Through #MaaIsMoreThanACook campaign, Weikfield attempts to break stereotypes

The occasion of Mother’s Day these days has very little to do with celebrating our mothers and instead has become all about brands promoting their products.

All brands make it a point to create campaigns around the day and more often than not do more disservice than good. In the guise of celebrating mothers, they end up reinforcing stereotypes and glorifying patriarchal mindsets about motherhood.

Breaking away from the clutter, in their latest campaign #MaaIsMoreThanACook, Weikfield attempts to do something rather different. Instead of promoting their products, through this campaign, Weikfield attempts to change society’s perception about mothers and highlights that mothers are not limited to their culinary skills. The brand takes an interesting approach to celebrate the day.

Apart from a host of micro-influencers, the brand has collaborated with actress Sameera Reddy for the campaign. The choice of Reddy is significant here. A mother of two, she is an active mom blogger who regularly posts about her children on Instagram. Her recent video series ‘Messy Mama and Sassy Sasu’, where she cooks with her mother-in-law, has also gained immense popularity. In fact she describes herself as ‘Messy Mama’ in her profile description. This makes her a perfect fit to roast the comments that mothers receive for their cooking.

Donning her Messy Mama avatar, Reddy reviews the comments mothers receive for their cooking. In a video post, she gives witty comebacks for these judgemental comments and grips the audience till the end. She calls it ‘Messy Mama’s take on the food reviews that mothers get for their cooking skills. Let’s serve some garma garam ratings in return.’ In the post she gives a humorous take on judgements like ‘So what if she is successful, she doesn’t know how to cook,’ and ‘A good mom should know how to cook’.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Sameera Reddy (@reddysameera)

The brand has also asked users to share the judgements they have received on their cooking and Sameera Reddy will provide a witty comeback for them. The post has received phenomenal response with several mothers sharing the judgemental comments they have received for their cooking.

The brand has also roped in 15 micro-influencers, who are largely mom and food bloggers. They also provide witty comebacks for such sexist judgements. These bloggers have the right target audience for the brand and help the post to get a wider reach. The comments on their posts reflect that that brand has picked up a relatable issue and many mothers have had similar experiences.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Preeti Sharma (@smilesnburps)

According to the data provided by content marketing agency Sheeko, the influencer-driven campaign has reached more than 2.5 lakh people in a media value pegged around Rs 5-6 lakh.

Sheeko Brandscore graph of the brand’s performance on Instagram over one year:

Usually brands take the influencer marketing route to promote their products and services. It is rare to see brands roping in influencers to break stereotypes or to change mindsets. With this attempt, the campaign comes as a breath of fresh air. All the more so because it doesn’t put mothers on a glorified pedestal and chooses a more progressive approach. Instead, it acknowledges that mothers are more than just cooks and play an important role even outside the kitchen.