A Brand Called Mom

Contrary to popular belief, Mother’s Day was not conceived in the boardroom of Hallmark. But why do we really celebrate this holiday?

The earliest tributes to mothers date back to the annual spring festival the Greeks—dedicated to Rhea, the mother of many deities, and to the offerings ancient Romans made to their Great Mother of Gods, Cybele. Christians celebrated this festival on the fourth Sunday in Lent in honor of Mary, mother of Christ. In England this holiday was expanded to include all mothers and was called Mothering Sunday.

In the United States, Mother’s Day started nearly 150 years ago, when Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community, a cause she believed would be best advocated by mothers. She called it “Mother’s Work Day.”

In 1905 when Anna Jarvis died, her daughter, also named Anna, began a campaign to memorialize the life work of her mother. Anna began to lobby prominent businessmen and politicians including Presidents Taft and Roosevelt to support her campaign to create a special day to honor mothers. At one of the first services organized to celebrate Anna’s mother in 1908, at her church in West Virginia, Anna handed out her mother’s favorite flower, the white carnation. Five years later, the House of Representatives adopted a resolution calling for officials of the federal government to wear white carnations on Mother’s Day. In 1914 Anna’s hard work paid off when Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother’s Day as a national holiday.

At first, people observed Mother’s Day by attending Church, writing letters to their mothers, and eventually, by sending cards, presents, and flowers. With the increasing gift-giving activity associated with Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis became enraged. She believed that the day’s sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit.

Despite Jarvis’s misgivings, Mother’s Day has flourished in the United States and continues to be highly commercialized. In fact, the second Sunday of May has become the most popular day of the year to dine out. And long distance telephone calls also peak on this day, as sons and daughters everywhere take advantage of this day to honor and to express appreciation of their mothers. Mother’s Day is the second highest gift-giving day of the year behind Christmas.

While contemporary cultural awareness of the holiday is largely based in commercialism, it is the market force that adds to the overall importance of Mother’s Day. Where people once may not have heeded the holiday, they are made abundantly aware of the chance to pay special tribute to Mom.

So what about your image?

As our Mother’s Day story demonstrates, branding is all about perception. Successful brands make the kind of connection a mother makes with a child—a bond that stands the test of time. They’re built on a solid foundation of effective communications, appealing visual language, and the personal touch only a brand like yours can offer.

If you would like us to help you take a maternal look at your brand, please give me a call at 617-661-6125, or email to set up a meeting. We’ll spring for the carnations.

Have a mother of a season,

Stewart Monderer

Reference: 123holiday.net

email: stewart@monderer.com
web: http://www.monderer.com