Edgy advertising can sometimes cut the wrong way. Motrin is finding that out the social media way as mommy bloggers, Twitter Moms, and even a few dads are chiming in regarding an ad about fashionable baby carrying techniques.

It’s not like this is a new trend — baby slings have been around for a long time. The latest fashion, combined with the ability to comment on it, is what is giving Motrin a migraine. What are your thoughts about baby slings and social media-savvy moms giving Motrin a piece of their mind?

Use this nifty opinion tool to view the ad by clicking on the image, then share your thoughts by using words expressed by others in the list and rating them, or add a new sentiment to rate. You can also provide more details than a word in the text box. At least those moms using slings can get something off their chest without dumping the kid.

I have five children, personally I used the on the shoulders technique. Not with all five, mind you — if I did, we’d be in the circus.

Disclosure: we help Quick Comments with some strategy consulting. It just happens to be perfect for this blog post. If you want to use the widget for this Motrin ad question here is the code:
<iframe width="225" height="602" frameborder="0" src="http://qcwidget.com/widgets/3ee5981b3bd3" ></iframe>


The social media idea path is like watching cells grow and multiply. Here is the exciting path of this idea related to Dunkin’ Donuts and the Super Bowl. Sunday, January 20, I’m on Twitter the night of the Green Bay/New York Giants NFC Championship game. People tweeted about the final moments of the game and upon its conclusion, I started tweeting with my Boston friends who like Dunkin’ Donuts, how that popular east coast franchise can capitalize on the Super Bowl with two teams competing from their two largest markets, Boston and New York City. Those friends included Doug Haslam, Chip Griffin, Geoff Livingston (DC guy but also responded to tweet string), Scott Monty, Sarah Wurrey, and Mike Volpe.

A quick review of the Dunkin’ Donuts website reveals that Dunkin’ has extensive experience working with NFL promotions and even has run contests with both the New York Giants and New England Patriots. Excellent. Dunkin’ Donuts slogan is America Runs on Dunkin’ - Are you thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?

On Monday, January 21, I thought of an idea and blogged about it on our marketing blog about a Super Bowl contest that ties into the slogan, Dunkin’ Donuts Has a Super Opportunity , the team with the most rushing yards would earn for that market a free something, maybe a Dunkin loyalty card with a free cup of coffee loaded on it or a free coffee during the two hours after the game (you get the picture). I also sent in a link to the idea on the Dunkin’ Donuts website, through customer relations.

on Wednesday, January 23, I received the resonse below. I’ve given the response grades, and invite yours as well. A couple of more data points here. 1) I did not submit to a PR or media inquiry because I did not find an email for one on the site at the time and 2) Dunkin’ Donuts is currently running (pardon the pun) a user generated campaign on You Tube called How Do You Keep America Running.

Here is Dunkin’s reply to our Rushing Yardage contest idea:

Dear Albert,

Ref # 4488839
Here are my grades for their response:

1) Timeliness they at least replied within a couple of days. - A Excellent,

2) Sincerity, it looks like a boilerplate response - C to me some of the copy is a bit condescending , however, I can understand this given that someone might claim rights to an idea, which leads to my next grading topic,

3) Legal cover, nice job lawyers - A

4) Brand loyalty impact, has the response improved your feeling of the brand - B While the response did not uniquely notice the submission, it did attempt to respond in a timely and polite manner and for that Dunkin’ Donuts deserves some credit.

Overall It’s a B, time for another coffee.

OK, here’s the picture, literally: This is the picture from a billboard ad from the Target Corporation.

Some people, namely Flickr user Bennett4Senate, suggested that this image is suggestive. I won’t touch that issue with a 10-foot pole in this blog post. I direct any who wish to dwell on this to Justice Stewart Potter and his definition of obscenity. This post is about corporate public relations and understanding bloggers.

In that context, let’s say that this image is a tiny, tiny ember in a campfire…

One of those people who believes this image is suggestive is also a blogger, Amy Jussel. Amy asked the Target PR department for “an explanation” regarding the billboard. Target’s response?

Good Morning Amy,

Thank you for contacting Target; unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with non-traditional media outlets. This practice is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest.

Once again thank you for your interest, and have a nice day.

