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Attention: Giveaway at the bottom of this post!
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.
Personally, I don’t believe that “baby wearing” is a fashion statement or trend. If worn incorrectly, sure you might hurt your neck or back but for the love of all things good, don’t put that in a marketing pitch to sell more over the counter drugs. Moms should carry their babies; hold their babies, use slings or carriers because they want to be close to their baby and because the baby wants to be close to their mommies and daddies. Not to be “trendy” or fashionable. It just so happens that a mom or dad might want to be fashionable if they use a sling or carrier but they aren’t using the contraption to look cool. Come on! Backwards thinking here and I’m not sure who created this video and what team of idiots decided that this would be a good message to send. Perhaps condescending people without children or people that wore carriers and slings incorrectly? Sadly, they might not have jobs this week but in reality, they should have thought this one through a little more.
Research shows that baby wearing certainly isn’t a fashion trend but has been around for over 50,000 years and is very cultural diverse with women in other countries using the wraps, slings and carriers to hold baby while they carry food or do chores. The sling has been around longer than the brand Motrin and probably will be. Aware Parenting writes a great article that is very resourceful and rich in resources suggesting perhaps that,
” The invention of simple baby carrying devices may have played a decisive role in the development of the human species.”
In honor of all of those that wear their babies close to their heart, hold their babies close to their heart or disagree with the ad that Motrin has decided to run, please leave a comment on your thoughts and feelings. One comment will be randomly drawn to win a Organic Moby Wrap (pictured above) complements of www.shopPapoose.com
The Organic Moby Wrap made from 100% soft, organic cotton, EKO-certified by Skal International Retails for: $69.95. One winner will be drawn on November 21, 2008.
Congrats to:
Zoe Lee comment number 43
I would definitely agree that baby wearing is not a trend, but a choice, much like feeding from a bottle vs from the breast.
Zoe Lees last blog post..Thanksgiving is approaching….
Here are your random numbers:
43
Timestamp: 2008-11-30 20:14:20 UTC
I love holding my babies close and they love it too!
Motrin missed the mark on this one. I heard that ad on the radio yesterday and I don’t babywear because it’s cool or because it makes me look like a “real mom.”
I’ve been wearing my babies (and toddlers) for the past eight years because it’s easier on me than holding them in arms or dealing with a stroller.
This ad was just wrong and I’m surprised they didn’t realize it would offend many mothers before releasing it. I have a now two year old and 8 months ago I discovered I had scoliosis in my lower back. I had been carrying him on my right hip and although this did not cause my scoliosis it certainly exasperated the problem. My chiropractor recommended that I get a front carrier for him and that alleviated a lot of the pain that was associated with my condition. I am now 6 months pregnant and plan to use a sling for this baby. It is not a fashion trend, it is a necessity for me.
Well, I am coming in on the tail end of this post and Motrin has removed that ad from its website so I don’t have a lot to say about that. I am expecting my second child and have been thinking for awhile that I would like to try baby wearing for the closeness and the convenience.
Baby Wearing is a “trend”now? Give me a break. Baby wearing is a way to create a special bond, but not a fashion statement.
Wearing my babies has been one of the most satisfying activities of my life! Babies are meant to be worn by their mom’s, dad’s, grandparent’s, etc. Just look at the rest of the animal kingdom (monkeys, kangaroos, etc.).
Honestly, there are a lot more offensive commercials out there than this one. Yes, I disagree with their message, but at least it’s not immoral or disgusting! It’s a commercial I’ve only seen once, and two minutes after I saw it, I basically forgot all about it. Until there was such a stink raised about it. I guess, good or bad, people will remember the commercial, and so maybe they got what they were after.
I didn’t get to see it
I wear my baby with a piece of material I got from Africa…they all wear their babies there…on their backs!
It seems like certain people thrive on criticizing everyone and everything. I think that our primitive instincts to keep our babies close to us isn’t something that should be called “trend setting” If you think of our ancestors they did whatever they could to keep their young close while getting other things done. The people behind the advertisement definitely weren’t mothers and weren’t thinking about mothers………..NOW THEY ARE!
Wow! That ad is ridiculous!
