Looking beyond the flowers and quirky cards, we explore how motherhood is reshaping digital culture and redefining what connection looks like this Mother’s Day
Mind your Ps and Qs. Think before you speak. If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Our mums were the OG influencers in our lives. Even in adulthood, they remain our biggest cheerleaders, supporters, and mentors, often knowing us better than we know ourselves.
There’s a lot to be said for that kind of motherly instinct. These are the women who put others first and lead with empathy, care, and understanding. There is so much we can learn from that mindset, especially in PR and branding, where nurturing genuine connections with audiences matters more than ever.
In honour of Mother’s Day, we’re looking at the occasion through a wider lens of connection and cultural conversation. How brands can go beyond the expected, how modern mums are shaping the narrative, and how organisations like Mum Love can help reframe the way we talk about motherhood today?
How Brands Honour Mums
Marked every year on the fourth Sunday during Lent in the UK and Ireland, Mother’s Day is all about celebrating mums, grandmothers, stepmums, and the maternal figures who’ve always been there for us. Of course, with everyone looking to spoil their mums, the day has become highly commercialised. Supermarkets are filled with bunches of pink flowers, cafés are fully booked for Sunday lunch, and spas advertise special packages.
Expensive gifts and luxury weekends away are nice, but if our mums taught us anything, it’s that it’s the thought that counts. A lot of the time, it’s the more meaningful gestures that they remember, like breakfast in bed, a family photo, or the card you made her in primary school that’s still proudly displayed on the fridge. The same principle applies to Mother’s Day brand campaigns in the UK; they need to have emotion and feel intentional.
Take Dove’s #RealMoms campaign as an example. Rather than leaning into picture-perfect portrayals, it highlighted real women with messy buns, tired eyes, and candid stories, including first-time mum Jazzie navigating family life and mental health.
Similarly, in a previous campaign, Nike approached Mother’s Day by celebrating the strength and versatility of mums through WNBA star and new mother Napheesa Collier, shining a light on the many roles women carry. The brand also encouraged its community to share their own stories, pairing this with limited-edition pieces like cosy Mom socks and customisable Air Force 1 sneakers. By spotlighting real mums, both brands created space for vulnerability and female empowerment, building genuine connections and trust with their audiences.
The Rise of Mumfluencers
It really does take a village to raise a child, and today’s mums have simply taken that village online, building thriving digital communities of so-called mumfluencers. It all began in the early YouTube era, with creators like Louis Pentland, aka SprinkleofGlitter, inviting subscribers into her life as a single mum. Now, the conversation has moved to Instagram and TikTok, while series like Molly-Mae Hague’s show on Amazon Prime offer a closer look at balancing fame and family life.
What draws audiences in is the relatability. For many followers, these creators feel like a friend or big sister, sharing advice, swapping recommendations, and reassuring others that they’re not alone in the chaos. That sense of closeness is powerful, making mom influencers a first port of call for tips, honest reviews, and real-life perspectives.
Like any other parent, they want the best for their family, which is why they generally only work with brands they have tried, tested, and loved. Because recommendations are woven naturally into everyday content, trust builds steadily over time. That trust carries serious weight too, with women driving more than 85 percent of household purchasing decisions in the US alone, representing over 2.8 trillion dollars in spending power. Beyoncé was right, women really do run the world.
Mums Shifting the Conversation
Nowadays, being a parent means balancing many different roles at once. Juggling school runs with work meetings, managing household admin between emails, showing up for sports days, and still making time moments for self-care when they can. Yet one part of motherhood that often goes unspoken is the identity shift that can follow, the quiet question of who you are beyond the title of ‘mum.’
One charity that’s here to throw away taboos and get more people talking about this universal experience is Mum Love. Established by Georgie Woollams, mum, stepmum, and founder of Katch, the initiative was created to encourage more open and honest conversations surrounding motherhood. One of Mum Love’s main focuses is raising awareness around what psychologists call matrescence, a period of physical, emotional, and psychological change that can leave women feeling like their former selves have been packed away with the pre-baby wardrobe.
The charity envisions a world where every new mum receives recognition, practical support, and evidence-led care for the emotional and identity changes after childbirth. Above all, Mum Love is about building a space where parents can share their stories, access thoughtful resources, explore research, and tune into podcasts that help them make sense of this new chapter. By amplifying the voices of real mums, the platform also works to influence policy and create a more informed, empathetic community.
More Than a Bunch of Flowers
If there’s one thing this all comes back to, it’s that mums deserve more. More thought behind the campaigns that speak to them, more care in the stories brands choose to tell, and more effort than a last-minute, one-size-fits-all message.
That means partnering with real mums whose voices genuinely align with your brand and values. It means recognising that mothers aren’t one neat demographic, they’re business owners, creators, leaders, partners, friends, and everything in between. Create space for conversation, listen closely, and the trust and engagement will grow from there.
And when March 15th rolls around, alongside the flowers and Sunday lunches, hold your mum a little tighter. Because beyond the campaigns and content, they’ve been our biggest influence all along.
For more related updates and to Katch us covering similar topics, watch this space!
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