The blogosphere and Twitterverse are all a buzz with Motrin’s condescending ad regarding babywearing moms. If you missed the hullabaloo, you can read my post from yesterday about it.
Moms might be wondering, apart from spreading the word about this (which we’ve already done an awesome job of) and contacting Motrin, what else can we do?
According to 2005 Wow! Quick Facts Book —United States Census Bureau: As women, we control 80% of our household spending and even more relevant in this case, women buy 75 percent of all over-the-counter medications.
Here’s my suggestion, you can start by boycotting Motrin, but before you reach for a bottle of Tylenol instead, read on. Johnson & Johnson owns both Motrin AND Tylenol, so if you truly want to boycott them, you need to avoid both. My suggestion is to buy GENERIC. I use generic Ibuprofen for my migraines and it works just as well as a name brand…and it’s cheaper! Saving a few dollars here and there is something everyone can appreciate in the current economy. If you buy generic, READ THE LABEL. It’s possible that a generic drug could be made by the same company that makes the name brand, but the only way to verify that is to read the fine print. I just checked my bottle of “Wal-Profen” and it says right on there, “This product is not manufactured or distributed by Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, owner of the registered trademark Advil Tablets. Distributed by Walgreen Co.”
Another alternative is buying Advil (which is also Ibuprofen), although then you won’t likely save any money. I just did a quick check of Advil’s site and although they definitely target moms in their advertising, they say Advil can be used for “Backache from carrying the baby,” which is arguably different than backache from wearing the baby, which Motrin espouses.
Motrin didn’t do their research before they ran this ad, but we will do ours and we will vote with our dollars.
Edited to add: I received a few comments from women who suggested contacting your local and national media outlets as well. I think that’s good advice and I encourage you to do that. Let’s spread the word further and hopefully affect some change in the way companies market to moms.
Update - Motrin responds and removes online ad: Motrin’s email response to the onslaught of complaints over the babywearing ad. In light of Motrin’s quick response and ad removal, I’m no longer advocating for an all-out boycott. If individuals choose to do so, fine, (and I’ll keep buying generic meds) but I’m not trying to organize a boycott at this time.
Stumble it!
threeundertwo says:
I think the next step is to make our voices known to the media. I’ve emailed local news outlets.
November 16th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Rock and Roll Mama says:
I agree with above- I emailed Lisa Belkin, who does a great parenting blog at the NYT. I see this as a bigger story than Motrun messing up, but a cautionary tale of ENGAGING moms in your social media attempts, to avoid such costly and embarrassing missteps. Also, good call on he generic, Amy. I wouldn’t have thought of that. Also, join the FBook group- helps quantify numbers.
November 16th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Lisa Russell says:
Advil and Motrin are both Ibuprofen, same ingredient, Same relief.
I wouldn’t count on generics helping the problem, they’re usually made by the same people who make the regulars, so it seems like Advil would be the best non-motrin way to get the same chemical. 200 mg of Ibuprofen. there is absolutely no difference (other than Advil’s candy coating) between the two basic products- read the label.
November 16th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Jennifer says:
It seams a bit hypocritical that you are offended by the term “wearing” your baby when you have and ad on your own blog from slingcycle that states “Because all babies deserve to be WORN”.
November 16th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Crunchy Domestic Goddess says:
Jennifer, you seem to have missed the point entirely. I’m not offended by the term “wearing” your baby. That is what it’s called and it’s something I embrace. I’m offended by Motrin’s ad. Did you watch it?
Also, thank you to those of you who suggested contacting the media. I’m doing that now myself.
Lisa, interesting about generic being made by the same people. I had never heard of that. I will have to look into that further.
November 16th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Adventures In Babywearing says:
it is crucial for us to have all the facts – thank you for doing the work for us! For those that do feel called to boycott it’s imperative to do it properly!
Steph
November 16th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Sommer-Green and Clean Mom says:
Shame on them. They have learned a hard social media and marketing lesson. Giving a moby wrap away or at my site!
November 16th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
We've blogged and tweeted the Motrin ad. What can moms do next … says:
[...] Original post by unknown [...]
November 16th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
mama bunny says:
Thank you so much for pursuing this. It angers me on so many levels. I read the ad to my husband, and he was incredulous that the makers of Motrin could be so stupid.
Parents spend so much thoughtful effort doing the best for their children; to have the makers of Motrin denigrate us for a buck is downright insulting.
All of the moms I know try to make conscious and conscientious parenting choices. To be told that we’re doing it wrong (which they *are* saying, because baby wearing isn’t supposed to hurt) and to be fashionable is disgusting.
