BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

The story of how a clever new advertising campaign for the Motrin pain reliever turned into a nightmare for Johnson & Johnson is really a case of how something old can suddenly be new again.

Despite all the furor they generated in the blogosphere and beyond, the ads themselves are really rather benign. It' s a clever take on the popular practice of mothers carrying infants in a sling on their chest - something that might give mom a bit of a backache - a backache for which Motrin might be the perfect treatment.

So far, so good. Undoubtedly, the folks at Johnson & Johnson and their agency considered carefully whether the ads would offend anyone. That' s just common sense. Undoubtedly, they tested the ads in focus groups. Standard practice before a multimillion dollar campaign is unleashed. Obviously nobody saw any storms on the horizon.

Then came the online outrage. And within a few hours the ad was being widely condemned as demeaning to women and insulting to mothers. The joke about babies being a hot new fashion accessory wasn' t all that funny anymore.

And it didn' t take long for this latest eruption on Twitter and the Internet to become a widely reported story in the mainstream media. Johnson & Johnson wisely chose not to try to explain the joke. They opted instead to cut their losses, pull the ads, and apologize. But for what?

Once again, perception proved to be reality. The vast majority of women who saw the ad probably got the joke and weren' t offended by it in any way. Most probably had better things to do than get upset over a Motrin ad. Once upon a time anyone who didn' t like the ad would probably complain to a friend and perhaps refuse to buy the product.

Whatever anyone says or does anywhere is likely to annoy someone. That' s old news. But blogs and social networking sites have forever changed the landscape. That' s what' s new. The blogosphere gives voice to complaints of any kind. For others who are exposed to those complaints in the blogosphere the thought process goes something like this. "If someone out there is this deeply concerned about this issue, perhaps I should be as well."

Then the group mentality kicks in and the next thing you know an online firestorm has been ignited. A firestorm that is just about impossible to extinguish. That' s how a clever ad for a pain pill was turned overnight into an insult to motherhood. That' s why the lines between "okay" and "too close to the edge" are being re-drawn. Anyone who ignores that is in for trouble. Just ask the folks who make Motrin.