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« Sure to be an entertaining conference: MIT's Futures of Entertainment 3 | Main | Sarah Palin's media coach is for the birds... » Ironically, Motrin's Advertising Causes PainPosted by Jason Swartz on November 18, 2008 at November 18, 2008 11:31 AMThis past weekened, Motrin IB, the little orange pills some of us need on the occasional Saturday morning, made the decision to issue an apology and take down their advertising due to outcry in the social media sphere. The ad, aimed at moms, talks about how carrying your baby via sling has become somewhat of a fashion statement. Along with carrying your baby comes back pain...then Motrin comes in and saves the day...you know the rest.
Apparently, the ad caused more pain than their product supposedly relieves. Influential mommy-bloggers found the ad offensive and expressed their frustration on Twitter, which then caused a storm of more negative consumer buzz. It's also interesting to note that when you Google "Motrin," the first link that appears is not the company's Web site, but rather a related article from the Chicago Tribune. This negative buzz has indirectly forced Johnson and Johnson, the makers of Motrin, to remove the advertising from all media. They also issued an apology to each of the influential bloggers, as well as this public apology on their Web site. This seems to be a classic example of what happens when marketers start talking at their consumers instead of with them. Often, we as marketers are guilty of thinking we know our audience, based on generic demographic information provided to us by some research company. However, in the age of social media, generic target market info with a broad focus is not enough. What Motrin could have done was test the ad among some of the influential mommy-bloggers, as well as several focus groups comprised of mainstream moms, to gain better insight. Likely, Motrin's focus groups consisted of moms within their own advertising agency, who weren't going to say the ad was offensive because they were the ones who created it. To be honest, I didn't find the ad all that offensive. Boring and fairly uncreative, yes. But again, I'm not the target audience. I think they did the right thing by issuing an apology and removing the ad. This gave their customers a chance to feel their pain. Afterall, sharing is what social media is all about. At the end of the day, none of us are perfect. But as marketers in today's social-media-dominated landscape, we have the responsibility of truly knowing the people we expect to buy our products.
Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for this entry: CommentsHi Jason, Interesting post. . .this is the first I've heard of it. Ouch. Here's my take. To me, what strikes me right off the bat is the tone of the message. . it's very flippant toward mothers who carry their babies as opposed to those who would use a stroller. In fact, it almost suggests these mothers are dumb because they think "wearing" a baby is a fashion statement, when apparently the narrator thinks it's not, and also because they're seemingly oblivious to the pain that will result in carrying their babies in such a manner. No wonder mothers are unhappy. Listen to the language used in the commercial. Take the VERY FIRST sentence, for example: "Wearing your baby seems to be in fashion." I would bet a lot of money that moms hear this phrase (with the caps signifying more emphasis) as: "WEARING your baby SEEMS to be in fashion". Wow, that's a double-whammy. To my ear, this translates to: "Hey mom's! We know you think you're cool when you put on your baby as if he/she were an item of clothing, and not a human being but, well, uh. . .you're not." Then the ad takes on an even more condescending tone with these little bits: ". . .wear the baby on your side. . .your front. . .go hands free!" Are you kidding me? Then the kill: "SUPPOSEDLY, it's a real bonding experience. THEY say babies carried close to the bod tend to cry less than others." The bod? And why does the narrator use the word supposedly? And who are they? This whole passage mocks and discounts the idea that carrying a baby in a sling close to the mother even makes a difference. So, according to the tone of the commercial, this is what moms hear: "Moms, not only do you apparently consider your baby to be a fashion item, but you are also somehow out of fashion as well. AND if even if you're not 'wearing' your baby in a futile attempt to be fashion-conscious, and are doing so because you believe it creates a bond between you and your child,. . .well you're WRONG about that too!!!!" Oh, I almost forgot the "What about me?" comment. Jeez. Most, if not all mothers and fathers can say quite confidently and assuredly it's a selfless job, and they love it. And while I'm neither, I do have a set of parents whom I know gave up a lot in life to make my life and that of my brother and sister wonderful. Never once have I ever heard them say: "What about me?". Not once. Oh, and what in the world is an "official" mom? Words are powerful, I always say. . .choose them carefully. Cheers,
Posted by: Doc Kane at November 18, 2008 1:28 PM Thanks, Doc. You make some great points about this ad that I hadn't really thought about. I especially like your point about the last line of the ad, regarding parents saying ,"What about me." You're right, as a parent myself, I've never said that, nor could I envision myself saying something like that. Words really are powerful, and I'm guessing Motrin is learning that the hard way through this experience. Thanks again. Posted by: Jason Swartz My pleasure, Jason. I see you're also a former radio guy as well. I still have a number of friends in the Clear Channel family. . next time I'm back in Minnesota, where I lived for 7 long years *brrr*, we should get together for coffee in Dinkytown or a nice bowl of Pho up at Quang's on Nicollet! Cheers, Doc Posted by: Doc Kane at November 19, 2008 11:44 AM Post a comment |
