Don’t Make Momma Mad!

Wow. I am curious how many focus groups were conducted prior to launching this offensive campaign?

In today’s climate it takes only a few minutes to blast your judgment to virtually anyone and that is exactly what angry moms did after the Motrin campaign launched in November. The retaliation ranged from rants on blogs proclaiming a boycott (not just of Motrin, but the parent company Johnson & Johnson), to a significant uprising on Twitter, to several video responses posted on YouTube.
So the lessons here are:

• Understand your target audience. I’m not sure how many moms would equate spending quality time with their baby to a fashion statement. They actually were targeting a sub-set of moms who feel quite strongly about this topic.
• Do your research to ensure the message will resonate. Again, I’m not sure if any focus groups were even conducted. The campaign could have gotten the same message by promoting the idea of carrying your baby as a positive bonding experience that sometimes can cause strain—not make you crazy.
• Realize that even if you have done your homework, the power is with the people—and you can’t contain the sentiment (positive or negative) of consumers.

To be fair, Motrin did pull the ad campaign and post an apology letter. However, the damage was already done.