Motrin offends Mothers

With the US Presidential election over, painkiller medication Motrin made some waves on twitter this week. I've never heard of Motrin until now.

This is the ad that sparked the controversy from mothers on twitter, friendfeed, blogosphere and Youtube. Eventually it made it into mainstream media. The Mothers who took offense thought the ad was condescending and thought that wearing a sling wasn't a "fashion statement".




Responses to the Ad:




I'm not a mother so I didn't find it offensive but there were some interesting conversations that took place very quickly on twitter. Whether you agree or not, the conversation is taking place online.

Lessons:

Test the waters before you release such a campaign, Motrin says "We Feel Your Pain" You can only feel someone's pain when you really understand their world. Take the time to learn about your audience. Spend time with them. Show them what your campaign team is thinking of doing. You'll be surprised what they'd come up with.

Motrin have now removed the ad and apologised. I believe this is still a fantastic opportunity for Motrin to listen and respond to all if necessary. Plan another campaign, but this time include some of the people who have voiced their opinion. Imagine how that would go. One thing is for sure - we've heard of Motrin now!