It sends a terrible message to new moms who are considering baby wearing.
I blogged about it, tweeted it, and wrote a note to the makers of Motrin. Next up, a note to friends who may not be aware, asking them to consider a boycott.
Again, thank you for bringing this to a wider audience.
November 16th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Perfectly Natural Photography | Annoyed By Motrin’s New Ad Campaign says:
[...] going to tag Amy Gates, Carrie Lauth, and Tiffany Washko to share their thoughts on this campaign. I’m also going to [...]
November 16th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Barb says:
I knew you’d be the “go to girl” for this, Amy! :D
After reading this post, I ran up to check my bottle of generic ibuprofin (large for my many migraines as well, LOL), and it had the same note as yours.
Off to read the many blog posts about this…
November 16th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Krista says:
wow. i am totally speechless – disgusting doesn’t even begin to describe that.
November 16th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Motrin's new ad attacks babywearing, insults moms | Crunchy Domestic Goddess says:
[...] Krista: wow. i am totally speechless – disgusting doesn’t even begin to describe that. [...]
November 16th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Motrin’s new ad raises big STINK, for a good reason too! | Recycle Your Day says:
[...] sure you let Motrin know how upset you are about this commercial by sending them an email or visit The Crunchy Domestic Goddess site and find out other alternatives to getting the message out there. They’re are a slew of [...]
November 16th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
chelle says:
good call on the generic! We buy that and the store brands (like Target). Cheaper too, exactly the same ingredients and dosage!
November 16th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
golightly says:
since I don’t “tweet” I missed all the Twitter “fun” in the last 24 hours. But I didn’t miss the ad and I did post about it before I even knew anyone else posted about it. (I was taking a large dose of generic ibuprofen for my lower back pain unrelated to baby wearing!) Like you, I use the generic for severe headaches that I get often. (SO unrelated to baby wearing.) BUT I USED to use Children’s Motrin for fevers.
Thanks for the link to Barb at Perfectly Normal Photography. I see that she linked my post! cool. (I’ve been flat for a few days, I’m behind in blogging.)
And I’m glad to see that you posted your response to the makers of Motrin! Their site is currently down.
November 17th, 2008 at 12:46 am
Moms and Motrin - Motherlode Blog - NYTimes.com says:
[...] began calling for boycotts. Bloggers asked their readers to alert the mainstream press. A few voices chimed in to say they didn’t find the ad to be that big a deal. There are a few [...]
November 17th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Natalie says:
I have to admit, I’m not sure what is so offensive about this ad? I mean, I can see how you could take it the wrong way I guess, but I think Motrin was just trying to say that mom’s have to put aside their own feelings, their own pain, for that of their child. They have to put them first, and I think Motrin was just trying to show that baby wearing can be painful for the mother, but she does it anyways because it’s what’s best for her child. And Motrin will be there for them with their pain medication. That’s at least how I took the ad. I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:14 am
DoulaMomma says:
a link to you:
http://doulamomma.blogspot.com/2008/11/just-stupid.html
November 17th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Marketing Roadmaps » The #motrinmoms lesson says:
[...] tweetstorm around the Motrin baby-wearing commercial. If you aren’t familiar with the tale, Amy Gates, Katja Presnal and Robert French have the full [...]
November 17th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Citizen of the Month » Boycott! says:
[...] called for a boycott of Motrin: The blogosphere and Twitterverse are all a buzz with Motrin’s condescending ad regarding [...]
November 18th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Danielle. says:
So… why exactly is it for Motrin to suggest that *wearing* a baby can be painful, but Advil’s suggestion that *carrying* a baby might be painful is acceptable? I’ve done both, and trust me, both can cause valid back pain over extended periods of time. So what exactly are you contacting the media about? Because someone would dare say something negative about a practice that you happen to support? Wearing baby wraps/slings/etc. is not a completely perfect “solution”. There isn’t one, unless you’re carrying around weightless imaginary infants, which is just creepy.
The only thing “wrong” with this ad is that it suggests that wearing baby slings can lead to back pain. However, that’s not even “wrong” because IT’S TRUE! Not because the baby sling is more painful, but because you’re carrying a big ol’ heavy baby! I’m missing the “disgusting”, “reprehensible” and “offensive” here.
Acknowledging a valid shortcoming of a situation or product is not necessarily the same as deriding or maligning it, and that definitely does not seem to be the tone here.
