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Our observations of the world around us
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Motrin Hits a Big Miss with Ad Aimed at Moms
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This past Saturday, Motrin launched a new installment in their “We Feel Your Pain” ad campaign that targeted moms, particularly moms who “wear” their babies. By Monday morning, it was the ad execs who were reaching for the Motrin, as moms across the blogosphere let them know just how badly they’d missed the mark.
The ad has been removed from the company’s website, and an apology has been posted in its place. Before it was taken down, the narrative, read by a 20-something mom, included lines like, “Wearing your baby seems to be in fashion… Plus, it totally makes me look like an official mom.” It ended with “… if I look tired and crazy, people will understand why.”
Many moms (this one included) were immediately offended at the tone of the ad. I wear my baby because it’s fashionable? I don’t know what’s best for my baby? I look tired and CRAZY?? Alright, I have five kids, so that last one may not be too far off the mark, but still… insulting me probably isn’t the best way to convince me to run out and buy Motrin.
Lesson #1: Pay attention to your target demographic
We moms are an emotional bunch. We love our children fiercely, and want to do what’s best for them. And because it seems everyone has an opinion about what’s “best,” we often must vehemently defend the choices we make. Translation: we’re well versed in parenting philosophies, and we don’t make decisions lightly. Positive or negative, intense reactions should be expected when playing in this space. Blame it on hormones or sleep deprivation or the monumental responsibility of keeping another human being alive and well. Whatever it is, we don’t make flip decisions when it comes to our baby’s care. To imply that we do is patronizing, and a good way to alienate us.
Had this ad run ten years ago, the lesson likely would have stopped there. But today, things are different.
Lesson #2: Not all press is good press
Moms talk. A lot. With family dispersed far and wide and neighborhoods that aren’t quite as neighborly as they used to be, we connect online. We chat, we blog, we tweet. And when something ticks us off, word travels fast. The Motrin ad went live on their site Saturday morning, and by Saturday evening, it was the most tweeted subject on Twitter.
If you’re targeting moms, you want Mommy Bloggers on your side. Perhaps this is only my perception because I am a Mommy Blogger, but I would wager that we have the loudest voice on the web. Smart companies use this to their advantage and engage us to do their advertising for them. A couple of great examples are P&G and gDiapers. In 2006, P&G armed some 600,000 moms with coupons and product samples and sent them out on a huge word-of-mouth campaign. Similarly, gDiapers harnessed the enthusiasm their consumers have for their product and launched the “gMums/gDads” program that enlists parents as gDiapers advocates both online and in real life.
Moms are a huge target audience for a wide range of companies. It would serve these companies well to get smart about who moms are today, what we’re passionate about, and what drives our decisions. Get it wrong, and you’ll get the message loud and clear.