• by Aaron Baar , April 4, 2009

Mothers come in all capacities. They can be the ones that gave birth to someone, a sister who cared for someone, a teacher or a mentor. In advance of Mother's Day in May, 1-800-Flowers is launching a traditional and potentially viral campaign to recognize everyone who has a maternal influence.

"We want to include all the different moms people have," Lewis Goldman, senior vice president of brand marketing for the company, tells Marketing Daily. "No mom should be left behind."

The campaign, which includes broadcast and radio advertising as well as a dedicated site, blog, Twitter feed and Facebook pages, is themed "Spot-a-Mom." In the television commercials, 1-800-Flowers CEO Jim McCann playfully spots moms on the street, at the grocery store and in other commonplace settings, presenting them with bouquets.

But the heart of the campaign is its interactive component, according to Goldman. The company has launched www.spotamom.com, through which people can nominate and write about the motherly figures in their lives. The site will also feature a sweepstakes through which one of the "significant moms" will be featured on the home page every week. Each of those moms will receive a $100 gift card from 1-800-Flowers.com, and one -- voted on by visitors -- will receive a special grand prize that includes a trip to a Sandals resort.

The company is making an effort to spread the word virally, reaching out to the plethora of mom blogs, starting Twitter feeds for different mom types such as "Green Thumb moms," Goldman says. The company has started a Facebook program, including a fan page and other aspects of the site.

"The whole idea is to create a level of personality for the brand and increase our engagement," he says. "It's to encourage a much higher level of engagement and to start a dialogue with moms."