Mother’s Day isn’t just the mother of all mail days; it’s also a huge event in the world of retail: According to Statista, consumer spending on and around Mother’s Day increased from $15.7B in 2007 to $23.1B in 2018.
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Though a few industries typically see much greater gains around Mother’s Day — the flower and greeting card industries, for example — the holiday regularly has an overall positive effect on retail and similar sales across the board.
We’ll take a look at a few Mother’s Day marketing campaigns done right. Though these examples fall into the more “typical” Mother’s Day niche categories, note the underlying reasons for their success — and think about how you can use the same approach.
Mother’s Day campaigns typically revolve around themes such as:
- Thankfulness and gratitude
- Memories and nostalgia
- Strength and empowerment
As common and expected as these themes are, this doesn’t mean you should feel forced to do the same thing year after year. On the contrary: you should be thinking of new ways to approach these traditional themes.
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Lush Knows What Moms Really Want
Lush knows that even the strongest among us need to sit back and chill every once in a while. Which is why the cosmetics retailer consistently creates a variety of product bundles specifically aimed at Mother’s Day gift-givers:
Each bundle was specifically assembled for Mother’s Day:
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Lush even created content revolving around giving Mom “the gift of time.”
The main lesson here is that your Mother’s Day campaigns (and other campaigns centered around gift-giving) should focus on the benefits your products bring to the recipient. In Lush’s case, this means bundling complementary items that create a relaxing experience for mothers everywhere. Moreover, Lush understands the importance of assisting gift-givers who may not know a bath bomb from a facial scrub, taking all the guesswork out of buying mom something she’ll appreciate.
Clarins Crosses Channels to Give Thanks
Here’s another example of a cosmetics brand getting in on the Mother’s Day action — albeit in a much different way.
The premise of Clarin’s “Speak Out Your Love” campaign was simple:
Users were to leave a voice message of thanks on their mom’s phone via Clarins’ WeChat Channel. They were then automatically entered into a drawing for a free product bundle.
Clarin’s held an additional drawing over Mother’s Day weekend, entering those who made a purchase into a raffle to win a variety of gifts. While random drawing contests aren’t all that new and exciting, the innovation in this approach was the number of channels and touchpoints involved — all presented without overwhelming the consumer.
Breaking it down further:
- The customer enters the contest via WeChat
- WeChat connects to the entrant’s mother’s phone or voice mail
- Customers (and their mothers) must enter Clarin’s brick-and-mortar locations to enter the second contest
As we’ve talked about before, moving toward multichannel (and ultimately omnichannel) is all but essential by today’s standards. It’s also worth noting that Clarin’s customers frequently use these channels anyway. The younger customers entering the contest did so via WeChat, while the older generation gift recipients entered via telephone and brick-and-mortar shopping.
Benefit Celebrates Moms While Soliciting User-Generated Content
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Benefit Cosmetics created a branded contest requiring entrants to post a photo of their mom to their social media accounts using the hashtag “#momsthebalm.”
As an added incentive, Benefit promised both the winner and their mother a collection of goods from the store, creating a shared experience.
As we’ve discussed before, it’s a good idea to collect user-generated content whenever appropriate, making sure you have a clear theme and purpose for your campaign that aligns with your brand. In doing so, you’ll create a campaign that your customers want to engage with, regardless of the potential reward.
Stockland Includes “All Those Who Mum” in Mother’s Day Celebration
Last year, property development company Stockland released a Mother’s Day campaign celebrating mothers and mother figures from all walks of life.
Clicking on an image brought visitors to articles based on the individuals in the photo. Those featured included prominent local celebrities, other well-known individuals, and “everyday” moms who have also earned their place in the spotlight.
In addition to the empowering content, Stockland provided a gift guide for those seeking the perfect Mother’s Day present. By clicking the dropdown menu from the first image, visitors could check out specific sales and events at various Stockland locations.
It’s worth noting that the promotional part of this campaign is secondary to Stockland’s main goal: giving thanks to the women who make their communities what they are.
Lush Empowers Superhero Moms by Releasing a New Product
Coming full circle… Lush created new products specifically for Mother’s Day.
Lush didn’t really do anything all that out of the ordinary here; they create themed bath bombs all the time. Nevertheless, this is a perfect example of where it’s the thought that counts. Don’t just pay lip service to the holiday by creating “female versions” of your product like these folks cringingly did below:
It’s not about changing the colors to pink and purple; it’s about paying homage to moms. The key is to think about what mothers and mother figures would most appreciate, and to develop a product around these ideas. As far as Lush goes, this means making their Mother’s Day gift recipients feel like an absolute…
