Why McCain Celebrated Mother’s Day by Putting Moms in the Picture
It often falls upon mothers to do it all. From being a chef to a chauffeur, a nurse to a therapist, moms around the world find themselves wearing every possible hat to help keep the family healthy and happy.
Unfortunately however, this is often at the expense of the mother. Aside from all this being an exorbitant amount of work, moms are often left out of the beautiful moments they work so hard to create. Statistically, this is a fact. According to research by Canadian agency Rethink, 84% of the country’s moms say that when they’re with their family, the person taking the photos most often is them. Moreover, 77% of moms appear in less than half of the family photos on their camera rolls… and 35% say they’re in none at all.
It’s for this, among many reasons that McCain Foods wanted to make a difference. While the brand couldn’t suddenly pick up the heavy loads that many mothers carry, it did see an opportunity with the aforementioned statistics - a chance to ‘Put Mom in the Picture’. So, for Mother’s Day 2023, McCain and Rethink worked with award-winning photojournalist Krisanne Johnson to capture candid photos of real moms with their families in their homes. Not only did it lead to the creation of a candid yet heartfelt and emotional spot, but it serves as a reminder for Canadians to include mothers in the memories - with the brand sharing helpful photography tips and tricks on Instagram to make photo taking easier, and giving three lucky Canadian families the chance to win a professional photography session.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with Rethink ECD and national manager partner, Leia Rogers, and McCain Foods senior brand manager - retail potato Canada Laura Kennedy to learn how this Mother’s Day campaign came to life.
LBB> Creating a Mother’s Day campaign is no small task. As such, what was the brief, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Laura> This brief was simple but intentional. Our ask to Rethink was to celebrate moms (and mother figures) on Mother’s Day by acknowledging their often unsung, invisible work that goes into meaningfully bringing the family together. We had several exciting ideas that were brought forward, but this was hands down the one that resonated with the team at first sight.
Leia> The ask was big, but the ideas that rose to the top felt the most relatable and true - ideas that made me nod my head as a mother myself.
LBB> A McCain campaign not centred around brand products is an interesting creative approach. What made this the right way to cut through the clutter, and why was this something the brand was interested in doing?
Leia> It was important to the brand that we approached this as a bigger idea - something that resonated emotionally with their biggest customers. Selling fries was never going to be as important as our priority number one: connecting with moms in a way that made them feel seen.
Laura> Of course every brand wants to sell more products - and we’re no different - but more importantly, we also see the importance in building an emotional connection with our consumers. We want to be a part of those special moments in their lives, whether big or small.
LBB> Statistics drive this campaign, including the fact that 84% of Canadian moms say they’re the person most often taking family photos. What was the research process like, what were the key takeaways, and how did they factor into the creative?
Leia> We carried out a survey through Angus Reid that asked 500 Canadian moms a series of questions to better understand who takes their family photos, and if they appeared in many of them. The results weren’t surprising at all, and they affirmed what the many moms who worked on this project already intuitively knew from personal experience.
Laura> Based on this insight, we made it our mission to ensure we celebrated and captured those magical moments, where moms are spending time together with their families.
LBB> The photo shoots were done with award-winning photojournalist Krisanne Johnson. How did you get her involved, and what was the shooting experience like?
Leia> We had seen and heard so much about Krisanne’s beautiful work in the past. Her documentary style and approach to photography were a perfect fit for this campaign, as we wanted to capture those authentic moments between moms and their kids. Working with Krisanne was amazing, and she effortlessly brought out the raw emotions and intimate connections between our moms and their families.
LBB> And how did you find the moms that were ultimately featured in the spot? What was it like working with them and capturing their reactions?
Leia> We released a casting notice to find real moms, and then conducted screening calls with each of them. Our goal was to ensure a diverse representation of moms, encompassing various backgrounds, marital statuses, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. Our four moms (Lisa, Sharon May, Arfina, and Georgia) were spectacular to work with. Each of them brought their own unique and inspiring stories to the project.
Seeing their reactions to the photo gallery and reveal was incredibly moving. The entire team was brought to tears by their genuine and overwhelming responses to seeing the photos. Throughout the process, we deliberately kept the details sparse so the moms had no prior knowledge of what would happen. As a result, their reactions were 100% genuine.
LBB> Beyond this, how was the production process? Where did you shoot, and how long did it take?
Leia> During the initial phase of production, we focused with Krisanne on capturing those special moments and photos of each of the moms with their kids in the comfort of their own homes. Several days later, we invited them to a studio in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood for an interview. After engaging them in a short series of questions, we guided them through a curtain into the next room, where they were met with a truly awe-inspiring moment - the unveiling of a gallery featuring themselves as the main character, alongside their children and family. They were all blown away with disbelief, and so grateful.
LBB> The campaign has also been bolstered by the involvement of content creators Cat and Nat, and actor Jason Priestley. What has the experience of working with them been like?
Leia> We wanted to bring on partners who were genuine advocates of mothers, in order to help us spread McCain’s message this year. Cat and Nat are two of Canada’s most recognisable content creators - who have become famous for their honest examinations of motherhood - and we knew they’d be perfect for speaking to moms on McCain’s behalf.
As for Jason Priestley, he is such an incredible example of a supportive partner and father. This made him the perfect person to help encourage partners, family members and kids to ‘#PutMomInThePicture’.
Overall, our experience working with all of them was great! It makes such a difference when the people you partner with are genuine supporters of the message and the brand.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them, and what lessons did you learn in the process?
Laura> Because this was not a product-focused campaign, we wanted to ensure we were striking the right balance between authentically representing moms with their families, while also having a strong reason for why this was coming from McCain.
In terms of lessons, the following stands out:
- Now more than ever, consumers are looking for a reason to believe in the brands they purchase. With McCain representing one out of every four french fries being eaten globally, we are naturally a part of consumers’ day to day, and we want to be there for those important moments in a fun and meaningful way.
- Passion truly fuels great work. From insight to production, every member of the team showed so much heart for bringing this to life. By also intentionally choosing a team that was predominantly women, moms and moms-to-be, each of us felt a special pull to making this authentically tell the story of a mom’s unique role in bringing her family together.
LBB> How have people responded to this campaign?
Leia> The response and sentiment has been really positive. Audiences have appreciated and genuinely connected with the key message, as it’s a universal truth for a lot of Moms nowadays.
Laura> Overwhelmingly positive! We have had several moms reach out, thanking us for truly seeing them and all the invisible work they do for their families.
LBB> How does this campaign fit into McCain’s platform for the 2023 year?
Laura> As a family company, everything we do is centred around celebrating those magical moments of togetherness, whether that be with family, friends, or as a community. In this case, mom is often the unspoken heartbeat and glue that brings us together, and we wanted to recognise her for the important, often invisible role that she plays.
LBB> Is there anything you’d like to add?
Leia> Happy (slightly late) Mother’s Day to all the moms in this industry hustling every day to make great work and raise great humans!
Laura> Happy belated Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! Thank you to all the women that made this campaign possible, and a special shoutout to my mom and sister-in-laws, who continue to be my biggest cheerleaders and examples of unconditional love/support for our daughters.
Beyond that, don’t forget to ‘#PutMomInThePicture’! If you know a mom that would benefit from a photo session with her family, head over to our McCain Instagram page before May 14th to enter for her chance to win.
