Thank You, Mom!
A phrase that we don’t use as often as we’d like, yet every time we do, we mean it a thousand times.
Friendly Warning
Remember my first post? Remember how I said I’ll be honest? Well, I’m still going to be, it’s just not going to look pretty for me.
I cried like 20 times while writing this blog because I had to go back and forth on the various ads, which are extremely emotional. So, friendly warning- just know you’re probably going to cry while watching some of these ads if you’re like me. Just let the person sitting next to you know you don't have a cold, you're just gonna cry. Of course, if times were different, you would have told it the other way around.
Overview
Procter and Gamble, the multi-conglomerate home to many homely brands came up with a campaign that focused on how moms play the role of a hero for most children if not all. The campaign “Thank You, Mom”, is a reminder of the innumerable sacrifices made by our mums.
The 2-minute ads (Indians know what to cook while watching this ad) focus on various Olympians' journeys and their relationship with their mothers. It shows the journey of the athlete with their mom by their side, how proud every mother is to see their child reach new heights and play and win the Olympics, while also being aware of all the challenges they both have come over together.
Every advertisement end with a unique quote such as “for showing that falling only makes us stronger, Thank You, Mom” after which all the P&G brands- Tide, Bounty, Head and Shoulders, etc are shown.
Every parent is a proud sponsor of their child. Just like that, P&G is a proud sponsor of moms.
Not just an Ad
This was not just a digital campaign, it was a movement. P&G did a lot more than just create an advertisement, though it was enough to bring a tsunami of tears (not to mention, I am a crybaby).
Here’s how P&G went above and beyond. During the 2010 Olympics when the campaign was initially launched, P&G won everyone’s hearts by flying all the mothers of Team USA athletes to Vancouver for the Olympics.
Some might say, that’s too much effort, but it just goes on to show how passionate the brand is about its Campaign. They also created an online platform on Twitter and Facebook for consumers to honor and thank their mothers.
Strategy being synonymous with storytelling
These ads hit right at the heart, are timed perfectly to send the message without it being boring, and do not come across as a promotion. Subtlety in advertisements is sometimes the key to attracting an audience.
All of these advertisements had one thing in common for their success. these ads were not successful because they were P&G ads or because all of the ads focused on emotions, it was the storytelling that gives these advertisements as big an audience of 76 billion global media impressions (for Thank You Mom ads).
The 3 Act story structure is followed by these advertisements. Act 1 sets the premise of showing children growing up and their mothers being alongside them every step of the way. Act 2 shows an incident that acts as a turning point such as an injury or discrimination that a child faced. Act 3 shows how the athletes overcome these challenges and succeed.
Principles, Values, and Future
One of P&G’s principles is to ‘Respect all Individuals’ and they do just that by making these advertisements inclusive in such a way that everyone would identify with them. The company’s brands are available all over the world and have their own identity. Similarly, athletes come from all over the world and have their persona, unique identities. Thus, there were ads for Summer, Winter, and Special Olympics.
P&G maximized the opportunity by not only being timely relevant, displaying diversity in their ads but also by using nostalgia and emotional marketing. P&G’s Thank You Mom did not only have a huge influence at the point of the release of the campaign but also had longevity, which makes the campaign so memorable even today.
Needless to say, this campaign was the biggest and most successful campaign of Procter and gamble in all of its 175 years. P&G’s “Thank You, Mom” was a massive hit! The agency Weiden+Kennedy who made these ads continued to come up with similar advertisements such as ‘Love Over Bias’, ‘Lead with Love’, and ‘Like a Girl’, all of which were a success!
Opinion Time
What touches your mind may be temporary, but what touches your heart will leave a permanent impression. — I’d like to think i wrote this
As a person who has their emotions right at the core of everything, I believe Procter and Gamble’s marketing strategy to create an impact by connecting with its consumers at an emotional level and integrating it with the Olympics by using storytelling is just genius! These ads move you and honestly, you realize just how lucky you are!
“For showing that being a good person is just who i need to be, thank you parents!”
