PR FAIL of the Week| Motrin Mom Ad Receives Death by Twitter

Motrin Ad Rubs Moms the Wrong Way

In a public relations move that was doomed to fail, the makers of Motrin ran an ad that focused on moms who carry their babies in a sling.  They equated the sling to a “fashion accessory” and said that it “totally makes me look like an official mom”.  As the ad ran last weekend moms begun to respond negatively on Twitter, a microblogging website similar to Instant Messenger, creating a public relations nightmare for Motrin.

Motrin receives the PR FAIL of the Week not for running the ad – although the ad should have been tested before running – but for not having a presence on Twitter!  The Twitter storm raged for several days before Motrin was even aware of the problem, making it that much worse.  By the time they realized their mistake bloggers had already written stories about the ad and angry moms had being tweeting their displeasure for several days.

Motrin has since apologized for the ad and has taken it down, but the damage has been done.  Ultimately, this will be a good thing for Motrin, as they realize that they have to monitor their reputation online.  If you’re not talking about what your company is doing, someone else is!  See the embedded video below to watch the now infamous Motrin ad.

Does your company need a PR firm to monitor your online reputation and get your story out there?  MMI Associates is a full-service public relations firm based out of Raleigh, NC.  Please visit the MMI Associates website for more information.  Any questions?  Give us a call at 9919-233-6600.