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Sunday, November 16, 2008

Motrin vs. Moms?

In honor of International Babywearing Week, Motrin apparently decided to take on babywearing in general and babywearing moms everywhere. If you'd like to see the ad, at the time of this post it was still on the front page of their website, here. I think this takes first honors in the "What were they thinking" category this week. In a true showing of the power of marketing to moms (or in this case, not so much) check out the sheer size of the group of mothers talking about Motrin right now by visiting this site.

If you are upset by this ad, what can you do? Join the discussions - there are plenty to be found - and email Motrin to let them know you are upset.

Here is the email I sent them this morning:

I am appalled by the babywearing ad on your front page - did you not talk to any mothers before publishing such an offensive ad? And during international babywearing week no less, was that on purpose? The benefits of babywearing are well documented, and most moms who wear their babies are fiercely loyal to the idea that it's beneficial. Not only that, but if done correctly it doesn't hurt, and is less tiring than holding a baby normally. There are so many legitimate reasons a mom has headaches, couldn't you have picked one of them?

What do you think of this topic, and the ad specifically? I'd love to hear your feedback!

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11 comments:

Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting said...

Way to go momma! You tell em!

By the way, shoot me an email at crazyadventuresinparenting at gmail dot com for me to show you how to add links with html code, I can't do it in a comment here

Gill said...

OMG i think a few Motrin bodies will be running for cover after that one! OOPS! Hope you get a decent response from them!

Brooke said...

Love the email you sent Motrin! When I caught wind of this last night on Twitter, I could not believe their ad. I can only imagine they will back pedal and pull the ad very soon (at least I hope so). I didn't get the chance to wear my daughter as much as I wanted to (as often as we tried, she never settled very well). Next time around, I will be going for the sling again. I can't believe they didn't run this by a diverse group of real moms.

Jen Hill said...

That is a great letter. Clearly Motrin attempted to relate and missed the mark entirely!

Anonymous said...

I was appalled also! Didn't know that it was International Babywearing Week but that just added insult to injury.

Great email!

Linked you up!

Tina
@newoldmom

Ms. Candice said...

I linked you in my post! http://mommosttraveled.com/a-devout-baby-wearer/
I was thinking too about the implications of baby wearing as a trend. Does that mean that having the actual baby is also an attempt to be trendy?

Anonymous said...

All these comments are great, but what will they do in the long run? If you want to influence Johnson & Johnson’s reputation, go to Vanno - The Company Reputation Index. See what others think about J&J when it comes to product safety, as well as how they treat their customers, employees and communities. You can have a concrete effect on J&J’s rankings and ratings.

http://vanno.com/company/johnson-and-johnson

Laura said...

Great letter!

Mainly a midwife said...

Wow...I don't know what the ad conveyed but it sounds like they listened. The content has been removed from their website. Way to go.

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