Motrinmoms: Demonstration of Social Media's Power or Overblown Drama?

Over the weekend, Motrin released a new ad campaign with a rant on how babywearing is great, but a pain in the back. Apparently Motrin missed the mark. If I squint hard and tilt my head to the right just so, I can see the point they were trying to make, but the poor delivery has stirred up a fair amount of activity in the blogosphere, Twitter, and Friendfeed.*

*These links are some what time sensitive

This ad campaign would have gone completely under my radar if it weren't for the negative attention it has received. My question: Is all of the attention given to Motrin a PR nightmare, a mere pain in the neck, or a free publicity goldmine?

Here are some snippets from my web wanderings.

Kelby Carr: For those of you who don't understand uproar about #motrinmoms it isn't about babywearing. It's about respecting moms. All moms.

Jeff Henderson comments on FriendFeed on a link by Robert Scoble:I do not see anything significantly offensive about this add, I really do not know what all of the fuss is about. There are plenty of ads that would be considered significantly more insulting to ones intelligence, gender, race or social group and they run endlessly on TV, Radio and the Web without a peep of protest from anyone.

Tech/Breakfast: Many people thought the response was overblown, and that the #motrinmoms were just being overly sensitive. Guess what? It doesn't matter if they were overly sensitive or not. Motrin made a lot of their target demographic angry, and that's never a good way to sell a product.

Mediacaffeine.com: The message here is simple. In marketing (and just about every other aspect of life) be aware of the likely response before jamming your foot into your mouth and down your throat.

In case you were wondering, Motrin has responded and CrunchyDomesticGoddess shares an email which says in part:

. . . we had intended to demonstrate genuine sympathy and appreciation for all that parents do for their babies. We believe deeply that moms know best and we sincerely apologize for disappointing you. Please know that we take your feedback seriously and will take swift action with regard to this ad. We are in process of removing it from our website. It will take longer, unfortunately, for it to be removed from magazine print as it is currently on newstands and in distribution.

Tell me, is this a demonstration of the power of social media or merely a tempest in a teapot?

Heather Solos is co-founder of Home-Ec101.com  and can also be found at her personal blog Moncks Corner Moments.