Comments on: An Opportunity for Twitter, Recognized as Aching Mothers Band(wagon) Together

By: Michael Rivera

Michael Rivera — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:11:17 +0000

Russ,

I think the point you bring up about the movement not having a leader is an insightful one. Twittarchy?

By: Christina

Christina — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:17:17 +0000

It was an upsetting ad because being a mom is hard work, and we try to do the right thing by our kids, and suggesting something that was _maybe_ good for kids (when it clearly is, by research) but we do it for fashion (yeah, but we don’t wash our hair for days, that jibes) and it ends up causing us physical pain which is a lie was just stupid and inaccurate. If motirn had talked about how being a mom is hard work, and we try to do the right thing despite all the conflicting advice, and it gives us a headache… that might have been good. Or if carrying a baby with your arm on your hip can give you mom’s wrist, and have you in a cast for months like I was eating motrin like candy… oh, wait, now I know why they don’t like slings. hurts sales!

Anyhow. Russ is right. Twitter allowed a mob to have a voice, but never let them do more with it. Time for a meetup mashup?

By: Hullabamoo

Hullabamoo — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:37:17 +0000

Glad I wasn’t the only one who got drawn into the debate despite not wanting to give the story oxygen. And I live in the UK and had never even heard of Motrin until yesterday!

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:50:49 +0000

Russ:

Right on. I showed my wife, who is a mom, the ad and asked what she thought. Other than saying, it is a bad advertisement with the voice of a complainer, it is not worth the weight it has been given. To me, if a rebel rouse is to be raised, Twitter should be used as a bullhorn to bring attention to important causes.

If we are going to raise our voices, which are now very loud because of the tools we now have, we should choose our battles carefully, otherwise the messages will be lost, and companies will stop listening with such intensity. We will be looked at like the complainer in the Motrin ad.

We have a responsibility to do better.

By: Jeff Parks

Jeff Parks — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:57:53 +0000

Russ,

I have no background in marketing, but it seems to me like this process has also elevated the brand name of Motrin.

Stripping out other factors, it would be interesting to see a sales chart of Motrin from the time the mommy twitters started to a few days after they pulled the ad and posted an apology.

I’m wondering if the campaign has actually had the opposite effect the mommy twitters were looking to achieve? If sales increase during this slamming of their ad campaign, they’ve failed. Have they not?

Jeff

By: Motrin Dad

Motrin Dad — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:15:20 +0000

It seems that some issues evolve from crowdsourcing to mob mentality very quickly. I read through hundreds of posts of #motrinmoms and at LEAST 80% of them admitted to not using the brand. So, after the company apology, how much harm was done to the brand? Negligible. For every one PO’d mom there were thousands who were not offended and commented they liked the ad. And, rightly so, they felt no compulsion to come to the rescue of a generically available brand. Russ, you hit the nail on the head. There was a large backlash, but without a clear leader and organization it was but a wave or two lapping upon the shore, never to be seen or heard again.

By: Russ

Russ — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:27 +0000

Good point, Krista.

And I think that, right now, the answer is that the impact here isn’t for the individuals–it’s for the brands.

The brands can monitor the individuals, and that is reciprocal, but the brands actually have the power. The brands can *do* something–look at Frank @ComcastCares and how powerful Twitter can be for a brand.

But look at these individual moms… they’re kind of powerless now that the ad has been pulled.

Unless they’re engaged by Motrin as part of the “repair” process, in which they may perceive that they have some power and influence, but they’re really just aiding the brand.

Unless Twitter changes, the power seems to still remain with the brands.

By: Krista Neher

Krista Neher — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:55:11 +0000

Nice to see something different written on this…

While we give twitter and social media a TON of credibility when things like this happen, you kind of have to wonder how big the impact is and if it really matters in the long-run.

While the voices are vocal is their impact lasting????