Proud Sponsor of Moms

The Olympics are over but there's still one "highlight" that hasn't made any of the lists that I'd like to point out.

P&G, Proud Sponsor of Moms.

P&G, the makers of Tide, Olay, Bounty, Pampers, etc, etc, created a really unique program where they provided funds to make sure that the moms of Olympic athletes were able to attend the games to watch their kids (their babies) shine. Really cool, inventive, and timely.

There are always great back stories from the Olympics -- profiles of the families that have sacrificed and weathered hardship to get their kids to the Olympics. I think it's great that P&G is so openly acknowledging this fact and making sure that the moms get their moment to shine too.

It's not completely selfless -- the company is promoting their products and subtlety encouraging purchase. That's ok, it's marketing after all.

My only beef? What about the dads? And the grandparents? As a marketer I understand that women make the overwhelming vast majority of purchases for the household, so it's appropriate to focus on the moms. But when it comes to supporting children and their dreams, I would argue that it's the whole family. The company would have looked a tad bit more contemporary, IMHO, if the program included dads too.

Just look at Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette who's mom died right before the Olympics and who's father was with her every step of the way. Or Apolo Ohno who's mom isn't even around for him.

Still love the program and still give major kudos to P&G for thinking out of the box, yet still entirely within their "brand". It's just that us loving and supportive dads could use the recognition, especially in this case, too.

Congrats to P&G -- you certainly have always known how to market your brands. And how to support families with mom at the center.

What's your experience? Jim