Mother's Day Marketing Campaign: Huawei's The Concert at 4 AM
We are always scouring various social and digital platforms keeping an eye out for interesting and innovative marketing campaigns that resonate with the target consumer but also highlight the product and brand's key benefits.
This past weekend we all celebrated Mother's Day. This year the celebrations have definitely taken on a different tone and form given the unique times we are in during COVID-19, and as we went through various digital sales and online promotional campaigns, we came across one that stood out to us for being thoughtful and relevant to its target audience.
HUAWEI'S "THE CONCERT AT 4 AM"
The performance was first released online with no explanation of its timing in the middle of the night. Many users commented on how great the performance was, but few knew why it had to be performed at 4 AM. Much discussion followed. On Mother's Day, Huawei revealed the reason behind The Concert at 4 AM.
The performance titled "The Concert at 4 AM" is produced by Huawei. The film opens with a quiet late-night scene, and the clock counting down to 4 AM. A question is posed on a black screen - "Can love be seen?"
"We will respond with a performance"
An orchestra is shown in an empty performance hall, and as the conductor raises their baton to begin the performance, an alarm begins chiming at 4 AM on a mobile phone.
The Huawei team explains that the musical piece performed at The Concert at 4 AM is based on the sleeping patterns recorded from their Huawei GT 2 watch users during their 4 different sleep stages. The team analyzed the data and worked with a renowned musical composer to create the resulting performance piece.
It is at this point in the video where it is revealed that moms of newborns are the niche group of Huawei GT 2 watch users that inspired the campaign. A weary mother of a newborn baby is seen pulling herself out of bed to tend to her baby. Short snippets of moms sharing their innermost feelings of how it feels to be a new mom are interwoven between darkened scenes showing the new moms cooing their babies back to sleep in the middle of the night.
The video closes with an on-screen quote:
"Mother's are a song that continually plays in places we are unable to see. Happy Mother's Day. Let her love be seen."
Through this marketing campaign, Huawei highlighted the unconditional love of a mother for their child, and by converting their sleeping patterns into the musical piece and performing it at a time when they are most likely to be up tending to their child, Huawei is celebrating this love and giving a tangible presence to it - letting it 'be seen'.
Why do we feel this is a successful campaign?
Because it puts the 'human' element first. The message of the campaign is to remind us of the unseen efforts our moms are taking or have taken to raise us. The discussions generated from the performance's release online and the subsequent insightful reveal of how the piece was created based on the sleeping patterns of new moms remind us of how much our moms show their love for us on a daily basis.
From this marketing piece, you will become aware of the Huawei GT 2 Watch is you aren't already, and one of its key health functions to record sleeping patterns. However, this wasn't the key focus; it wasn't an in-your-face promotion. The campaign subtly integrated the benefits of the product and created an emotional tie with the audience.
How do we choose one brand over another? High ticket items like a smartwatch are often an emotional buy when we are choosing between brands. We simply like one brand better than the other. They all measure the same things anyway with all its smart functions and connectivity options.
The Concert at 4 AM is a unique approach to connecting with a niche target audience, and hopefully, it serves as an inspiration for you the next time you are planning a marketing piece. Don't go for the same product promotional piece and/or the same 'proven' formula'.
Think of your audience first, what will establish a real connection with them?