Annoyed By Motrin’s New Ad Campaign

Barb — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:54:31 +0000

Author’s Note: I am impressed with Motrin’s response to moms, and their quick action. The site came down tonight and they’ve sent out this response to people who took the time to send them a message about their campaign. Back to the original post…

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I get headaches all the time. All.The.Time!

In fact, I have one right now and have had it for more than two weeks, on and off. Ibuprofin is what works best for me, and Motrin has always been my favorite brand of ibuprofin.

I’m reconsidering this.

Why? Because their new campaign bashes babywearing.

And while those of us who have been through it know that it can take some getting used to, finding the correct positions for the sling and the baby, and possibly trying several different types of carriers, we know that it’s not something that is such a huge pain that we need medication for it.

We can laugh at the ad!

Until we consider the young women who aren’t yet mothers, or who haven’t yet tried wearing their babies. Those women will see their ads and, unless they have experienced baby wearers from whom to get better information, believe it.

In case they pull the ad from their front page by the time you’re reading this (I sure hope they trash the entire campaign, and fast), I’m quoting the little video on their website front page, which they call a “Mom-versation“. The phrases in bold are my emphasis, though they have even better emphasis in the graphics in their ad.

Wearing your baby seems to be in fashion.

I mean, in theory it’s a great idea.

There’s the front baby carrier, sling, schwing, wrap, pouch.

And who knows what else they’ve come up with. Wear your baby on your side, your front, go hands free.

Supposedly, it’s a real bonding experience.

They say that babies carried close to the bod tend to cry less than others.

But what about me? Do moms that wear their babies cry more than those who don’t?

I sure do!

These things put a ton of strain on your back, your neck, your shoulders. Did I mention your back?!

I mean, I’ll put up with the pain because it’s a good kind of pain; it’s for my kid.

Plus, it totally makes me look like an official mom.

And so if I look tired and crazy, people will understand why.

Well, because I’m not able to think very clearly with this headache (better go take more ibuprofin, though it’s a generic brand ), and don’t have the words to express myself well, I’m going to treat this post a little differently…

I’m going to do a blog tag of sorts. Are those still popular?

I’m going to tag Amy Gates, Carrie Lauth, and Tiffany Washko to share their thoughts on this campaign. I’m also going to add links at the bottom of this post to other posts about this.

If you have a blog and will write about this, feel free to send me the link and I’ll add it to the list. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.

The picture included in this post is a snapshot Dave took of me a few years ago in our back yard (I put up a better photo than I had first posted ); I found that pouch to be super comfy. None of my many carriers (yes, I was an addict) ever gave me pain enough for medication. Rather, I was smart enough to find out that I need to adjust my carriers in order to be comfortable.

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