93% of Mexican mothers don’t identify with the representation of motherhood in advertising. To change this, Marías Gamesa, positioned as an ally for moms, launched “Imperfect Motherhood”, its new equity campaign. A statement that challenges the conventional discourses of the category and restores relevance to a brand considered traditional. Marías shows the reality of many mothers and the emotional ups and downs they face daily, paying tribute to the enormous work they do and moving away from stereotypes by appealing to the vision of new generations. A game changing work, not only for the industry but for the Mexican society.

In Mexico, Maria's has become a generic to the category. The market is filled with similar, cheaper options with lookalike packagings which promote confusion. Many competitor's products lack key ingredients (such as milk or vitamins) that are Gamesa's main differentiator.

Marías Gamesa is a brand that has been in the market for more than 100 years accompanying Mexican mothers. But in the last years, its relevance fell, being identified as a traditional brand. The challenge was to increase once again its preference and affinity, especially in young mothers, as well as strengthening its leadership and value proposition in the face of similar offers at more affordable prices.

So, we reconsidered our positioning to meet the needs of the new context, audience, and the business, seeking for a solid north that would guide the brand's actions and products in the future.

The problem we tried to solve was changing Mexican society's perception about a stage of life that lasts until a child or a mother dies. A long period where mothers face constant criticism and unwanted opinions, reinforced by the idealized and stereotypical image promoted by media and advertising, which makes them doubt about their daily decisions regarding the upbringing of their children. This limits the development and enjoyment of this stage and has effects in their mental health.

77% feel guilty about their role as mothers. When asked how they would rate themselves, they self-qualify with a 6 (out of 10), wishing they were better. 7 out of 10 declare that they don't enjoy motherhood due to all the pressure.

For this reason, they seek for safe spaces of containment, expression, and identification, with close circles, media, experts, or new communities. Several hashtags with thousands of posts on the subject: #RealMotherhood, #MomShaming, #ImperfectMoms, #RealMoms, prove this.

We wanted to represent the reality of motherhood and not just the pretty and romanticized part freeing moms and allowing them to be authentic and show themselves as they are without fear of judgement.

The business challenge that Marías Gamesa was facing obliged it to justify its value proposition, in the face of similar cheaper alternatives, standing out for its quality ingredients, product innovations, and brand positioning that resonated with Mexican mothers.

To achieve this, we had to understand the cultural context, the competitive environment that had changed in recent years, as well as the concerns of our target to update our discourses and the way we connected with them. Therefore, our mission was to re-signify the existing narratives of motherhood, which were limiting and didn't reflect the reality that many women experience daily.

Through social listening, market research, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and workshops with experts, we identified new visions and pressures of motherhood among women aged 18-45.

The social context changed and so did the ways in which motherhood is exercised. However, they’re still exposed to constant criticism about "how to be a good mother"; although being a perfect mother is no longer a role model they aspire to, 9 out of 10 Mexican mothers have felt the pressure to reach the perfect standard.

For our positioning and discourse to be in line with the current context, we shifted the focus of conversation, showing motherhood as it is: a stage of life filled with emotional ups and downs, where moms are looking for empathy and support, rather than just another opinion on how things should be.

"Imperfect Motherhood" shows universal truth for moms: they cry when they can't handle something anymore, but hide their tears because they are a sign of weakness and they were taught they must be able to cope with everything.

This insight comes to life from the innocent gaze of their children, who recognize them as a symbol of power but, at the same time, add more pressure on them.

We used water as a metaphorical element to relieve and show the accumulated pressure that mothers experience and its release through crying, helping the body to recover from strong emotions and releasing hormones of happiness. On the other hand, since ancient times, water has served as a purifying element to heal the body and soul.

The stories we see, represent different stages of motherhood, designed for thousands of moms who dare to show their vulnerabilities to us.

With only 25 days on air, Imperfect motherhood has opened social conversation, positioning Marías as a brand that understands motherhood pressures:

- +3.5pp Ad-Recall vs benchmark LATAM.

- +5pts Brand Differentiation (vs norm)

- 67MM Users Reached (+67% vs previous campaign)

- +270MM Impressions (+2x vs previous campaign in the same period)

- +109.7MM views (28MM above PepsiCo-Mexico-Foods benchmark)

- 75% VTR (+31pp vs benchmark LATAM)

- 316k clicks.

- 3.11% CTR (+0.9pp vs Brand benchmark)

- 628k Interactions (+53% vs previous campaign)

- 86% Positive Sentiment.

- 70% Overall emotion (+30pp vs norm)

- +10k New Followers on SMM (young moms 25-34Y.O.)

- 82% thinks the campaign reflects Mexican mom's reality

- 81% of comments expressed consumers brand preference.

- Moms consider that Marías is a brand that understands them (+14% vs. norm)

- 65 posts earned across 28 different media. 9.6M earned impressions. $179,553 USD Ad Equivalency.