Motrin Attack Ad

I’m not in marketing as a career, but I do use marketing, and to me this recent ad put out by Motrin seems to attack the very market that they want to buy their product.

Here’s the video:

The ad mentions back, shoulder and neck pain.  I’m not sure how Motrin fixes those symptoms.  Now I know that Motrin is a pain medication.  They want to sell you drugs to mask the pain.  I am a musculoskeletal specialist, a chiropractor who works with a lot of pregnant women and new moms.  I know there’s stress added by carrying a child but carrying weight closer to your body actually reduces the stress to your spine, a real solution that Motrin seems to be mocking.  And, a carrying device can relieve the stress on your arms and neck.  The other option is not picking your children up, or as the ad suggests take a medication to mask the pain so that you can be trendy.

This ad says to me that moms are too stupid to take care of themselves, that all they do is follow the crowd.  It seems to say that carrying your baby close to you is only a fad, as though carrying your baby is a bad thing and that bonding experiences with your children are something negative.  The implication is that moms are selfish that that they put up with children rather than love them.  It speaks as though having a child is just a status symbol or “popular these days.”  I just saw the ad and am offended.  I haven’t looked into it, but I imagine Motrin just got some press that they didn’t count on.  Seriously who’s in their marketing department?

I don’t think they realized that the mom’s who buy these things do so because they are interested in taking care of themselves and their children.  They are the kind of women who try to eat right and exercise, they are the kind of women who avoid medication because they’ve done their research and know that there is no medication out there without risky side effects.  They carry their babies not because it’s in fashion, but because they care enough to do what they think is right.

There is a strain from pregnancy and carrying your children,  there are also natural ways to take care of your self to prevent and relieve that pain.  Carrying your baby closer to you is one of those ways.  It’s not like Motrin is a vitamin.  It’s not helping your body any.  If you do have back pain caused by carrying your child see an expert in the field visit your local chiropractor.  Don’t get health care advice from a drug company.  There is much that can be done to help you enjoy your life without pain, without medicating yourself.