3 lessons from awesome Mother’s Day campaigns

Nostalgia is powerful. Heart-tugging memories can work any time of year, but on Mother’s Day, childhood remembrances pack even more poignancy than usual. Procter & Gamble, with its roster of popular household brands, has been running the mother of all mom-focused campaigns for several years now, but its tear-jerker salute to moms during its Olympics sponsorship is the one that still resonates.

It intones, “To their moms they will always be kids,” and subs in children in for Olympic athletes (because that’s how moms view their kids at any age). It’s the very definition of nostalgia, “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past.” The brand backed up its messaging with action by providing $1,000 gift cards to help moms with costs of getting to the Olympics, a move that earned media coverage and more buzz.

Find creative ways to connect your brand to a “period or place with happy personal associations,” and you’re touching on unbeatable emotional appeal. A winner.