10 Mother’s Day marketing examples to help your campaign honor motherhood in all its forms

In 2023, Americans spent $35.7B on Mother’s Day.

That’s up 12.6% from the previous year—which means even accounting for inflation, Mother’s Day spending is on a clear upward trend over time.

If your brand sells products that align with traditional ideas of motherhood—for example, health and beauty products, jewelry, and home furnishings—your email campaigns may feel straightforward.

But in recent years, we’ve become more thoughtful about what motherhood means to different people.

We’ve become more sensitive to people who don’t have mothers or who don’t have great relationships with their mothers. We’ve recognized that many people have a complicated relationship with the concept of motherhood. And we’ve embraced seriously the concept of the pet parent, as many millennials are choosing animals over human children.

For as many versions of motherhood there may be, there are just as many ways for brands to connect with mothers, mother figures, and the people who love them on Mother’s Day.

Here’s some inspiration from 10 real-life brands to help you capture growing revenue opportunities during the spring celebration.

1. Our Place offers a compassionate opt-out

For some, Mother’s Day is a celebration of joy and love. For others, it’s painful or upsetting.

A Mother’s Day opt-out email is peak customer empathy. This example from kitchen essentials brand Our Place is simple and sensitive, and it puts the power of choice in the hands of the customer.

Another option: Use your sign-up forms to allow subscribers to opt out of particular campaigns or messages right from the get-go.

When you provide the option to select message preferences as you’re collecting contact information, you’re collecting zero- and first-party data that will allow you to segment your audience in the future—and send more relevant, resonant messages as a result.

Especially for Mother’s Day, when tensions may be high for some people, giving subscribers a tailored opt-out option may prevent someone from completely unsubscribing from your entire email list. It also shows you’re willing to go the extra mile to deliver a thoughtful customer experience.

2. Wild One celebrates all moms

Subject line: This one’s for the dog moms 💘

Pet essentials brand Wild One expands on the traditional meaning of motherhood by extending it to people who have pets. Their email copy is playful and shows that even if your “kid” is a four-legged, 25-pound ball of fur, mom duties still apply.

Even better, Wild One features user-generated content (UGC) in their Mother’s Day email to highlight real members of their brand’s community. It’s a clever way to demonstrate what their products look like in the wild (pun intended), while also adding an element of authenticity and humanity to a promotional email message.

3. FARM Rio captures a micro-moment

Subject line: Tomorrow is Mother’s Day

One of Brazil’s most well-known apparel brands, FARM Rio, caters their Mother’s Day email toward last-minute holiday shoppers. You know the ones—the people who wait until the 11th hour to buy their gifts.

FARM Rio provides a solution that requires very little planning: a gift card.

The email itself encapsulates not only the holiday rush to buy a gift, but also the seasonal spirit of spring by offering a timely coupon code in the header section.

“The ‘last day to get your orders in time for a holiday’ blast is always a good one,” says Brandon Amoroso, founder and president of Electriq. “It expresses urgency, provides transparency, and is a real, hard deadline.”

4. Alice & Wonder promotes a holiday-themed product line

Subject line: 💗I Got It For My Mama💗- Shop The Mother’s Day Collection

Some brands, like contemporary apparel and gift brand Alice & Wonder, offer dedicated Mother’s Day product collections. Alice & Wonder’s Mother’s Day gift guide includes curated photos of some of the items shoppers could buy for their mom, or for moms to gift themselves.

From fashionable apparel to quirky coffee and wine mugs, this product selection from Alice & Wonder makes it easy for consumers to find something their mother will appreciate, without having to browse multiple websites or product pages.

5. P.O.P. Candy uses SMS for last-minute shoppers

If someone has subscribed to your brand via SMS, they really want to hear from you. According to Klaviyo’s recent SMS consumer sentiment report, most people only subscribe to 2-3 brands via SMS—and most are open to hearing from their favorite brands a few times a week.

For Mother’s Day, P.O.P. Candy isn’t shy about using SMS to communicate with last-minute shoppers who may be so busy, they need to buy a gift on mobile.

The SMS itself is short and to the point: the reader can see the deadline to get a gift in time for Mother’s Day, and click through to the product page.

It worked, too: The candy brand’s Mother’s Day SMS marketing strategy earned them a high click rate.

6. DeaDia promises moms will get gifts on time

Subject line: Don’t forget about Mom! 25% off sitewide!

Preview text: Treat your mother 🌼🌸🌼

Sent 8 days before Mother’s Day, this email from jewelry brand DeaDia serves as a gentle reminder to the reader to get that gift for the mother figure in their life. The subject line is playful and includes a nudge—25% off the entire site.

No wonder this email earned a high open rate.

The takeaway? Help your audience accomplish their goal—in this case, getting their Mother’s Day gift on time. Also: If you’re offering a sweet deal, let them know in the subject line.

7. Woolino empathizes with tired moms

Subject line: Enjoy 15% OFF select styles! 3 days only.

Preview text: The perfect gift for the sleep-loving mom.

If anyone in your life has a newborn, what they want might be easy to figure out: sleep.

Woolino, a baby clothing and sleep apparel brand, empathizes with tired moms by highlighting how their products—sleep bags—can help both babies and moms get a better night’s sleep.

A bold, direct headline—”This is what moms want for Mother’s Day”—and a punchline that’s bound to make the reader chuckle—”a sleeping baby”—precede the important information shoppers need to get the discount.

The ingredients of this email all added up to a high click rate for Woolino.

8. Ariel Gordon removes the gifting guessing game

Subject line: 15% Off What’s In-Stock For Mama

Preview text: Use code MAMA15 at checkout.

For Mother’s Day, jewelry brand Ariel Gordon takes the guesswork out of what you can still buy, when you should buy it, whether it will get there on time, and how much you’ll spend.

Right at the top of the email, a hero image communicates the brand’s shipping calendar with clear cut-off dates. Throw in a 15% discount and over a dozen products featured in the email, and it’s no surprise that this email earned such a high click rate.

Bonus: Ariel Gordon understands that much of their audience may also be mothers themselves. That’s why they include a “Drop a Hint” module that makes it easy for them to share a wish with someone they know. They not only take out the guesswork for gift givers—they also help moms ask for what they want.

9. My Trio Rings makes it easy to chip in for a high-priced gift

Subject line: Mother’s Day Sale 🌸💖 Up To 35% Off

Preview text: Get ready for Mother’s Day with additional savings on diamond rings!

If your brand sells high-ticket items, your Mother’s Day gifts may have to be purchased by a group.

Why not empathize with families who may be organizing a group gift? In this Mother’s Day email, jewelry brand My Trio Rings spells out their co-pay feature in bulleted steps. They also forefront a hefty discount in both the subject line and the headline in the hero image.

Finally, the brand shows real empathy for those who may have to save up or pay in chunks for their Mother’s Day present through their no-fee layaway explanations.

10. Helen Jon keeps the sale (very) short

Subject line: Flash: 40% off for 4 hours only! 11am–3pm CT

Preview text: Treat your mother or yourself!

Urgency can help drive action no matter the holiday. Apparel brand Helen Jon takes it to a whole new level with a 4-hour sale.

Even better, they communicate the discount—40%—and the exact hours of the flash sale in the subject line. This resulted in high open rates and a high click rate.