Makers of the popular pain reliever Motrin found themselves in a swirl of controversy last fall after releasing an advertisement directed towards baby toting mothers. The ad suggests that mothers who carry their babies in slings may need to take Motrin to relieve back pain. The ad assures mothers that the pain is worth it and compares baby slings to making a fashion statement and showcases your 'official mom' status. The real kicker is that Motrin actually states that they understand if you look tired and crazy after carrying your baby around all day and that you should take Motrin to relax the pain away.
After receiving literally thousands of responses days after the initial ad was released, baby-toting mothers let their voice be heard in the form of emails, tweets, blogs and video messages. The company had definitely struck a chord with their target audience, unfortunately the results were more painstaking then lower back ache. Two days after the ad was released, it was pulled from the media. The damage had already been done though. The company begin directly emailing irrate mothers who had posted on social media websites. The company followed this up with a sincere public apology on the homepage of their website.
As a public relations professional, I would have made sure to test the advertisement on a test audience first to initiate constructive criticism and feedback. The marketing group that created the ad obviously did not put much research into understanding their target audience. I would have made sure the project had a better idea of how their audience felt about carrying their babies. The company also released the ad on a Friday and let their audience brew angrier as the video made its rounds around the internet. I would have consulted someone to monitor the feedback of the ad over the weekend and contact the agency before the discussion grew as fierce as it did by Sunday.
Apology letter posted on Motrin website.
After receiving literally thousands of responses days after the initial ad was released, baby-toting mothers let their voice be heard in the form of emails, tweets, blogs and video messages. The company had definitely struck a chord with their target audience, unfortunately the results were more painstaking then lower back ache. Two days after the ad was released, it was pulled from the media. The damage had already been done though. The company begin directly emailing irrate mothers who had posted on social media websites. The company followed this up with a sincere public apology on the homepage of their website.
As a public relations professional, I would have made sure to test the advertisement on a test audience first to initiate constructive criticism and feedback. The marketing group that created the ad obviously did not put much research into understanding their target audience. I would have made sure the project had a better idea of how their audience felt about carrying their babies. The company also released the ad on a Friday and let their audience brew angrier as the video made its rounds around the internet. I would have consulted someone to monitor the feedback of the ad over the weekend and contact the agency before the discussion grew as fierce as it did by Sunday.
Apology letter posted on Motrin website.
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