Irish PR agency PR360’s ‘Today’s Mum’ campaign has been nominated for the Nicholas Hall Colin Borg creative award, a European honour for the best creativity in OTC advertising in film, TV, internet or out of home media. Launched last September, ‘Today’s Mum’ promoted Sudocrem’s Care & Protect ointment, the brand’s first new product in 90 years.
The agency, run by former Government department spokesman Dan Pender, designed the campaign around the theme of motherhood in Ireland today. Rather than gloss over the challenges of being a mother, the campaign strove to create a more realistic picture: periods of joy and fulfilment punctuated by moments of frustration, apprehension and exhaustion.
PR360 commissioned research which examined the attitudes of Irish mums to motherhood, career, domestic duties and relationship. It showed that only 12 per cent of mothers felt valued by society, while a third said they rarely have time for themselves. Nearly two-thirds said they would rather stay at home with their kids if money was not an issue.
A three-minute film was also produced, aimed at giving the campaign a more emotive and shareable quality. Produced by Banjoman Films, it has been viewed more than 215,000 times across Facebook and YouTube, receiving praise from viewers and media alike. The report and short film were launched by Sudocrem brand ambassador Maia Dunphy, pictured.
Dunphy promoted ‘Today’s Mum’ across her social channels and other media.
Media coverage highlights included front page spreads in the Irish Daily Mail, the Irish Mail on Sunday Magazine and the Irish Examiner Magazine, as well as coverage in the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent, Irish Daily Star and the Irish Sun. The campaign was covered on Newstalk and in interviews on RTÉ Radio One, RTÉ 2FM, Spin 1038 and Red FM.
Dunphy also appeared on TV3’s Elaine afternoon chat show. Before the campaign, Sudocrem Care & Protect had a zero market share. By Q4 2017, it had a dominance in its product category. The winner of the Colin Borg creative award will be announced at the Nicholas Hall OTC Insight 29thAnnual Conference in Barcelona, which runs from April 18 to 20.
