This weekend the makers and marketers of Motrin saw the power of Social Media…but not in a positive way. The whole mishap began when Motrin released a new commercial aimed at mothers who carry their babies in slings and harnesses.
The commercial, which was attempting to be light-hearted, ended up offending mothers by insinuating that, among other things, they’re doing it because it’s fashionable. It’s easy to see why some would be offended, it is a poorly crafted message that seems condescending. And, as Jeremiah Owyang states, it is hard to imagine that Motrin tested this message before pushing this ad out.
But by Saturday it was the most Tweeted subject on Twitter. By Sunday there was a video up on YouTube highlighting the angry Tweets along with photos of mothers and their babies. And by Monday the issue had made it to the New York Times blog. Around that same time an apology had been issued by Motrin along with a promise to pull the offensive ad.
Now, many top marketers and social media thinkers have spoken on the things Motrin did wrong. Jeremiah Owyang’s “Lessons” are well put:
Lessons Learned
- Always test your campaign with a small segment first
- Always have staff on hand to be prepared to respond during the weekend
- Don’t launch a campaign right before the weekend unless you’re prepared to respond
- The participants have the power, so participate
- For better or for worse, more influencers are talking about Motrin than ever before
All is Not Lost
There are a couple of winners in this scenario. The biggest is Social Media. You can bet that if companies didn’t consider Social Media in their campaigns before, many will now. And ultimately Motrin wins something for the added bump in brand awareness, regardless of the negative nature. That’s one small step for Motrin and one giant leap for Social Media. Thanks Motrin!
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