Monday, November 17, 2008

What's Goin' On: OUTRAGEOUS - Updated

UPDATE:
Well, seems I can put my fist down. (Thanks Amy, from the HP List).

Quoted from the article above:
And Peter Shankman, a public relations all-star who knows everything and then some about new media, was giving the manufacturers some advice:

I’m not siding with Motrin. They messed up, granted. I’m ok with that. Companies mess up all the time. They fix the problem, and it usually doesn’t make the radar screen. The problem is, Motrin happened to mess up at the expense, and in the face of, one of the most vocal, quickest-to-blog, “strongest-to-band-together-and-form-one-opinion-like-the-Borg” collectives out there - The Mommy-Blogging community.

Now I am NOT slagging on Mommy-Bloggers. Not in the slightest. Nor, am I saying they’re over-reacting to the commercial, which, by rights, was stupid and patronizing. What I AM saying though, is that Motrin will pay a MUCH bigger price, as opposed to if they’d messed up in front of say, “Construction-Worker-Bloggers.” Mommy-Bloggers are not a voice to be messed with, probably because they’re one of the most clearly identifiable voices on the web. You have a kid? You blog about said kid? You’re a Mommy-blogger. You don’t need an advanced degree in particle physics to see what these bloggers have in common.

Or, as one Tweet put it:

note to self … never piss off moms … especially twitter moms … they can be a nasty bunch ;)


Yay! The power of Networking Mama's. Jump to the article, and see Motrin's letter of apology.

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This was shared with me this morning, and outrageous commercial from Motrin (thanks, Dominique!):



I almost hate to show it here, I'm so furious. But I want you to see it, and to know the levels of coercion that some companies are willing to go to, in order to get you to use their product. Some companies will demean you, condescend to you... all the while trying to make it seem like they are the ones who really, truly get it.

Hey, Motrin? You don't get it.

I know from personal experience, that using the right sling means no back pain, no headache. My first baby, I carried her in a sling that didn't work for me. And yes, I had back pain. It was awful. I didn't hold her as much, and many times she needed me to. My second, I found another sling that worked wonderfully, and all was good. VERY good (It's the Ergo, people! At least for me. What worked for you?). And yes, it does mean a happier and calmer baby. If the sling didn't work, why has it been used since, I don't know, the beginning of time? This is a no-brainer.

But apparently if you use a sling, you will need Motrin. Underlying that however, is the sense that you shouldn't use a sling anyway. Unless you want to be 'official' (WTF?) or 'fashionable'. This, my sisters, boils down to this equation:
using a sling = being SHALLOW, being a sheep. Get it?
They are using our mothering instincts as ammunition against us, packaging it as a mere commodity to whine about.

If a mother chooses not to use a sling, please may it be because she truly doesn't need it, not because she has been influenced by some ridiculous ad cooked up by a pharmie company that attempts to present it's snarky attitude as the better, more hip choice. Pop culture, sadly, does influence people. Motrin should be ashamed. They could have done an ad that didn't play into the "hipster" mentality: they could have done an ad that calmly suggested if a mother was having a hard time, she might use Motrin (well, of course you all know I would say to try maybe some arnica oil first on those hurting shoulders, some oatstraw, motherwort and skullcap tincture to soothe the nerves... ). Instead they market the sling as only being used because it is FASHIONABLE. They suggest that a mother is tired and in pain from using a sling, and from (gasp) having to carry her child. As if we care for our children only out of shallow duty, dictated by Instyle magazine. Disgusting.

Why does it seem that the more we struggle to sift through the pyre of crap the modern MTV age panders to us, and nurture our selves and our children back to a place that is fulfilling and simply feels good and right, the more subliminal and insidious do these ads get?

There is a nasty trend in these ads, like the HFCS one (don't get me started!), that is bigger than just a wee ad about aspirin.

Its this creepy ME ME ME state of mind, which serves the most primitive aspects of our Egos, that sends a direct hit to our selfish desires, serving to push aside what we may feel and know is best for our children, our families. It's what is feeding the consumer culture, and we are all crashing in debt because of it: don't worry about anyone else, even your kids, just worry about YOU, and what YOU want. It's the new heroin for the masses.

And Motrin is offering you stock in some of that.

I smell a Boycott being baked...

[shakes fist in the air]
edited because I can; and one more time at 11:32 AM because I'm more awake now. I swear, I won't edit this again!!