Pitfalls of Out-of-Touch Branding in a 2.0 World
Posted on | November 25, 2008 | mike zeller
In this rapidly changing age of Web 2.0 we all have experienced in some way, the amazing power of social media and its influence on consumer attitudes and behavior regarding the purchase and usage of products and services.
The most recent “case study” that has gotten a lot of attention is Johnson & Johnson’s advertising for its pain relief product, Motrin. Now, one would have thought that a big sophisticated marketer like J&J, and its subsidiary company McNeil Healthcare, would not be challenged by relating to their customer base. After all they’ve got to have tons of research about and experience with their customer base, right?
Yet, the animated ad for Motrin presents a mom who complains that wearing her baby (in a sling or carrier) is hurting her back, so she pops some Motrin. This ad was an attempt to connect with moms through the common experience (and pain) of carrying a new born child. But according to many Twittering moms the message takeaway was that moms wear their babies as fashion accessories, or because it “totally makes me look like an official mom.”
All along the TV spot seemed to be relating to their target market, until BOOM!
Motrin missed the mark…because the brand totally misread their consumer.
Now no marketer is perfect. We all make mistakes. But this experience begs the question about the quality of the brand’s consumer insight and the ability to properly interpret it to drive a relevant messaging strategy. Advertising pretesting could have/should have also been used to determine if the message/creative concept was relevant or…a lightning rod. Yes, pain is a problem…but carrying a baby in a sling is not a fashion accessory!
Since the advertising was pulled, J&J’s marketing VP has sent out apologies to bloggers and J&J has issued a formal apology on their official blog. But, will that be enough to satisfy their customer base or will they lose some profitable share points?
So my brief summary is this:
In today’s world, being in close touch and empathizing with the consumer base is more critical than ever because one misread or misstep can create an outrage that can really hurt a brand in a viral way.
Like one blogger said: Motrin: If you’re going to be hip and in the know, you need to actually be hip and in the know.
Did you like this post? Here are a few more:
- Is It Time for a Branding Bailout?
- Dissatisfaction with Customer Satisfaction: Why Consumers Unwittingly Deceive Researchers (and What We Can Do About It)
- The Power of a Strong Brand Culture
- Did It Get Good Reviews?
- Clipping Coupons and Paying Cash – Is that what’s in store for 2009?
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