Mother's Day Is Just the Beginning: The Be Sci of Perennial Mom Appeal

This Mother's Day marks my first as a Mom of two. I come to the holiday with a dual perspective—as both a marketer and the target of countless campaigns. So it’s impossible not to think about the motherload of opportunity this annual cultural moment represents.

As a Mom, the year has been transformative for me, ushering in a unique set of both challenges and revelations. I’ve never truly known what a “full schedule” looks like prior to managing the lives of two little people in addition to my own!

As a marketer who spends her days making brands irresistible, I’ve gained invaluable insights into what makes a brand a mother’s intuitive choice. Working with and reaching for indulgence brands, I’ve experienced how those small moments of joy aren't just nice-to-haves—they're essential lifelines for busy Moms. And not just on the one day that’s set aside to celebrate us.

That’s the thing. Brands typically approach Mother's Day as an isolated marketing moment: a special Sunday.

But with deeper understanding of what drives us—and some smart applications of Behavioral Science (Be Sci)—brands can create connections with us that aren’t gone by Monday morning.

What Brands Need to Appreciate About Mom

Three revelations are top-of-mind for me this year—insights that can help brands understand where mothers are coming from each time they engage us:

1. “Mom Brain” is real.

There’s a reason I’m habitually forgetting to respond to text messages, and it’s not just lack of sleep.

Research confirms that a Mom’s brain undergoes literal changes during and after having a baby, and that these shifts persist throughout parenthood. Yes, there’s brain fog, but also capacity to form deeper attachments while the constant cognitive challenges actually keep your brain “young.”

These changes, while deeply personal, are marketing opportunities in plain sight.

Understanding how mothers’ brains filter information, encode faces and prioritize emotional stimuli unlocks an entirely different framework for year-round Mom engagement. Yet many brands ignore these biological realities entirely.

2. “Mom Guilt” is universal.

It’s one of the most pervasive emotional burdens mothers face: the belief that we should always be caring for others more and prioritizing our own desires—even for the smallest indulgences—less.

Where does it come from? Mothers often believe they need to achieve a level of perfection that is unrealistic and unattainable, and this pressure has only intensified with each generation. Gen Z mothers feel the pressure even more acutely than Millennials, with 83% (versus 77%) striving for this impossible standard.

Sadly, Mom Guilt isn’t a rare or passing phase. It's a ubiquitous, persistent reality that no amount of expert advice from podcasts and Instagram experts like Big Little Feelings and Dr. Becky can fully eradicate—and it’s the constant background noise to our decision making.

3. Motherhood is constantly evolving.

While I may personally be a part of the approximately 24.2 million mothers in the US labor force with children younger than 18, Moms are not a homogenous group. We are individuals with diverse lifestyles, priorities and journeys.

For Mother's Day, it's easy for marketers to rely on familiar paths to Every-Mom's heart: campaigns featuring breakfast in bed, spa days, flowers, jewelry "from the kids" and sentimental cards emphasizing sacrifice and selflessness.

There’s nothing wrong with these creative concepts. They just barely scratch the surface of how mothers experience life the other 364 days of the year. Few brands acknowledge it, but our challenges and hopes evolve through the seasons—and motherhood’s many stages.

The Be Sci Behind Mom’s Purchase Habits

How do mothers—juggling Mom Brain and Mom Guilt and the fact that our role is constantly changing—choose brands? Given we’re responsible for up to 83% of purchasing decisions, it can literally be a million dollar question.

As a driving force behind household purchases, modern Moms are savvy deal-seekers. But we’re not hunting for discounts in isolation—we’re tapping into trusted networks to get the most bang for our buck. A full 80% of mothers actively seek out product recommendations on social media, underscoring the importance of digital engagement and the power of peer-to-peer influence.

It’s as much about efficiency and trust as it is about saving money. When you’re constantly managing a mental load that would break most project management systems, you learn to rely on other people who’ve been there.

There can be a couple of Be Sci principles at work here: social proof and confirmation bias.

Social proof explains why we're scanning those Instagram comments and texting our Mom groups before making a purchase. When faced with decision fatigue (another constant in our lives), mothers instinctively look for product recommendations from others in our situation. If the other Moms from the “Playground” group text are doing it, we feel more confident in our brand choice.