November 19th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Carolyn Vaughn says:
Hi Amy,
Good work on your ad. By the way Steph from Adventures in Babywearing is my niece.
November 19th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Social Media and Marketing Lesson for the makers of Motrin: Don’t Mess with Moms! : Eco Child’s Play says:
[...] Companies, P.R. Firms, Marketing Gurus hear this loudly “Social Media and Marketing…it can bite you in the butt if you aren’t careful.†Take a lesson from Motrin, owned by McNeil Consumer Healthcare and a brand of Ibuprofen that is learning the hard way and will need plenty of their own medicine. Two powerful lessons can really be gleamed from a distasteful “mom-aloague†ad running at the Motrin website (until they take it down). The first being that social media and marketing, it works and it’s powerful but that also it can work against you if you don’t watch what you do and say. Second, don’t mess with moms and what they are capable of. Just visit fellow blogging pal, Katja’s site for some very evident facts to prove what I am saying. It’s not good for Motrin, not good at all. If you’re a mom blogger and you want know what you can do next (besides the blogging and tweets) visit Amy over at Crunchy Domestic Goddess. [...]
November 19th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Environment News Feed » Social Media and Marketing Lesson for the makers of Motrin: Don’t Mess with Moms! says:
[...] Companies, P.R. Firms, Marketing Gurus hear this loudly “Social Media and Marketing…it can bite you in the butt if you aren’t careful.†Take a lesson from Motrin, owned by McNeil Consumer Healthcare and a brand of Ibuprofen that is learning the hard way and will need plenty of their own medicine. Two powerful lessons can really be gleamed from a distasteful “mom-aloague†ad running at the Motrin website (until they take it down). The first being that social media and marketing, it works and it’s powerful but that also it can work against you if you don’t watch what you do and say. Second, don’t mess with moms and what they are capable of. Just visit fellow blogging pal, Katja’s site for some very evident facts to prove what I am saying. It’s not good for Motrin, not good at all. If you’re a mom blogger and you want know what you can do next (besides the blogging and tweets) visit Amy over at Crunchy Domestic Goddess. [...]
December 16th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Joy says:
You bitches have wayyyyyy too much time on your hands.
February 27th, 2009 at 9:10 am
AngryReptileKeeper says:
“Oh, boo-hoo-hoo! *sob* Someone OFFENDED me!”
Cry me a fucking river.
Can mothers these days be any more self-entitled, illogical and unreasonable?
You people are pathetic. Get a damned life. Or a job. Lazy SAHMoocows.
February 27th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Joy says:
Hear, hear, Angry Reptile!
February 27th, 2009 at 10:36 am
SpaceAgeTeapot says:
Are you people serious? With all the problems the world has, THIS is what makes you angry? Motherhood must be even more boring than it looks…
February 27th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
El poder real de las Redes Sociales virtuales | Bottling World says:
[...] de miles de mensajes de Twitter en un par de horas, videos de soporte en Youtube, llamados a boicots en blogs y grupos de apoyo en [...]
March 4th, 2009 at 6:57 am
think jose » Motrin has a headache with twitter written all over it says:
[...] to CrunchyDomesticGoddess & MediaCaffeine for the [...]
July 16th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Hey PR person – don’t you know who I am? « Heather Yaxley – Greenbanana views of public relations and more says:
[...] Remember the Motrin “crisis” – where a total sense of humour failure saw a call for the end of Johnson & Johnson just because the company made a pretty dumb online [...]
July 28th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Club Penguin Cheats says:
I see this as a bigger story than Motrun messing up, but a cautionary tale of ENGAGING moms in your social media attempts, to avoid such costly and embarrassing missteps.
August 31st, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Virtual Kids Games says:
There are so many adds that target mothers in the wrong way. How about the Pledge add where they hold a woman in glass box, waiting for dust to clear from her dining room table.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:36 pm
auto isnurance quotes says:
good call on the generic! We buy that and the store brands (like Target). Cheaper too, exactly the same ingredients and dosage!
October 30th, 2009 at 11:12 am
virginia beach web design says:
that is horrible and disgusting!
November 17th, 2009 at 11:19 am
newport news pizza restaurant says:
extremely bad and nasty
January 27th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Brittany Engle » Blog Archive » Twitter – Bad for PR? says:
[...] Moms carrying babies in slings.Bloggers began calling for boycotts. Bloggers asked their readers to alert the mainstream press. By Sunday afternoon a few bloggers and tweeters had gotten the ad agency that created the ad on [...]
April 25th, 2010 at 5:42 pm