Motrin is about to test the PR maxim: “all press is good press.” It looks like the company stepped in it today with an ad is that is, at the very least, borderline offensive.

The reaction on Twitter is fast and furious and already there is a viral video response. Motrin’s mistake is a problem common to big media companies, attempted “snarkiness” and often comes off as condescending. Worse still, companies that adopt a conversational tone without actually participating in the conversation come off as phony. Motrin doesn’t actually “feel your pain,” they just focused group this and found a micro-trend. If Motrin had been on Twitter, had a blog, had been in discussions with mom-bloggers and engaged in a back-forth with customers via social media and e-mail, my hunch is that the reaction to this ad would’ve been different…

We’re doing our best to engage in a conversation with our users and potential users. It’s not easy and, I would imagine, it’s even harder for a big company. But, it’s no longer optional. To introduce new products, to test-drive marketing, to promote new features, and to remedy mistakes, we need to have a relationship with our users.

Motrin needs to salvage the best of a bad situation by opening a dialogue with, not only the people it offended, but all its customers. If it does that, it just might come out ahead…

(HT: Mashable)