Confirmation bias explains why people seek out information that confirms what we already think. As mothers, we've developed complex belief systems about what makes a good Mom, and we naturally gravitate toward brands that validate those thoughts. And if we’ve mostly settled on a product and other Moms agree? We not only experience social proof—we feel rewarded for our good judgment.

The kicker is that both these biases are supercharged by Mom Guilt.

Moms are not just looking for products that work or taste good but don’t cost too much. We're constantly evaluating whether our choices align with our ideals of motherhood. Is this what a good “Good Mom” would choose? Will this purchase make me a better Mom?

When brands overlook this emotional complexity, they miss our actual decision drivers, the nagging guilt and uncertainty that make choosing something as simple as a new CPG snack so exhausting.

It's why simply targeting mothers as a demographic isn't enough.

To find their entry points, brands need to recognize our underlying motivations and speak to us like they know our lives—starting on the day that’s sometimes, however ironically, hardest on us.

Mother's Day as Brand’s Emotional Gateway to Year-Round Appeal

Understanding Mom is one thing, but how do brands influence what we buy and earn our loyalty? It might start with recognizing Mother’s Day as a bit of myth—just another vision for perfection that most Moms and their loving, well-meaning families won’t achieve.

While marketers offer idealized visions, Mother’s Day usually looks quite different from breakfast in bed and can actually become a source of stress and pressure rather than joy. After all, it's often Mom coordinating her own celebration while managing kids who are out of their routines (not fun!) and making sure the day meets everyone else’s expectations.

The research backs this up.

A proprietary Orangetheory survey found that 54% of us Moms find Mother's Day more stressful than a typical Sunday, and 82% of us would actually enjoy it more if we had the following day to ourselves. In another study, when asked what we want most for Mother’s Day? The top answer is revealingly simple: a nap.

This space between marketed fantasy and Mom reality creates a huge opportunity for brands that are willing to look beyond the standard Mother's Day playbook.

Mother’s Day provides a helpful focal point for new messaging. But instead of working up another once-a-year performance campaign, brands can treat this holiday as an emotional gateway to connections that resonate with Mom throughout the year.

The Be Sci Solution: From Guilty Pleasure to Maternal Necessity

Now let’s get practical—by getting back to Be Sci and how it can make your brand irresistible to even the guiltiest of Moms.

Most Mother's Day campaigns unknowingly operate on the behavioral principle of moral licensing—"you deserve this because you've sacrificed all year long." But for Moms already struggling with impossible standards, this actually triggers more guilt, not less.

The behavioral principle of price relativity (covered beautifully by Richard Shotton at our Consumer Behavior Lab here) offers a better approach. It demonstrates that people don't determine value in isolation—we assess and judge something based on what we're comparing it to.

For Moms constantly measuring choices against our ideals of "good motherhood," brands can shift how we perceive a product's value by changing what they compare it to.

What if Mother’s Day wasn’t an escape from sacred responsibilities but a tool to help us meet them better?

Don't position indulgences as escapes from motherhood that we may or may not deserve, and only once a year. Instead, frame them as essential, restorative, year-round experiences that make better mothering possible.

Every small indulgence becomes about Mom recharging her battery to enable more engaged, playful parenting. Refilling her cup so she can return to family life as a more present, patient parent.

No more guilt over putting herself first. This is about Mom becoming her best self for everyone who counts on her.

Models of Marketing That Truly Values Mom

Three brands demonstrate a strong understanding of shifting the value equation when it comes to their Mom-focused marketing:

KFC's "Real Talk" Mother’s Day menu brilliantly acknowledges the diverse realities of motherhood rather than promoting an idealized celebration.

Recognizing that Moms are often responsible for dinner even on their special day, KFC offers tailored meal options that any mother would consider priceless.

With offerings like the "Taste of Time-off Meal" for the mother who needs some alone time (and leftovers), and the "Eight Piece and Quiet Meal" that caters to the mother who just want to keep the day easy, this creative approach acknowledges the varied experiences and desires of mothers—providing concrete solutions to Mother’s Day stressors that more than justify the price tag.

