The makers of Motrin might want to rethink their market research. Early
this evening numerous moms were talking to one another on Twitter. The
conversation became heated.

Twitter.com is a Social Media site online where people hold conversations
using 140 characters or less at a time. Those on Twitter follow others on
the site and watch their “tweets” of 140 characters go by. What makes
Twitter a powerful means of communication is the speed in which
information is spread throughout the online community.

Tonight a group of moms were “tweeting” that they believe the Motrin
commercial on www.Motrin.com is offensive. The word spread quickly. As
this article is written, there is at least one of these moms making a
video expressing the great displeasure of an entire online community of
moms with Motrin’s commercial. “We need Motrin to know we are smart & will
take action when co’s underestimate & offense moms” as tweeted by
@KatjaPresnal.

Katja Presnal, Public Relations and Social Media Consultant out of New
York is creating a video utilizing the many “tweets” she gathered tonight
from Twitter.com regarding the response to the Motrin commercial. The word
was put out on Twitter that moms are mad at Motrin, and then quickly
tagged. Tagging an item on the internet allows for the tracking of the
popularity of the subject. Upon the writing of this article the tag
#MotrinMoms is second in popularity only to SNL. This means that only
discussion about the television show Saturday Night Live rank higher on
the Twitter site than discussions about the offensive nature of Motrin’s
commercial.

Twitter.com currently has over 325,000 members. It’s free to join and is
fast becoming a tool for business, organizations, and social groups to
communicate rapidly and easily. Motrin’s executive may wake to what
appears to be a Public Relations nightmare. Off line media sources are
also on Twitter, and are likely to pick up this story and run with it in
print, radio, and television by morning.

Moms, dads, and other Tweeters are mad at Motrin for what they believe is
a degrading commercial video at www.Motrin.com  Twitter.com has given them
a voice and a means of instant communication to confer and organize.
@AMassofHumanity tweeted, “Holy cow! Just watched the ad. ‘Supposedly it’s
a real bonding experience’ Unbelievably insulting and clueless
#motrinmoms.”

There are “tweets” of boycotting the product. Also important to note, many
members of the Twitter community have their Twitter account integrated
into other Social Media sites such as Facebook and individual blogs. This
means that everything they “tweet” on Twitter is also instantly posted on
their other integrated sites. Thus, the “tweets” by the moms mad at Motrin
are reaching far beyond Twitter tonight.

Within the hour, Ms. Presnal is likely to have her YouTube Video posted
expressing the views of the many “tweets” tonight. A simple search for
Motrin Moms on www.YouTube.com early this morning should pull up the video
currently in creation.

Perhaps this “tweet” sums it up best by @crunchygoddess: “Stop
disrespecting us moms, Motrin. Unlike our babies, we weren’t born
yesterday and we will take our $ elsewhere”

By morning corporate America will learn a lesson. The people still have a
voice. Social Media and the online membership communities have put the
power back in the hands of the people. Tonight moms, and others, express
their displeasure to a merchandiser how out of touch they are with their
target market.