Why Mother’s Day Is Marketed To Moms
3 mins read

Why Mother’s Day Is Marketed To Moms

Liz Hawks0

It’s almost our day, moms. Can you feel it? If you have turned on the TV or logged on to a social media network this week, you probably can. Mother’s Day is upon us and it’s a big deal not just for moms, but retailers. So if Mom is supposed to be queen of the day lavished with attention, why is Mom the recipient of so many messages marketing Mother’s Day gift ideas? Here are three reasons:

  1. Moms are the family relationship managers. Research shows that Mom is usually responsible for maintaining the family’s relationships, thus recognizing with some form of card or gift not only her own mother, but her mother-in-law, step-mothers on any side, grandmothers on all sides, her sister(s) and/or sister(s)-in-law who are mothers, her friends who are mothers, and anyone else who is like a mother to any person on behalf of the family. Mom’s shopping cart, as we say in retail, is much larger when it comes to potential Mother’s Day purchases than Dad’s is. Dad (hopefully!) buys for Mom. Mom handles everybody else.
  1. Moms tell each other what to buy. Even if they don’t realize they’re doing it, research shows that once a woman becomes a mom, she talks about brands with her friends eight times more in often per week than she did before she had kids. So moms are not only a great target consumer for advertisers, they’re actually helping advertisers spread brand messages. When you are so emotionally compelled by that online video created by a florist that you click to share it with your Facebook friends, you are co-marketing with the florist. In my own social feed this week, I’ve noticed multiple mom friends sharing brand-created Mother’s Day videos like this one and this one. The hot button in the mom-marketing industry right now is social video. What will capture your attention in a very busy social feed? What will make your thumb stop scrolling to not only watch, but like and share that video? This Mother’s Day, a war is being waged between retailers on your thumb. Who will win at getting it to stop and share?
  1. Somewhat related to point No. 2, moms are pro hinters. My own mother-in-law has been known to purchase and even wrap the Christmas gift she really wanted, put it under the tree and label it as from my father-in-law. This is admittedly a level beyond hinting. But Moms are master communicators. We know how to hint for what we’d really like, and retailers want us to put them at the top of that wish (or self-purchase) list.

Have you noticed Mother’s Day ads targeting you? What ads, messages or videos this season are winning your attention?

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Have you ever stopped to think about why you buy the things you do for yourself and your family? Do you notice ads that speak directly to you as a mom? As a marketing communications consultant to big brands, Liz Hawks works to help the people behind the products resonate better with you, the keeper of the purse strings. A mom of three, and SVP and partner at FleishmanHillard, the no. 1 global communications agency, Liz founded and chairs the firms marketing-to-moms practice group, called FH Moms. The group specializes in bridging the gaps between marketers and moms, who are responsible for 85% of all household purchase decisions. Between client calls and little league games, Liz is a regular speaker at national marketing conferences and is frequently interviewed by industry magazines.