On Mother’s Day, EBM and BBDO Pakistan came together with a campaign that transforms a societal view of blaming mothers into empathizing with them through one of its leading biscuit brand Gluco. The idea was conveyed through a very clever “flip” of a commonly asked question in Urdu: “Kaisi maa ho?” (What kind of a mother are you?), a rhetorical question which is meant as a criticism of the mother. The powerful ad flips the words around to “Kaisi ho, maa?” (How are you, mother?), turning it into an empathetic question.
Peek Freans Gluco through its platform of Gluco Moms wants to continue the tradition of celebrating motherhood in all the roles. With EBM’s purpose of nourishing lives, hearts and communities, the campaign will help in changing behaviours and will serve as a mirror to the society. In the sub-continent a child is seen as a mother’s score card. Every failure and achievement of the child is attributed to the mother.
The campaign features mothers in the home, at work, and travelling – ensuring representation of mothers from all walks of life in Pakistan and their experiences. The minute and a half long video is a powerful call for action when it comes to supporting mothers.
Aaminah Saeed, General Manager of Marketing, EBM Pakistan, believes it’s about time we change the narrative around motherhood. “Motherhood is a lonely journey where the toughest of critics are often your own family members and relatives,” said Aaminah. “Through this campaign, we as EBM with our aim of nourishing lives, hearts and communities’ endeavour to initiate conversations that may lead to a wider societal change. EBM’s Peek Freans Gluco under the platform of Gluco Mom’s, have flipped the narrative by turning around the same question into a positive one and focused on the need for more empathy for mothers. This might be a small gesture of changing the words, but it goes a long way of changing the world for mothers. Each small step leads us to the bigger picture each day”
“As BBDO, we are always eager to tell stories that create impact for brands and for the culture alike. In Gluco, we found a willing client who shared our eagerness. We all might not be moms, but we all have moms. I wish that all mothers are shown compassion rather than criticism”; says Atiya Zaidi- Managing Director and Executive Creative Director, BBDO Pakistan.
In a span of two days the film has received more than 5 million views and has sparked a much-needed conversation on being kind to mothers and not hold them to impossible standards.
