Not to sound too jaded, but marketers never saw a holiday they
didn’t love, especially when there’s money to be grabbed.
According to the NRF, the top gifts for Mother’s Day in 2026 include flowers (75%), greeting
cards (74%), special outings (63%), and gift cards (55%).
Apparently our love for mom is at an all-time high. The NRF estimates spending to break records in 2026, rising
from $34.1 billion in 2025 to an estimated $38 billion for this year.
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And what mom doesn’t love….tequila?
Seriously, this year’s unofficial best Mother’s Day advertising award goes to Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves McConaughey for Pantalones Organic Tequila.
A new set of (hilarious) videos star Matthew’s 94-year-old mother Kay “MaMac” McConaughey as
the “Most Interesting Mom in the World.” The spots introduce MaMac into Pantalones Organic Tequila’s
ongoing “Official Tequila Of” campaign, leaning into the brand’s irreverent tone and celebrating the idea that personality only gets better with age.
Next up, 72andSunny New York has a sweet promotion for Panera. Ahead of
Mother’s Day, the agency invited mother-child duos to share a meal and a conversation, and built a social-first series around their dialogue. The extremely poignant “Meet Your Mom” video is on social media.
Two additional Panera films dedicated to the conversations between Summer
House’s KJ Dillard and his mom, and Gals On The Go co-host, Brooke Miccio and her mom, will debut on Sunday.
BLK, the dating app for the Black community, is launching “Mama’s Boy,” a
campaign designed to challenge outdated myths and prove that emotionally mature, relationship-ready men aren’t an anomaly. They’re a direct reflection of the women who raised them.
The campaign features a multi-platform initiative including a mini-docuseries, an IRL creator and influencer event, and an in-app sticker to prove that a strong bond with Mom is modern
dating’s ultimate green flag. The first episode of the content series is on social media.
BetterHelp is
debuting Motherhood With You, a new campaign featuring a three-part YouTube series exploring the real emotional
experience of motherhood, teaming up with actress Becca Tobin (LadyGang) and soccer legends Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy (Welcome to the Party).
New moms having
a hard time with sleep are the focus of Owlet, smart infant monitoring. The brand’s 2026 Mother’s Day campaign aims
to support moms and give them more confidence. The two-week campaign encourages moms to let Owlet do more with steep discounts on its products and a new, exclusive partnership with Divi, the
Growth Care brand founded by Dani Austin. 
DoorDash is celebrating Mother’s Day with beauty deals, dining perks and last-minute gifts with partnerships with ULTA Beauty, Sally Beauty, JD Sports and Old Navy. DoorDash is
bringing the mom group chat to life in a campaign featuring the cast of powerhouse moms in “The Real Moms of the Group
Chat.”
Just in time for Mother’s Day
weekend, IHOP is serving up a sweet way to celebrate with its Chocolate Covered Strawberry Stack Hack. The restaurant chain is also offering a deal on gift cards just in time for the holiday.
Consumers can get a $5 Bonus Card for every $25 gift card purchase.
Finally, AT&T data shows how people are connecting with mom on Mother’s Day: 75% of Americans
prefer to text mom on Mother’s Day. People are sending three texts for every one phone call.
Last year, Houston, San Antonio, and Chicago showed mom the most love: These
are the top 3 cities for texting and calling mom back-to-back in 2024 and 2025. Houston loves mom the most: with almost 3 million more texts and calls than any other city on Mother’s Day in
2025.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms and their devoted offspring!
