When Laura Woods’ mother died nearly three years ago, the last thing she thought would trigger her grief would be opening up her inbox. Yet, with Mother’s Day on the horizon, the relentless advertising emails she has received are doing just that. “If your mum has died, this is the last thing you want to see. “It’s very triggering, particularly the wording they use in the email subject like ‘Laura, your mum is waiting for her surprise …’” she says.
In recent years companies have started to send emails asking subscribers whether they want to opt-out of Mother’s Day promotional content before the day rolls around. Online florist Bloom & Wild were the first to do so in 2019, a move that received much praise at the time. That same year MP Matt Warman encouraged brands to follow suit. Speaking in the Commons Warman, who lost his own mother in 2009, said that promotional emails ahead of Mother’s Day are a “reminder of what you have lost”. “I know from personal experience the dread that seemingly innocent marketing for Mother’s Day, or indeed Father’s Day, can bring for so many who have lost a loved one,” Warman said at the time.
