Campaigns That Tug on Heartstrings

I love when I see great Mom Marketing. I can't help it. I am old enough to remember a day when brands didn't really focus on moms in their marketing campaigns. Let me correct myself; there were some brands in the ’90s that used images of June Cleaver to portray their interest in and knowledge of moms but I rarely count that as good mom marketing.

What's really ironic is when my teenage children point out good Mom Marketing to me. This was the case last week during the Cincinnati Reds game against the Milwaukee Brewers. My son and I were traveling through the Midwest on college tours when he persuaded me to stop in Cincinnati and enjoy a baseball game. Knowing that I was in the land of Proctor & Gamble, I should have expected to find Mom Marketing in the Great American Ball Park but it was the execution of the "Thank you Mom" Olympic campaign that delighted me. My son immediately pointed out the large "Thank you Mom" banner on the wall in right field.

The real surprise came during a fifth-inning break when the camera on the JumboTron scanned the bleachers to find moms with their children. It was great. Every fan they featured on the large screen was a mom sitting in the stands with her children. It was so heartwarming to see so many Moms smiling with their kids. Best of all, the only branding to the entire JumboTron was a small "P&G" in the lower corner. They didn't need to say anything else. No one could deny that P&G understood mothers at that moment.

HP is another brand doing smart Mom Marketing. It's back-to-school season but instead of just telling moms to buy their product, they have partnered with moms to get their solution-based ePrint printers featured on Pinterest. They know that moms are searching for creative and innovative back-to-school supplies that help their family members organize and prioritize during the school year so they enlisted over 100 moms to create Back-to-School boards on Pinterest. Each board features not only a HP ePrint printer but the best of back-to-school tools. Although it's completely visual, it demonstrates that HP knows that conversations with moms take on very different forms.

Did you ever think that a "fascinator' would become an American fashion accessory? In case you don't recognize the word, it's the small ornate hat-like accessory the royals and their guests wear in England. They were made famous during the royal wedding and later the Queen's Jubilee. Cadbury and Blue Bunny combined the fun of fascinators, chocolate and ice cream by engaging moms in hosting Mommy High Tea Parties (www.mommyparties.com). The customized in-home party kits included a fascinator for each mom and child, product samples of the new Cadbury ice cream bars by Blue Bunny, coupons and a porcelain tea set for the host mom to use during her event. Moms and children enjoyed the magical tea party that every mom dreams of while tweeting, Facebook posting and recording every moment.  To see some of the great photos produced by the moms who attended check out: https://www.facebook.com/#!/MommyParties.

My final spot-on mom marketing campaign comes from a food brand. The name of the company doesn't matter to us as marketers. I'm sure, however, that the moms involved with the program will definitely remember the name and more. Instead of setting up shop in New York during BlogHer, this meal-solution brand decided to develop their relationship with moms where it mattered most to them -- around the dinner table while they are away from home. The company sent easy-to-make dinner kits to husbands of mom bloggers traveling to New York. The mom blogger may never see the product but I assure you they will remember who fed her children while they were away. And I bet dad will remember, too.

All of these creative and original marketing programs demonstrate that reaching moms can take on many different looks. The common thread is that each of these campaigns hits the heartstrings of moms and speaks to them at the exact right moment.