It's no secret to those who know me that I spend a lot of time in the space of social media and it could be said that I am a bit of a Twitter-holic. This past weekend the dominating conversation topic on Twitter was about the commercial Motrin has had out targeting moms...and not just any mom, but the moms who are considered "baby wearers." While I understood the main idea of what Motrin was trying to express--holding a child for any duration of time can cause back pain (and I am a mother of 4, so I do understand this)--the wording that was used and the way it was conveyed set off a firestorm via Twitter (and posted to You Tube) and the blogosphere that landed the controversial Motrin ad in the New York Times this morning.
The bottom line? The folks at McNeil Consumer Healthcare were blindsided by said firestorm because their consumer brands are not actively engaged in social media and monitoring discussions, good or bad, about their brands. Had they been, certainly they could have quelled the wave of people outraged by the advertisement rather than allow 3 days to pass before they realized they had were in a PR crisis.
I am often surprised by companies who feel they are too big or "above" social media. I am flabbergasted when a company says they don't understand the space and do not have any interest in learning more about it. Furthermore, I am dumbfounded when anyone says their target market is not on social media sites. So for Motrin, and their ad agency, to not have any idea that the target market of their advertisement lives online with strong communities and a very loud and powerful voice, I am astonished. In today's world, if you want to reach your target market--you have to live where they live, engage where they engage and converse where they converse.
My advice to companies not yet in the social media space:
1. Read my post on Less Talk More Inter(action)
2. Read my post on Sifting Through the Clutter of Social Media
3. Should you be targeting moms/mommy bloggers, get a better understand by reading "How to Pitch Mommy Bloggers."
4. Read all 5 articles on Technorati's State of the Blogosphere.
5. Keep your ear to the ground with social media tracking services like Radian6.
Simply ignoring social media is only gambling with missed opportunities to avert PR crisis', build community around your brand and create a positive image for your company. Is that a chance you are really willing to take?
Posted by Shannon Nelson on November 17, 2008 10:52 AM
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Comments (4)
OMG I am loving this story. Keeps getting better. Did you read Jessica Gotlieb??
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Katee (e-polishblog) |
November 17, 2008 7:02 PM
Posted on November 17, 2008 19:02
Great post. Definitely makes sense for any brand to listen and engage early in the discussion as most comments happen in the first 24-48 hours. Motrin is a great example of a brand that could have joined the conversation when it was just a small headache, long before it became a full blown migraine of a crisis. (sorry I could help myself with the analogy :)
Cheers. David
PS> Thanks for the Radian6 shoutout too.
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David Alston |
November 18, 2008 2:07 PM
Posted on November 18, 2008 14:07
I loved what you said in the third paragraph about how you have to reach your target audience: converse where they converse. Social media has expanded so much over the last few years and will only continue to get bigger. I think it would be crucial for companies to simply ignore social media. Many of their target audiences are using these social media tools. As a way to build a strong relationship with their target audiences, companies must tap into these social medias.
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Sara |
November 30, 2008 11:38 AM
Posted on November 30, 2008 11:38
This just proves how important completing your research can help your company and a campaign.
Addressing problems and admitting a mistake early on always helps your company's image as well.
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Stevie Crisosto |
November 30, 2008 5:34 PM
Posted on November 30, 2008 17:34