[ swarm theory ]

If you haven’t heard about the major bru-ha-ha regarding the Motrin ad/video - you will (besides reading about it here:). I’m not sure when the witch hunt began, but I think it was sometime Saturday? I saw the first Twitter tweet early Sunday morning, and at that time, it was still a small crowd of (virtual) protesters. As hours passed, the crowd started picking up major steam, and took to the (virtual) streets in record numbers by the afternoon.

So, what was the rage all about? Best I can tell, a small number of women who viewed the ad/video on motrin.com took major offense to content - something about mom’s wearing their babies as a “mommy badge” when they have them in sling, backpack, or similar. I think the mob was taking the angle that Motrin was trying to position - the nurturing action of carrying an infant in a sling - as being similar to a status seeking fashionista carrying an expensive handbag? The ad then goes on to say something about how the strain can lead to some major back pain - and that taking Motrin will keep you going strong.

The offensiveness of the ad design, content, delivery, and overall message, is really just personal opinion. Personally, I took no offense to it, and neither did my wife. But this post is not about the ad creative, it is about a milestone in “new media” history, and one I believe will become the first major case study moving forward regarding corporate use of social media.The first, and most obvious point, is power of the crowd. Multi-channel SM technologies are now in place, allowing for global distribution of public opinion - in real time. We saw the impact SM had on the election, and now we’ve seen its strength as “brand police”. Just as important, however, is the reaction from Motrin. Here is the official email that was sent individual mob members:

I think this response letter was perfect. The Motrin response was quick (and on a Sunday), personal, targeted, responsible, and completely transparent. Initially, I thought it may have been too conceding? But looking at the letter more closely, especially the line “Please know that we take your feedback seriously and will take swift action with regard to this ad”, it becomes apparent that Motrin really does understand that the customer is now in charge. A hard lesson to learn, but one that will help guide all corporate new media marketing.

Because they stepped up and dealt with the situation head on, I am now totally pro Motrin. I have gone from being completely indifferent about them, to having found affinity with the brand. They took the power back.

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Scott Templar is a digital business strategist and can be followed on Twitter @scotttemplar