roles she juggles on and off the court. I appreciate the more real, less cutesy approach the brand took with this one.
Created with BBH London and directed by Phoebe Arnstein, Burger King’s 2024 “Bundles of Joy” campaign is part of the brand’s “Foodfillment” platform and brought a knowing smile to my face. It wasn’t released for Mother’s Day, but it absolutely should have been!
The 2022 in-house Peanut app Mother’s Day campaign hit home for many of my friends with kids. It highlighted the tough realities Mother’s Day can bring, whether it’s struggles with fertility, the pain of infant loss, or just figuring out what motherhood means.
Dedicated to ending the motherhood penalty, the brilliant Pregnant Then Screwed launched ‘Unhappy Mother’s Day’ in 2022 to raise awareness of the rising cost of childcare in the UK and the major implications this has on women. I love how the campaign flipped the Mother’s Day cards to spotlight this ongoing issue.
MAKE IT ASPIRATIONAL,
WITH AN EDGE.
VOGUE, PORTER, ELLE, Dolce & gabBana.
You know what they say: the visual sells the dream and the copy reinforces. Flicking through old copies of my fashion mags shows that they’ve nailed the individual, multifaceted spirit of mothers and mother figures. I’d like to see more of this imagery instead of the sweet mother-child snapshots we’re inundated with at this time of year.
I could go on and on, but I know you don’t have time for that! See more Mother’s Day campaign finds on my Pinterest board.