Mothers Day is a difficult holiday to program and promote. It happens at a busy time of the year, and there’s a relatively short window (the week leading up to the day) to stage a campaign. That’s why most stations end up with a relatively minor promotion or a few segments on the air. Here is a Mothers Day promotion collection of ideas that fit into that model.
Mothers Day Promotion Idea #1: A Night Out With the Girls
Keep in mind that moms love the idea of Mothers Day, but in most households, it ends up being a lot of work for Mom. So when planning a promotion or contest, take into account who you’re really programming it for.
As author and speaker Maria Bailey says about moms:
They usually end up planning the celebration and taking care of their own mothers, mothers-in-law and aunts.
Be a hero to your audience (those who share your station with friends and co-workers) with a Mom’s Night Out.
It’s what 70% of moms want in the days leading up to or right after Mother’s Day.
Do you have extra tickets to an upcoming concert, movie premiere or event? Make it available for mothers only.
Mom’s Night Out is also a great opportunity to include direct advertisers, such as a hair salon or entertainment district.
Mother’s Day Match Game
This game can be fun on the air or live online with on-air promotion. There are several ways to execute it. The essence of the idea is to invite listeners to guess the mom of each member of your show. It can be charming, funny, outrageous and character revealing.
Have the moms on the show live if possible. If not, a phone connection works, too. Encourage them to tell stories about their child early in life. Listeners match the moms to win.
You could also turn the game into a listener involvement segment. Get them on with their mom and ask questions. Make sure these are compelling, provocative questions or this can get boring really fast.
If they’re live, it might be charming to include them in some basic show elements — weather, time, liners, etc.
Confessions
Confessions make great stories on the air, and can easily be adapted to fit the Mother’s Day Promotion Collection, though this idea is more of a content based segment.
And stories are at the heart of TSL, and great stories include drama and tension. This idea has it all. It starts with listeners calling to tell you something they got away with as kids.
But then the twist: They’re offered a prize to call their mom and confess to it on the air.
For added drama, the show calls their mom and does the same!
Here’s a resource that can get you started with some ideas.
Kids on Air: My Mom Is Great
This takes a little extra legwork and coordination but the payoff is outstanding. The goal is to get audio from kids talking about mom.
Here’s how to do it:
Work with a school or other organization with younger children (ages 3 to 8 is ideal).
On the arranged day, record children sending their mom a Mother’s Day message about what makes her a great mom.
Be sure to send a note home with the kids to tell their moms to listen for their children on the air.
And remind them to tell all their friends to listen for them, too. Guaranteed to spike parental listening that week!
Revenge of the Moms
This idea works both on the air and online as a contest built around a story. The premise of Revenge of the Moms is for mothers to fight back with a chance to talk about their kids.
As you know, most of the time, it’s mom’s job to protect the kids. This is the one day they can unload the dirt, because your show has given them permission.
The simple way to make this happen is to just make it a topic on the air. For dramatic effect, and to attract more callers, you may want to change the caller’s voices.
Create various categories as mini-topics throughout the show, such as
- The dumbest, grossest, or most embarrassing thing my kid did. Did your kid swear in public? Or get her tongue stuck to a pole in the winter?
- What you lied to your kids about.
Conclusion
What are your favorite ideas to add to the Mothers Day Promotion Collection? Send them along and I will add them! Include audio if you have it!
