The Women's Media Center has a contest going to give women a chance to tell their stories of why they have chosen their own unique goals and paths in life. This is comparable to many of the contests that consumer packaged goods manufacturers have used very successfully in the past to get user-generated content to promote their brands. This promotion centers on pro-choice messaging for women. This is also highly unusual as a Mother's Day promotion because it seeks political commentary and promises the potential to have it published and potentially seen by women who are members of the Women's Media Center. As a result this concentrates on the aspects of moms being free to speak their minds and say it on video, sharing it with many others throughout the women's community. Here is the URL for the contest: http://womensmediacenter.com/blog/2010/05/tell-your-story-enter-our-mothers-day-video-contest/.
These two promotions show how marketers and politically-motivated organizations try to capitalize on Mother's Day to gain greater participation with their brands and causes. While the more traditional promotions look to sell more candy, flowers, jewelry and cards, these promotions look to link consumers or participants (in the case of the videos) with the brands and causes. In a sense these promotions seek to create fans first.
