Whisper To A Scream

Many of us know the power of word-of-mouth and viral activity.  In most instances, it occurs because of the effect of what I call ‘The Viral 4-H Club’ meaning it’s got to be either Humorous, Helpful, Heartwarming or Hot-blooded. 

True viral activity invokes emotion and less than 24 hours ago, ‘Hot-blooded’ mommy bloggers had (and continue to have) center stage regarding an on-line ad where Motrin espouses ‘We feel your pain” aimed at Moms who carry their children in slings.  At the time of this post, #motrinmoms was still the #1 trending topic on Twitter and the growing number of blog posts to go along with it are sure to make the brand and agency need a little of their own medicine in the morning.  Check out this video that PR maven Katja Presnal created recapping some of the conversations on twitter.

As a Mom of three, I agree the Motrin ad misses the mark in a big way.  If this were my client, I would  have suggested copy that expresses a Mom’s love of the bonding  aspect and ease of ‘babywearing’ but that, every now and then, it can take a toll on your muscles.  That’s the plain and simple truth.  Don’t get ‘cheeky’ about babywearing being ‘in fashion’ and “supposedly a real bonding experience” (talk about ‘ouch’) and then say (due to the potential pain of babywearing), “so if I look tired and crazy, people will understand why.”  That is direct copy from the ad.  That’s just insulting and condescending. 

The main issue in my mind is not that the ad exists but that neither the brand, the PR nor the ad agency were monitoring ‘Operation Twitterstorm’  which was developing and picking up steam throughout the day.  If you’re a brand that targets women and moms, you SHOULD know that the highly sought-after Mommy bloggers who are being wined-and-dined by brands and agencies are ACTIVE Twitter users.  Wal-Mart  knows.  Zappos knows.  Whole Foods knows.  Comcast knows.

I always like to site @comcastcares as a great example of a brand doing it right on Twitter (not just with Moms but with all their customers).  Frank Eliason (@comcastcares) monitors conversations involving Comcast, he reaches out to customers who are having issues and he or others on his team, makes their best attempt to solve them.   A  simple gripe online is a whisper but a monitored solution is a shout-from-the-rooftops.

So many brands I encounter are still confused by Twitter and are worried about engaging in more ‘Web 2.0’ solutions because “what if someone says something bad?”  They are also trying to figure out why they need to be involved and how it will be good for their business.   I always explain that getting direct, honest feedback from consumers (positive AND negative) should be looked at as a teaching/learning moment which may help make a product or brand better AND if the comments and conversations are promptly addressed, the brand can come out in a better light because they were LISTENING and they engaged the customer in CONVERSATION to come up with a solution.

Comments

[@Doctor_V]

Excellent post WOM MOM. Nicely done. I like your idea about copy with mention of love and bonding. Unfortunately the men who wrote the ad have never heard of attachment parenting.

[Gwen Bell]

Nail on the head, Barbara. This is money, "If you’re a brand that targets women and moms, you SHOULD know that the highly sought-after Mommy bloggers who are being wined-and-dined by brands and agencies are ACTIVE Twitter users. Wal-Mart knows. Zappos knows. Whole Foods knows. Comcast knows." This will send out a loud message to any company trying to reach this market...if you're not on Twitter, you're missing the conversation in a big way.

[Lotta]

Well said!

[Devra Renner]

Just like comcast, Directv is also on Twitter. I once complained about my lousy service on Twitter and received three emails from Directv asking me how they could resolve the problems I was having. I had no success with customer service via phone, but one "tweet" said it all and got results. I think companies would be wise to realize that one sentence read by one person can morph into one sentence read by thousands in a matter of seconds. Yes, really. Seconds!

[To Think Is To Create]

Motrin's site has been down for a while tonight, we'll see what's there when it comes back up. A big mea culpa, perhaps? Or just take the ad down and (try to) act as if nothing happened?

Any company not yet seeing the strength and reach of the mom blogger-verse is going to be left behind, big time.

`Arianne

[Myrna]

Unfortunately companies are learning the hard way about the detrimental effects of social media gone wrong.
The problem is, if you don't have a strategy in place "before" the event it's impossible to respond adequately. Good advice.

[Myrna]

Unfortunately companies are learning the hard way about the detrimental effects of social media gone wrong.
The problem is, if you don't have a strategy in place "before" the event it's impossible to respond adequately. Good advice.

[Susan (5 Minutes for Mom)]

Motrin is teaching the world "how NOT to use social media". Thank you for helping explain "How TO".

[Lucretia Pruitt]

Great assessment.
One might also point out to the Motrin folks that internet is 24/7 -- you can't put something up, go home for the weekend, and come back to check and see how it's doing.
The internet doesn't recognize M-F 8-5 schedules.

It will be interesting to see what happens today from the Motrin end.

[Jeannine]

Great post Barbara!

[Busy Mom]

Excellent.

[Renée aka Mekhismom]

I agree with you. IMO all companies that are targeting "moms" and "mommy bloggers" need to have a social media group or at the very least one staff person monitoring social media sites. The latest twitterstorm is just one example of the power of WOM and personally I was tweeting last night, blogged it today, changed my status on facebook and reached thousands of people. Hopefully the work that you do will help companies understand the importance of being involved in social media.

[Tiff@Three Peas]

Well they got the message that's for sure. I saw they pulled the ad and are working pulling it from the magazines. Way to go Women! We made a difference!

[Adventures In Babywearing]

I think it would have been great if they had consulted an experienced babywearing Mom- maybe they did? I highly doubt it though.

I know Motrin never intended to cause such an uproar with Moms. I'm sure it was the last thing they'd want. Hopefully others will learn from their mistake and this is a huge lesson that Moms should be taken seriously.

Steph

[Robin ~ PENSIEVE]

I've had the same experience with TypePad support; at first it surprised me they learned about my problem; then it made PERFECT sense for them to have a presence on Twitter. It was impressive they pursued ME to resolve it. Well done.

Twitter also personalizes the corporation; how much fun is it to receive a tweet from Dunkin Donuts or Baskin Robbins? I imagine we aren't too far removed from MORE companies learning the value of social networking and how it can be used to cultivate brand loyalty. Within days I suspect Motringate will be a touted proof case of what NOT to do.

BTW, love your characterization of the viral 4-H Club--new to me but not soon forgotten.