I would imagine the marketers for Motrin are popping a few right now after this big mess. For those of you who haven’t been following Motrin’s misstep with their video ad on their website, I’ll recap: They posted a video ad on their site about “baby wearing” (carrying your child in a sling or wrap rather than pushing them in a stroller or carrying them in your arms.) The ad said that moms wear babies to be fashionable and thus not practical, putting a strain on your neck and back which is why you need some Motrin. As a mom of two, I can say the ad really didn’t make a lot of sense anyway and was pretty stupid in my mind. However, there were some really upset moms out there who created quite a stir on blogs and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
The part we should learn from here is how quickly the makers of Motrin moved on this and what they did. They listened to the buzz and decided to own up to the perceived misstep and take down the ad, answer questions in the blogosphere, and post an apology on their home page. How many brands would go that far? I was impressed. For a recap of other brands that got “punk’d”, read Jeremiah Owyang’s recap here.