Arleen Anderson Interview Katja Presnal [21:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1176)

As Twitter was all a flutter with moms mad at Motrin on Saturday evening, one smart tweep @KatjaPresnal documented the public relations tornado in living color. Catching up with Katja in the aftermath, she shares her experiences of being dead center in the eye of the “Moms Mad at Motrin” storm.

Katja Presnal, soial media consultant and founder of Skimbaco, captured the conversation of moms who voiced their displeasure with Motrin’s video on the corporate website. The conversation turned nasty with calls of boycott. What started as a simple opinion became a viral explosion as the word spread throughout the Twitter community.

Katja took screen shots of the comments, put them together in a video, and posted it to YouTube early Sunday morning. Tens of thousands watched the video. Many commented on the video and stated they would not be buying Motrin in the future. Motrin woke to one heck of a headache.

Giving Motrin.com credit, they did finally get the video off the website Sunday evening. Open apologies were issued.

The question is: Do the makers of Motrin understand the significance of social media and the impact online communities have on their product and company? Will the corporate world now understand that social media IS mainstream media?

Online news is instantaneous. Bloggers, podcasters, and social media sites spread information faster, and with more influence, than traditional media outlets.

Every business now needs someone in charge of their company’s social media interaction. Yes, business must interact with online social media. Yes, they must listen to what is said in the public online conversations. Yes, they must engage, monitor, and respond to any conversation online pertaining to their products, their company, and their industry.

For small businesses this means another hat someone must wear. It’s an important hat. Engaging with social media is not only a preventative measure for business. It’s a resource when used properly that can provide great reward.

The documentary video of Motrin Moms can be found on Katja’s blog. She can also be reached through Twitter.