Tapping Into Customer Emotions Drives Mother's Day Sales

When shoppers are scouring the malls searching for the right gift to buy mom for Mother's Day, their purchasing decisions are often very emotionally driven. But advertisers and retailers often fail to tap into this crucial aspect, instead treating Mother's Day like any other run-of-the-mill holiday.

"An awful lot of Mother's Day advertising is too much of 'Your Holiday Here'-type advertising," says Atlanta-based copywriter and marketing strategist Linda Morse. Retailers merely drop "Mother's Day" into ads that would normally say, for example, "Christmas" or "Halloween." Many ads simply remind shoppers that "Mother's Day is May 11th." No appeal to the emotions; just the facts.

The reason advertisers often fail to strike an emotional chord with Mother's Day ads, she believes, is because it can be difficult to pull off. "Instead they will just sell the mall: 'Don't forget it's Mother's Day, and all the stores at the mall are open with wonderful gifts for your mom.'"

But from the consumer's standpoint, Morse says, many people think, "What could I possibly do that would begin to thank her?" This leaves customers feeling that their choice of Mother's Day gift is inadequate.

Mother's Day Is Big Business

Consumers will spend $15.8 billion on Mother's Day this year, with the average expenditure of $138.63, down slightly from last year's $139.14, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Phil Rist of marketing research firm BIGresearch, which conducted the NRF survey, attributes this year's dip in spending to rising gas prices and other economic issues.

Of the 84.2 percent of consumers celebrating Mother's Day this year, most will buy one major gift for mom. And this is very apparent in the jewelry category, according to the NRF. Consumers planning on buying her something sparkly will spend a total of $2.7 billion, compared to $2.1 billion last year.

Shopping for Number One

Most people, says Atlanta-based psychologist Mary Gresham, "select one primary attachment figure in the first year of life, and that is the person to whom they make their deepest bond." In our culture, she explains, that figure is typically the mother. "So even though dads are important, the attachment figure is the one you want to go to when you're sick, when you feel threatened or upset." And often, she adds, mothers are the ones we behave the most badly toward when in our adolescence.

Talk about powerful emotions: A strong early bond mixed liberally with guilt. How can advertisers tap into this?

Morse suggests ads and promotions that "remind people that it's not the size of the gift; it's about a heart-to-heart connection. Make the gift symbolic of the connection between you and your mom."

Copy That Connects

Morse weighed in on some typical ad copy that she sees everywhere at this time of year. Her reaction to the typical "Don't forget Mother's Day is May 11" that ran on the home page of a popular candle company? "Talk about your 'Holiday Here'-type ad. It's not good." The department store promotion that read "Celebrate Mom" she feels "is better because it's saying that she is worth it, but it's not getting at the heart of the relationship." The kitchen appliance store that ran with the slogan "Give Mom Our Favorite Gifts" got the thumbs down from Morse. "It's supposed to be about Mom."

Since this veteran copywriter could locate no Mother's Day ads that measured up to her standards, she created some of her own. Imagine a retailer was having a big Mother's Day sale and used signage that read "Who taught you to save in the first place?" This theme could be carried throughout the store so that, in perfumes, the signs would read "Why do you think her fragrance is still with you 30 years later?" Or in soaps and lotions: "Remember who taught you what cleanliness was closest to?"

When it comes to Mother's Day, Morse advises, advertisers should give consumers permission to be sentimental. "If ever you were going to be mushy with your mom, today is the day."