The Western Union Company, a leader in the money transfer segment of
global payments, announced today the launch of “Return the Love”- a
national Mother’s Day Campaign designed to encourage consumers to give
mom the perfect gift. Also, Western Union and Grammy-award winning
recording artist Wyclef Jean, and “Queen of Latin Pop” Paulina Rubio,
“Return the Love” with special performances and appearances at the
Billboard Latin Music Conference& Awards and a concert honoring
military moms.
“Western Union’s ‘Return the Love’ campaign reminds us that mom showered
us with countless acts of love throughout our lives, and Mother’s Day is
the perfect time to return the sentiment by giving her a gift she really
wants,” said Stewart A. Stockdale, President, The Americas and EVP,
Global Key Accounts and Global Cards, Western Union. “Cash is a
practical gift-giving idea, it’s a quick and easy alternative.”
When researching Mother’s Day gifting trends, a recent Western Union
consumer survey1 found daughters and sons of all ages have good
intentions when it comes to finding the perfect gift, but 42 percent
find it hard to shop for the perfect gift for mom.
“Seventy three percent of consumers are planning to give a Mother’s Day
gift this year and Western Union’s ‘Return the Love’ campaign is
designed with both the gift giver, and the gift recipient, in mind,”
continued Stockdale. “The gift of cash is easy and convenient to give,
and it’s sure to be something that mom will never return or exchange.”
“Return the Love” is a multi-faceted, integrated consumer campaign
designed to encourage consumers to send the gift of cash, this Mother’s
Day.
“Return the Love” campaign elements include:
Kick-off special performance dedicated to moms featuring Wyclef Jean and
Paulina Rubio at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, on April 29, produced
and broadcast live by Telemundo.
Several Wyclef Jean and Paulina Rubio performances and consumer-facing
events, including a special concert honoring military moms;
Advertising via print, broadcast, radio, out-of-home, mobile and online
channels showcasing the myriad of ways mom shows her love to her
children, from giving them 12,368 kisses to changing 5,345 diapers and
preparing 19,710 meals;
In the social media space, Western Union dedicates a tab on its Facebook
page encouraging fans to share how they are honoring and celebrating
their moms;
Additionally, Western Union has a Flickr(R) page
(flickr.com/groups/love2010) where consumers can share photos of their
moms. Each week, Western Union will select photos from this gallery to
display on the company’s home page, www.westernunion.com.
The Western Union consumer survey also found 42 percent of moms have
pretended to like a Mother’s Day gift; and separately, 30 percent
thought the gift was either “thoughtful” but not a gift they wanted, or
they did not receive a gift at all.
“Western Union believes every mother should receive the perfect gift,”
said Wyclef Jean. “I have relied on Western Union to move money
worldwide for years, and there’s no company I trust more with my money.”
Paulina Rubio added, “The Latin culture places a special emphasis on
Mother’s Day and it’s an honor to be a part of Western Union’s ‘Return
the Love’ campaign. If you are going to send mom the gift of cash,
Western Union provides a great way.”
Western Union provides a variety of fast, reliable ways for consumers to
send and receive money around the world, with more than 364,000 Western
Union(R) Agent locations. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
1 The survey, commissioned by Western Union and conducted by Wakefield
Research, polled 1,000 people 18 years old and older between March 26
and March 28, 2010.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment
services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Custom
House branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and
businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive
money around the world, as well as send payments and purchase money
orders. The Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services are
offered through a combined network of more than 420,000 agent locations
in 200 countries and territories. In 2009, The Western Union Company
completed 196 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide,
moving $71 billion of principal between consumers, and 415 million
business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
