Thinkubator – A Thoughtprocess Interactive Blog

Motrin’s got a mom problem. Why? This:

This is a web ad that was launched as part of a print and online advertising campaign for Motrin on Sept. 30th, and it’s a great example of two things:

1) Copywriting matters.

2) Word of mouth combined with web 2.0 is powerful thing.

So, what happened here is Motrin designed a campaign that is obviously targeted to a very valuable demographic: women with children. Their primary message can be found in the Clintonesque tagline they’ve used at the end of this ad: “Motrin. We feel your pain.” Nice, right? Simple enough. Makes sense. And then it all goes downhill.

Someone at Motrin decided that the best way to make this connection would be to focus on the aches and pains associated with wearable baby carriers – which have become popular with parents over the past several years because of the unique bonding experience they provide. This too, is all well and good, until you read/hear the first line of the ad:

“Wearing your baby seems to be in fashion.”

Hmmm. Right off the bat, you’ve got problems. First, this statement could (and coincidentally, did) imply that wearing your baby in a carrier has more to do with appearing fashionable or hip than bonding with your child (think Paris Hilton clutching a miniature dog on a red carpet). Generally, anything that may compare someone’s child to a celebutant’s chihuahua is unwise. But, there’s still an opportunity to clarify with the follow-up statement, which includes the phrase:

“Supposedly it’s a real bonding experience.”

So close! Replace “Supposedly” with “There’s no denying that” and you’re home free! Until this next doozy:

“I’ll put up with the pain because it’s a good kind of pain. It’s for my kid.” (getting warmer…) “Plus, it totally makes me look like an official mom.” (Cold)

Clearly, nobody ran this copy past anyone from the target audience-or a good editor (which, for the record, is almost always a wise move). As you might expect, mothers of America were none too pleased, and they voiced their dismay in a big way. The ad was pulled after two days of a massive mommy 2.0 backlash on Twitter and blogs across the internet.

Motrin’s new PR problem is a perfect example of how little appealing graphics and a good idea (or intentions) mean if the copy isn’t right.