• by Morgan Buell , Columnist, April 22, 2016

Selfless. Strong. Beautiful. Determined. What else comes to mind when you think about your mom? Can you remember the last time you told her? Insights show that she would celebrate the supportive words. 

Great marketing typically stems from one human insight that propels a meaningful brand strategy. And when it comes to marketing to mom, she can always use a boost of support. 

Our recent “Women Supporting Women” research of 2,300 Females 18+ revealed that that majority of women (60%) feel less than supported in their personal and professional life. These insights combined with the undeniable success of well-known P&G “Thank You, Mom” and J&J “You’re doing OK, Mom,” reveal how supportive messaging can help humanize a brand/company while establishing an emotional connection with consumers. 

Brands can build supportive messages for mom by understanding her point of view. Moms identify themselves through the lens of family and children and this translates to her consumer behavior. Women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing, and when it comes to moms, she has her family in mind when making those decisions. Mom wants to be the Superhero, but she is overwhelmed by her variety of choices. 

Here are three opportunities for brands: 

1. Fit into the Big Picture: Moms want to be celebrated not only as a mom, but as a woman who is juggling multiple roles. She is making a home, raising children, and making financial decisions while managing her day-to-day life. Brands should communicate how they can simplify her hectic schedule, bring value to her daily life, and make her family happy. 

2. User-generated Content is Everything: Encourage Mom to share her “Proud Moments” and her social community to do the same. There is no better moment for mom than when she gets to share her wonderful family. Plum Organics leveraged this insight and asked their Facebook community to share special benchmarks with their kids, anything from first smiles to first steps to first tantrums. With12 million impressions, hundreds of videos, and 70% of consumers opting-in to the Plum database, their “Amazing Moments” campaign was deemed a success. 

3. Be There for Her and Be Mobile: Mom is on the go and makes purchasing decisions at her convenience. Whether online shopping for delivery or in the aisle, mom is using her mobile device and deciding on the best-valued product for herself and her family. And don’t forget that a large majority of millennial moms rely on recommendations from trusted peers. Brands should create destinations for moms that have informative, time saving authentic content where it is easy for her to engage with the brand and her fellow peers. A few factors that help mom make purchasing decisions are product reviews, how-to videos, and authentic content from her community.

Pampers and Walmart saw success when they used sampled product to drive product reviews on Walmart.com and hosted an Instagram giveaway to generate user-generated content from moms. Moms posted Instagram photos with their #MothersPromise for a chance to win gift cards. Pampers saw double-digit lifts in both purchase and recommendation intent following the activation. 

But, most importantly, don’t let meaningful words go unsaid. How will you celebrate this Mother’s Day? Share below or tweet me @morgan_buell.