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Every Mother’s Day, brands flood timelines with homages to traditional motherhood, often wrapped in nostalgia, sacrifice, and gendered emotion. But in 2024, Mother Dairy chose a different narrative. With its #MaaJaisi campaign, the brand chose to spotlight the many non-traditional caregivers who nurture with the same warmth, resilience, and emotional strength we often associate with mothers.
The message was subtle but powerful: You don’t have to be a mother to give love that feels like mom’s.
The Campaign: #MaaJaisi — A Tribute to Unlikely Caregivers
In partnership with SheThePeople, India’s leading digital platform for women’s voices, Mother Dairy launched a heartwarming content-driven campaign built around user stories and emotionally resonant short films.
The campaign asked a simple but profound question: "Who gives you that #MaaJaisi feeling?"
The responses were tender, unexpected, and deeply personal. From siblings and grandmothers to single fathers and mentors, the stories submitted revealed that maternal love doesn’t always come from a mother, but its impact is just as transformative.
User-Generated Love: A Community-First Start
The campaign launched on Instagram with a UGC activity, inviting users to reflect on the people in their lives who had shown them mother-like care. The flood of responses, often tagged with stories, voice notes, and heartfelt DMs, was curated into a touching carousel post celebrating alternate forms of motherhood. From best friends who stood in during hard times to grandmothers who quietly carried whole households on their shoulders, these voices gave the campaign its emotional spine.
The Stories That Moved Millions
As the campaign gathered momentum, SheThePeople produced two original reel-format video stories, each centered on a unique #MaaJaisi moment. These weren’t scripted ad films. They were real, unscripted reflections of love, both raw and genuine.
1. A Father Who Became a Mother
“He bought a cookbook and started learning how to cook. From buying pads for me during periods to conversations I only used to have with mom, dad made everything easy, even though I know how much he must have struggled.” -- Ritika's story
After losing his wife, a single father stepped into uncharted territory not just parenting, but nurturing in ways traditionally assigned to mothers. From juggling a doctor’s schedule to cooking from scratch, he gave his daughter something no one expected — maternal comfort in a father’s embrace. On Mother’s Day, she thanked him for never letting her feel the absence of a mother.
2. A Grandmother Who Prayed a Business Into Existence
“She fasted every Thursday for my future. I didn’t believe it at first, but things started changing. Two years later, I bought her that Rolls-Royce.” -- Anip's story.
After her husband's passing, a grandmother moved in to help raise her grandchild — working in hotels and shops, offering gentle encouragement, and one day, asking if Tesla was the world’s best car. Her grandson’s reply turned into a promise. Her quiet faith turned into action. That action turned into a career. And eventually, a luxury car was gifted back in gratitude.
The Impact: From Content to Connection
This wasn’t just a campaign. It became a collective memory box — where people saw their stories reflected, their unsung caregivers celebrated.
Campaign Results:
Engagement: Thousands of shares, saves, and emotional comments from users reflecting on their own #MaaJaisi figures
Sentiment: Overwhelmingly positive, with comments like “crying at work watching this,” “reminds me of my dad,” and “this is the Mother’s Day content we needed”
Why It Worked: Real Over Perfect
The #MaaJaisi campaign resonated because it didn’t idealise motherhood — it humanised it. Instead of painting love in pastel filters, it told the truth: maternal love shows up in different forms, through different people, in everyday moments.
Mother Dairy, a brand already deeply embedded in Indian homes, used this equity to open hearts and broaden definitions. With storytelling that was both nostalgic and progressive, the campaign invited audiences to see and honour love wherever it came from.
At its core, #MaaJaisi wasn’t just about celebrating mothers. It was about celebrating care that shows up, stays consistent, and often goes unthanked.