I have just become aware of a new collocation:
To wear a baby
Recently, babywearers all over the blogosphere have reacted against an advert that US Ibuprofen manufacturer Motrin posted onto their website (see YouTube clip below).
The advert seems to suggest that the practise of babywearing is a fashionable one that can have detrimental health effects - an idea that was patronizing to many.
By this weekend, there were enough comments from enfuriated young parents - mostly mothers - for blogger Katja Presnal to create the following montage for YouTube:
As soon as Motrin learned of the unfavourable reaction, the advert was removed from their site and subsequently replaced with the following apology:
Ironically, all of this has happened right in the middle of International Babywearing Week, a babywearing-raising initiative organized by Babywearing International.
Below is a lesson plan based around the Motrin-Babywearing story. The pdf file can be downloaded and/or printed off.
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Earlier this year, an article in the The Guardian hailed 2007 as “the year of consumer power”. This was, it reported, the result of a number of consumer victories that were acheived through campaigning on an unprecedented scale through the social media (YouTube, blogs, facebook, twitter, etc). As a result of such campaigns, for example, Mars were forced to stop adding rennet to its bars (this would have made them unsuitable for vegetarians) and HSBC had to abolish plans to scrap interest-free student overdrafts.
The article quotes Ed Mayo, the chief executive of the National Consumer Council:
“Complaining used to be a lonely battle; now it’s becoming a team activity. If there’s one thing that will keep chief executives awake at night, it’s the sight of people using websites like YouTube and social networks such as Facebook to mount concerted campaigns against the failings of their company.”
It’s so new for us! Thansk!
Left by Daniela on February 10th, 2009