Gamers' mums crash their kids' livestreams to talk probiotics plus...five more campaigns featuring mums and other family members.
It's a well-worn adage that motherhood is the most challenging job in the world, and every Mother's Day a gazillion brands try to creatively outdo each other to appeal to this most hardworking of demographics. But while one of the campaigns below celebrates motherhood warts and all, others reveal how the emotional power of Moms (and other family members) can be harnessed to your advantage in emotive, provocative, unusual, and downright evil ways. Enjoy.
Player Moms | Enterogermina | MRM Spain
MRM Spain collaborated with Druide Gaming to launch a virtual campaign for Sanofi's Enterogermina probiotics brand in Brazil. The campaign called "Ready Player Mom" involved mothers of popular gaming influencers being trained to play games like Minecraft and Fortnite. They then crashed their children's live streams in avatar form to talk about - of all things - gut health and promote the Enterogermina brand! As you can imagine this was a little embarrassing and awkward, to say the least! With gamers being known for consuming junk food, this is a great example of finding a way to gatecrash their world in a fun and authentic manner.
Undercover Advisors | Selmark | Grey
If there’s one thing parents know, it’s that their advice to their children is often overlooked – no matter how important it is. To take advantage of the wealth of advice out there – and deliver it to teenage girls who may be most in need, Selmark stepped in. Mothers throughout Spain were invited to become ‘undercover advisors’ in order to offer wisdom and advice to their daughters. The messages were submitted and hosted across publications the teenagers may visit, such as Cosmopolitan. Selmark then matched the IP of the mother’s message to other devices on the home network so the daughter could see it – completely anonymously. Mothers were in charge of the display media in their home and could choose the messaging that their daughters read. 60,000 of these messages were published in two weeks. The oft-ignored mother’s advice may become something the daughter takes to heart.
Grandma Hackers | Stofa
Despite most Danes falling victim to hacking, few take their cyber security seriously. That’s why to promote a new Safe Surf program, Stofa revealed the absurd consequences of ignoring this issue. To do that they taught grandmas, the group of people with the least tech knowledge, how to hack! And within 10 hours, 4 out of 6 had hacked their grandkid's accounts and taken over their screens! Point made, attention grabbed, job done.
Beautifully Real Moms | Dove | Ogilvy
The launch of Baby Dove in Canada in 2017 presented an opportunity to showcase the authentic side of motherhood, as almost all Canadian mothers felt pressured to be perfect. To achieve this, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalists documented the daily lives of six new moms around the clock, capturing the highs and lows, and the chaos of motherhood in a gallery of 120 photos. The resulting collection offered a thought-provoking glimpse into the realities of being a mother.
Mr Bear Driver | The Automobile Club Of Romania | Publicis
This 2016 campaign designed a game to liven up long journeys for kids while also giving them the opportunity to learn traffic rules and be involved in road safety. The evil twist is that while driving, the game app received data about the car’s speed via GPS. When the car reaches the speed limit, the app sent an alert to the kid playing who will warn the driver to slow down. If the driver doesn’t slow down, the player loses points. In this manner, children get to be responsible for their parents’ driving behavior. Yes, it’s totally evil, but very clever.
Uber Moms | Uber Canada | Zulu Alpha Kilo
Due to people's desensitization to ads about impaired driving and their reluctance to consider personal risks, Uber and MADD collaborated on a content piece that emphasized the loss of motherhood. The agency identified Shelly, an Uber driver who lost her daughter to impaired driving, and filmed her sharing her story as she picked up passengers at local bars. To support MADD's cause, people were encouraged to donate $1 each time Uber's "Compliment" badge was used.
And finally to end on a happier note...
Thank You, Mom | Procter & Gamble | W+K
To leverage its global scale and unite its 34 brands under one voice during the 2010 Olympics, P&G sought to turn its corporate reputation into a competitive advantage. However, there wasn't an obvious connection between P&G and the Olympics. That was until Wieden + Kennedy unlocked the golden insight that every athlete had or has a mom, and P&G loves moms. This connection was the foundation of the "Thank You, Mom" campaign, which celebrated and acknowledged the role of moms in the Games. The incredible campaign featured the tagline "P&G, Proud sponsor of Moms" and a digital platform for consumers to thank and honor their moms. P&G also built the P&G Family Home, the first "home away from home" for moms and families of Olympic athletes, and flew all Team USA moms to the Olympics. Epic.