For the purposes of this post, let’s just call this statement “highly combustible material,” kind of like a tank full of gas vapors.

Remember our tiny little ember, the concern over the content of the ad? Well, now Target has thrown its highly combustible material all over our gently burning little ember with this PR policy (or was it an ad hoc decision?).

To many corporate PR types, and unfortunately some of their PR agencies, the blogosphere is seen as some kind of enclosed place, sprinkled with a few nutjobs and corporate saboteurs, where stuff doesn’t get out much.

If this were an actual, real-world highly combustible material, here are the steps Target would follow:

Removal of explosive or combustible gas or vapors from tanks and other enclosed spaces: “Highly combustible or explosive materials must be placed carefully into a rotary kiln or other type of combustible disposal equipment because of the likelihood of explosion or blow back when the material reaches the heat.” (Courtesy of http://www.freepatentsonline.com)

This scenario is not as easy as disposing of physical highly combustible material. This a much less predictable scenario involving people, advocates with agendas, emotions, subjectivity, their children, and a large corporation – not to mention the other fuels in the blogosphere, like gaining traffic, stimulating conversation and acquiring links.

To the Target PR agencies and staff: A train-load full of gas vapor looks tame in comparison to the volatile mix that you are faced with in this scenario. By responding to concern about the billboard with that statement, the issue shifted from a tiny ember (concern over the image) to a burning torch (a blogger scorned). Result: explosion and blow back, as bloggers rallied around a community member, perhaps even seeing a suggestive picture when there is none.

After spending a couple of decades in communications and dealing with political issues, here are some suggestions for when you’re faced with questions from bloggers in the future:

1) Bloggers can also be customers, parents, investors… Don’t dismiss them as not your “core guest” or “target market.” At the very least, answer the question. You might not give the answer they want, but at least you’ll have answered.

2) Before answering the question, get a lay of the land: Examine whether people are talking about this issue online. Ask your own call center and customer service departments if they have received calls on the issue. Consult with them on how they would handle this type of call. While you might view this as one quirky inquiry, it may be a smoldering campfire in the middle of the dry season.

3) Take the medium of blogging seriously. Every PR person worth his or her salt has had to deal with an issue advocate in the industry. Every industry has them, whether it’s some writer in mainstream media who has it out for you or a blogger with a clear agenda. Stonewalling is no way to make that individual go away.

4) The blogosphere gives advantage to first movers. It can ignite on a rumor and sifts out the truth over time. Jeremy Pepper’s beautiful post is an essential read on blogosphere truth vs. real truth. It’s just like in politics: 99.5 percent of the time, the advantage is to the accuser. For the same reason negative campaigning is effective, a single blogger that can get two twigs to burn can potentially to build a fire. If the premise that started those twigs to burn was wrong, as a company, you need to make sure you pour plenty of water on it early. This tactic holds even more weight when an issue is not a rumor or based on the subjective view of a prolific few, but based on fact.

5) Separate the influencer from the influencing idea. Sure, you might have a blogger that is after you like white on rice. However, be on the look out for that one issue on which they may be right. Kryptonite lock is the classic example. When a blogger pointed out that the locks could be picked with a Bic pen, the company faced a serious issue. It reacted quickly and communicated to its core audiences, explaining the steps the company would take to make things right.

One last point: I have said on this blog several times how social media is making politics-style communication skills necessary at the highest levels of corporate communications and PR departments.

This issue – the tiny ember, you’ll remember – was about a Target billboard ad that contained a picture of woman (in winter attire, wearing a scarf, hat, mittens and boots) on a Target logo (a bull’s-eye). Those who pointed the ad out discussed how women are depicted in society, characterized by the blogger who inquired to Target about “the universal issue is sexualized ad slop, and how we need to just freakin’ STOP it.” It wasn’t about some defective product, store cleanliness or a warranty issue. At its roots, this was a political issue. Target then misjudged the grassroots potential of the issue itself and the medium through which it is communicated.

To social media types, the lesson here for the blogosphere might be this: The perception that can come from situations that started with that first tiny, tiny ember is that the blogosphere can, at times, look like a young, self-important child in a big family, throwing a tantrum when it doesn’t get noticed.