You don’t have to be a regular on Twitter to have heard about the drama that exploded over the past weekend between moms and a brand of pain reliever that (now, somewhat ironically) carries the tagline, “We feel your pain.”  It is a revelatory example of the extent to which Moms as a group can wield the power of social media– to lift something up, or in this case, bring it crashing down.

How Moms Online Took on Motrin

In an apparent effort to come across as relatable to modern moms, the Motrin brand recently launched an ad campaign used a jaunty voice to speak to the back pain moms can experience carrying around a baby.  Jaunty and wry is simply NOT how it went over to a core group of social media-savvy moms, who found no humor in the implication that a baby is but an (uncomfortable) fashion statement.

By Saturday, one mom blogger with a big Twitter following had collected anti-Motrin “tweets” along with photos of smiling moms with babies in slings, and edited into a 9-minute YouTube video (complete with heart-rending instrumental music track of “You Raise Me Up.”).  As this spread through the blogosphere, the impact was such that by Tuesday, J&J/McNeil Consumer Products, the makers of Motrin, took down Motrin.com and yesterday replaced the homepage with the following apology letter:

In less than a week, this has become an insta-case study on the power of social media and its potential to wreak good or bad consequences on brands in its cross-hairs.  Frankly, we think it’s at least as much a case for the power of moms.  Having said that, we have to confess we were kind of too busy working to be in the midst of this fray while it was unfurling.  However we think it’s worth sharing with you now, and we are very curious:

What Do YOU Think?

Did the Motrin campaign make you bristle and think, “I’ll never buy Motrin again?”  Or did you get, if not entirely love, the tongue-in-cheek approach?   Do you think this is an ideal example of the mobilization of moms… or an example of how certain moms get overwrought over the wrong things?Our jury is somewhat out– so we really want to know what you think. 

In fact it’s our new Hot Topic, so share your thoughts!

What Else is Happening on ExecutiveMoms.com…

Have you seen all of the people who have joined the new Executive Moms Social Network?  It’s easy to join; make a profile and then connect with other moms like you.  JOIN NOW (it only take a minute).

There are plenty of opportunities to connect and converse with other great moms.  Ask a question, give an answer, or share your thoughts on topics like the one above.