The video. (The embedding code isn't working for me.)
On Sept. 30, Motrin released an ad that was about mothers carrying about their babies in a slig created quite the controversy. "Some moms saw the ads as snarky pokes at motherhood. Backlash hit a boiling point by Sunday, particularly with Twitter bloggers, even though some warned about overreacting." (usatoday.com)
Motrin resonded quickly to get control of the situation.
"UPDATE from Lisa Belkin: McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the maker of Motrin, took the ad down from its website late last night. Many of the bloggers who had spent the weekend posting their displeasure with the ad received the following email from the company:
I am the Vice President of Marketing for McNeil Consumer Healthcare. I have responsibility for the Motrin Brand, and am responding to concerns about recent advertising on our website. I am, myself, a mom of 3 daughters.
We certainly did not mean to offend moms through our advertising. Instead, we had intended to demonstrate genuine sympathy and appreciation for all that parents do for their babies. We believe deeply that moms know best and we sincerely apologize for disappointing you. Please know that we take your feedback seriously and will take swift action with regard to this ad. We are in process of removing it from our website. It will take longer, unfortunately, for it to be removed from magazine print as it is currently on newstands and in distribution.
-Kathy
Kathy Widmer
VP of Marketing - Pain, Pediatrics, GI, Specialty
McNeil Consumer Healthcare" (Motherlode Blog)
Thier quick response pleased the mothers. The response is personal and puts Kathy on the same level as the upset mothers. They also removed the ad from as media as soon as possible. I would do the same. I think it's important to let the consumer view you as being personal and caring about the situation.
I love that the Motrin PR had the VP of marketing. She represents power and motherhood in a respectable way.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that one of the department heads is a mom supports my opinion that the angry women were just over-reacting.
ReplyDeleteI think they were over reacting as well. Present day people look for reasons to get upset and offended. But I believe Motrin did the right thing and put out the fire.
ReplyDeleteAs much as this advertisement flopped with its target audience, I cant help but think of how much free press Motrin got from this whole debacle. When time passes, people will forget about what the ad really said and just remember the Motrin name when they set out to buy pain medicine. The consumer will end up buying Motrin again out of pure brand recognition. But that's just my opinion.
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