The people at Motrin just don’t get it. Holding our babies close to our hearts is the first thing all moms do when we see those precious little babies come into the world. A trend? How about a mom’s instinct to hold them close as we want to protect them from harm for as long as we can. It makes me wonder what those thought up the ad could have possibly been thinking. It makes me believe that for some reason they just don’t understand parents wanting to keep their little ones safe and maybe for them it is a trend. My daughter will be coming into our world in a few weeks. We tried for so long to have her and we are going to cherish her and keep her safe for as long as we can. I can honestly say her dad will wear a baby wrap when he gets home from Afghanistan with the Army which will be shortly after she is born as he knows how precious life can be and you have to hold it as close to you as possible.
ya well sarah palin is a mother and the american people and the media tore her up…it stinks.
i wore the wrap with my son. i love them
I love having babies close.
The add is ridiculous. I found that wearing my baby correctly took the most strain off of my back and shoulders. It’s terrible to see so many uneducated educated people….
Nice!
I can’t believe that Motrin ran that commercial!!! Don’t they have any mothers that they run these things past?
Chrysas last blog post..Hallmak Greeting Card Design Contest
My son always wants to be held so I wear him around the house fairly often and I don’t ache or pain. Baby wearing shouldn’t be uncomfortable if you’re doing it right. The person who came up with the “brilliant” ad is probably a male and doesn’t even have children. If it really was somebody speaking from experience, they probably bought one of those $10 “slings” from Walmart. Now those could kill your back!
That is such a nice wrap! Thanks for the giveaway.
you should do it because you want to for closeness or convenience not to look cool or hip..almost like the carrying the chihuahua in purses..people see the dogs as fashion items instead of the sweet lovable family members they should be
Since my son was born I have wanted a moby, but could not afford it. So my mom and I found a sling design and made a sling for my son to lay when he was young and to sit in as he is getting older. I would love to have a Moby Wrap for the closeness and peace of knowing my son is close to me.
The motrin ad is an example of a company running a campaign without doing the proper research necessary. I am honestly appalled that carrying your baby in a sling or close to you is being pushed as a trend. I agree with you that how you carry your baby is a personal choice and should be based upon safety and the desire to be close to your baby. I grow tired of companies running ads geared towards women that makes us seem as though we are all a bunch of sheep ready to follow the latest fad. I applaud the women who are standing up to stop this. I think it is great that more and more products are making the lives of moms easier, but lets make sure we are educated about the products we are using.
Well, it looks like they took it down so I couldn’t see the ad. No loss. I think that you should keep your babies close to you so that they can feel safe. I did and my children are secure and independent now. Thanks for the contest.
that is such a nice wrap…thanks for the giveaway
I WOULD LOVE TO WIN!
thanks for the giveaway.
My fiance, who was born in Korea during the war and recently died of bile duct cancer, was raised in a sling while his mother worked in the fields or wandered the streets looking for her husband, who was a prisoner of war. When he grew up, the bones of his legs did not form right and he was bowlegged due to the pressure of the sling on his legs. His mother was bowed down from carrying him around everywhere for the first three years of his life. Moderation in all things seems to be the best policy.
TY 4 THE INFO AND ENTRY INTO YOUR GIVEAWAY!
I thought the whole tone of the ad was horrible.
How is carrying your baby around with you so can keep your little one happy and get things done trendy? It seems like common sense to me.
So many of you have posted my same thoughts. I have a beautiful 5 month old daughter and I would love to carry her close to my heart with a product like the Organic Moby Wrap. I don’t have one, but my reasons for wanting to carry her close to me are not to be trendy, but to yes, bond with her, keep her feeling warm and comfortable and feeling loved and protected. At the same time it gives me a loving warm nurturing feeling. I am also giving myself some freedom with my hands should I need them. Motrin did not obviously do their homework, nor did they take into consideration all aspects of the issue. Had they done that in the first place, they would not have offended so many people. Thank you for the opportunity to enter. Now I want a baby wrap more than ever!
ARGH!! This really upsets me, I mean, really. Wouldn’t carrying around a CARSEAT be more apt to throw out your back?! Those things are awful!
I loved wearing my girls. Was so nice to hold them close.
This is be a great gift if I win!