Orangetheory Fitness, admirably responding to its research findings, launched the "Mother's Other Day" campaign to address Moms’ need to stay energized.

The initiative expanded Mother’s Day into a broader celebration of year-round self-appreciation and wellness. By offering a free class to all mothers (both members and non-members) and giving employees a paid day off, Orangetheory Fitness acknowledged the ongoing need for mothers to prioritize their well-being.

The campaign's success, evidenced by its 2024 PRNEWS Platinum Award, lies in its creativity and emotional resonance. It recognized the fact that mothers need more than a single day of recognition; they need continuous support and opportunities for self-care.

Marias Gamesa, Mexico’s largest cookie manufacturer, created the thoroughly heartwarming "The Secret Ingredient is Mom" campaign.

This initiative celebrates the essential role mothers play in their families’ lives. It’s part of an integrated, year-round strategy that includes Cafecito con Marias Gamesa, a virtual community of support for Latinas navigating motherhood in the U.S., and a partnership with the podcast series Super Mamás.

The brand recognized that judgment over parenting styles and guilt about prioritizing personal interests can prevent Latina mothers from seeking support, especially amid cultural and linguistic differences.

By creating safe, accessible engagement spaces, they addressed these challenges while acknowledging that 80% of Latina Moms are already finding creative ways to prioritize themselves.

How to Build Your Mom Marketing Playbook

These examples are more than inspiring, they're instructive. Each brand has found a way to create meaningful connections with mothers by recognizing our real priorities and experiences.

For indulgence brands, they shed light on how to find positioning as an essential source of joy—something that helps mothers earn their Best Mom Ever mug every May.

As you begin reimagining your approach to Mom marketing, keep these five imperatives front and center:

1. Be Authentic, Always
   Avoid clichés and generalizations. Speak to the real, lived experiences of mothers with empathy and understanding.
2. Acknowledge Guilt and Anxiety
   Don’t shy away from the difficult emotions mothers face. Instead, offer solutions that alleviate guilt and promote self-care.
3. Use the Price Relativity Principle to Shift the Narrative
   Reframe products and services not as indulgences that trigger Mom Guilt but tools that help Mom out as she strives for perfection.
4. Offer Concrete Solutions
   Provide tangible solutions to common problems and stressors. Make it easy for mothers to prioritize their well-being.
5. Sustain Engagement Year-Round
   Mother’s Day is an opportunity, not a deadline. Engage with mothers consistently throughout the year, offering ongoing support and value.

The Brand Value Waiting Beyond Monday Morning

This isn’t only about capturing a share of Mom's wallet on Mother's Day. It's about transforming indulgence into an essential part of our lives—becoming a brand that genuinely understands our brains, respects our values and helps alleviate our guilt rather than triggering it.

By making this shift, brands can support mothers instead of selling to us. And in the complex ecosystem of motherhood, that support can transform a one-day performance campaign into a year-round relationship built on genuine understanding and respect.

For indulgence brands especially, the approach creates double-digit opportunities. When your chocolate, wine, or self-care product becomes positioned as a necessary component of better mothering, you break free from the constraints of occasion-based marketing.

You become part of Mom's regular routine–her emotional support system, not just her treat.

This expands your market from special occasions to everyday moments. It differentiates you from competitors still stuck in the "you deserve this" messaging trap. And most importantly, it builds the kind of authentic connection that drives both immediate conversion and long-term share of mind.

This is marketing that makes a difference—for your brand, and for every Mom tirelessly tending to her little people while somehow managing her own life.

To see more Behavioral Science principles in action, explore Method1’s work.

To learn more about how brands can tap price relativity to drive choice, listen to Episode 33 of the Behavioral Science for Brands Podcast (official podcast of the Consumer Behavior Lab) here.

About the Author

Allison Arling-Giorgi, Head of Brand at Method1, is an expert brand-builder who harnesses deep understanding of human behavior to drive real business impact. She has spent her career helping brands in CPG and spirits industries make sense of consumers and culture, translating insight into highly effective and awarded work. Allison has been a featured speaker at conferences across the U.S., and has also contributed to the PBS Frontline documentary “Generation Like,” the UK Daily Mail and MediaPost.