This Mother’s Day, brands across industries turned to emotion-driven storytelling and socially relevant messaging to engage with consumers. From revisiting childhood bonds to spotlighting underserved voices, here’s how some of India’s most prominent companies marked the occasion:
1. Jaypore – Exploring role reversal in the digital age
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail’s lifestyle brand Jaypore launched ‘Maaeri’, a digital campaign led by actor Neha Dhupia. The film explored the modern shift in mother-child relationships, where adult children now guide their mothers through digital tasks like QR payments and online shopping. The core message, “You Taught Me First,” reflected a generational give-and-take in caregiving and support.
2. Titan Company – Literacy for mothers in rural India
Titan’s ‘Aage Badhegi’ campaign spotlighted its CSR initiative, Titan Kanya, which has impacted over 74,000 girls and women in FY24. The campaign, developed with Ogilvy, showcased rural mothers reclaiming education through a structured literacy programme run in collaboration with IIMPACT. It focused on the evolving role of daughters in enabling their mothers’ learning journeys.
3. Simply Fresh – Recognising all who mother
The BN Group’s Simply Fresh released a short film titled #MaaKiKamiPooriKi, telling the story of a child who has lost her mother but views her father as her “complete mom.” The campaign reflected a broader interpretation of caregiving roles, emphasising that love and intent matter more than traditional labels.
4. Vinod Intelligent Cookware – Beyond the kitchen
Vinod Cookware’s campaign challenged conventional portrayals of motherhood in Indian kitchens. Departing from clichés like “maa ke haath ka khana”, the brand acknowledged mothers who may not enjoy cooking but show care in other meaningful ways. The film focused on emotional nourishment over culinary tradition.
5. Emcure Pharmaceuticals – Addressing menopause silence
Emcure, through its women’s wellness brand Arth, revisited the Ice Bucket Challenge with a twist. The campaign used the viral format to start conversations around menopause, highlighting how many mothers silently deal with symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings—issues rarely acknowledged publicly. It aimed to destigmatise midlife health challenges.
6. BIBA – Giving visibility to new mothers
Women’s wear label BIBA collaborated with Enormous Brands to release a film focusing on the emotional invisibility of new mothers. The story reflected how the arrival of a child often overshadows the needs and identity of the woman who has just become a mother. It called attention to overlooked emotional transitions post-childbirth.
7. Instamart – “Add yourself to cart”
Quick-commerce platform Instamart launched an unconventional campaign encouraging users to gift their presence rather than presents. In a humorous yet emotional ad, a woman physically “adds herself to cart” and is delivered to her mother’s doorstep. In a real-world extension of the campaign, five users were selected to be flown to their mothers in partnership with IndiGo and MakeMyTrip.
The focus this year was on nuanced storytelling, emotional depth, and contemporary interpretations of motherhood.