Funny thing happened when I announced I was quitting advertising to focus on Mommy Shorts full time— I got a call from a company asking me to do their advertising.
Not freelancing for an agency creating the advertising, actually working directly with the company. Kind of like Mommy Shorts was the agency.
Did I want to do that? Initially, I wasn’t sure.
But then… I really liked the brand (it’s a much needed line of over-the-counter remedies designed specifically for pregnant women called healthy mama)… AND I figured out a way to include all of you guys!
Here’s the deal.
I created three healthy mama print ads (they’ll be running in magazines like Fit Pregnancy and Pregnancy & Newborn starting in April) and now…
They’re offering up $750 to the Mommy Shorts reader who comes up with the next headline in the campaign.
I told healthy mama my readers are smarter and funnier than I am, so don’t disappoint!
Here’s the brief (that’s what we call it in the ad world)…
THE BRAND: HEALTHY MAMA
Remember when you were pregnant and got that crazy back ache in the beginning of your third trimester? You googled “what can I take for a back ache while pregnant” but that sent you to a community board on Baby Center with random unqualified people giving varying misinformation about drug ingredients you couldn’t even pronounce, right?
Well, healthy mama is trying to change all that. They’re on a mission to create a prenatal category you can easily find on one shelf. They’ve just launched a new line of over-the-counter remedies specifically designed to be the safest* for pregnant and nursing women. The products tackle common pregnancy symptoms like heartburn, lack of sleep, pain relief, nausea and constipation— but with fun names like “Tame the Flame”, “Move it Along” and “Shake that Ache”.
Because even if the sight of salmon makes you want to hurl on your cankles, this is still a happy time, right???
Healthy mama is backed by the American Pregnancy Association, FDA accepted and made in the USA. It’s currently being sold at babiesrus.com, Buy Buy Baby, healthymamabrand.com and coming soon to Drugstore.com.
THE MESSAGE:
Pregnancy might be beautiful but it is definitely not without it’s unfavorable side effects. From exhaustion to stretch marks to nosy comments from strangers. The healthy mama campaign aims to open up an honest dialogue about what women go through while they are expecting, giving moms-to-be a reason to laugh at their circumstances together.
(I wrote that myself. Don’t I sound official?)
THE ADS:
THE ASSIGNMENT:
I am reaching out to all my readers to come up with the next headline in the healthy mama campaign. Please follow the structure of the headlines already created (i.e. “We can’t ______________________ but we can help you deal with almost everything else.”)
Use your personal experience and go as far out there as you would like. We want the headlines to be funny, honest, and relatable.
As an example, here’s a fourth headline I REALLY want healthy mama to run:
THE RULES:
1) You must be a healthy mama facebook fan to enter. You can “like” their page by clicking here.
2) Leave your healthy mama headline in the comment section below. You can enter a maximum of three times.
If you’d like to promote on twitter, facebook, pinterest or instagram, it won’t help your chances but we’d appreciate it! Please use #healthymamaheadlines.
I’ll be posting some of my favorite headlines next week and the winners will be announced on April 2, 2014. You must enter by April 1, 2014 at 6pm ET. The winners will be selected by both myself and healthy mama based on which headline we would like to use in the ad campaign.
For the official contest rules and regulations, click here.
THE PRIZES!
GRAND PRIZE:
• $750 Visa Gift Card plus the chance to have your headline appear in a nationally run print and digital campaign
• healthy mama products valued at $100
2ND PLACE:
• 1 Diono RadianRXT Car Seat ($350)
• $100 Visa Gift Card
• healthy mama products valued at $75
3RD PLACE:
• $50 Visa Gift Card
• healthy mama products valued at $50
Thanks to everyone for being part of my advertising team. And a big thanks to healthy mama for trusting me to do this!
GOOD LUCK!!!
——————————————-
This post was sponsored by healthy mama. That was pretty obvious, I think. I’m very excited to be working with them!
* No medication is considered 100% safe during pregnancy and nursing.
We can’t make you fit in restaurant booths any better, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t help you put your socks on, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop the constant phone calls from relatives asking “Have you had the baby yet?”, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t help the waddling, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t stop your belly button from popping out, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t make a middle of the night ice cream run for you, but we can help with everything else!
We can’t make your mom stop asking if the baby is here yet but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you unsee that Miracle of Life video in your childbirth class, but we can help you with everything else
We can’t help your husband learn to clean like you do, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t remove that sciatic nerve but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t make your husband go out at 2am and buy you a spicy ranchero burrito, but we can…
We can’t help you shave your legs but, we can help with almost anything else.
We can’t stop complete strangers from rubbing your belly like it’s a magic lamp but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you with leaky boob spots in public, but we can help with almost anything else.
We can’t help you fit any more pillows in your bed, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from getting nauseous from your husband’s breath,
We can’t make sure you have a matching pair of shoes on,
We can’t make every item on your registry available for your shower,
We can’t tell you if that was a real contraction, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop people from saying “Oh, I thought you were just overweight!” but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t make your husband read the baby books, but we can help you with everything else!
We can’t stop your boobs from leaking but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t stop that feeling your kid is using your rib cage as monkey bars but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t make that wine look less appealing, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from sounding like an angry hippo when you try to put on shoes…..
We can’t stop you from renovating your entire house during your ‘nesting’ phase, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t make maternity clothes any cuter, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t stop that large varicose vein from growing on your labia, which you can’t see because your belly’s in the way so you have to ask your hubby to tell you what it is – lucky him, but we can help with almost everything else!
We can’t do your kegels for you but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t pick you up a chocolate shake at 2am, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t bend over and tie your shoes for you, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help it if you can’t sleep on your stomach any more, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t stop your baby from having a 3 am dance party in your uterus every night, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t go back in time and stop you from reading the scary parts of What to Expect When You’re Expecting, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t polish your toes but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t hold you up while you shave your legs in the shower, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop people from asking if you’re “done” but we can help with everything else.
We can’t make peeing in that cup any more dignified, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from crying over that sappy commercial (every time), but…..
We can’t make your stink box odor go away but we can help you deal with almost everything else!
We can’t clean the cat box for you but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop your husband from breathing so loud, but we can help you deal with almost everything else
We can’t make people stop asking if you’re still pregnant but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t hold your hair back but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t help you from wanting to castrate your husband but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help you remove the rings from your sausage fingers but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help you to locate your vagina but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help your husband find another designated driver, but we can help with everything else
We can’t help you refrain from looking “down there” after giving birth, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t help with your cravings for sushi, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t keep you from punching people who don’t even have kids, but still want to give you advice, in the face, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help it if you can’t polish your toe nails, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t help you in and out of your car, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t explain hormones to your husband but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t pick up that thing you dropped on the floor for the 3rd time but we can help you deal with almost everything else
We can’t help lift those cankles, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t make “morning sickness” only happen in the morning but we can help with everything else
We can’t prevent you from waddling like a penguin, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop people from sharing their own pregnancy horror stories to scare the crap out of you but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t punch the people who ask if you’re still pregnant 3 months after your baby was born, but we can help you with everything else!
We can’t guarantee that your favorite shoes will fit for your entire pregnancy, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t call you off work “Pregnant”, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We couldn’t stop your husband from trying to “cuddle” then and we can’t stop him now BUT we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t hold your hair while you kiss the porcelain, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t put your shoes on for you, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t smack all the people who tell you, “Looks like it’s going to be a big baby!”, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
So true! I love it!
We can’t stop the stench of your gas from clearing out a room, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t help you tie your shoes, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you put your underwear on but we can help you deal with everything else
We can’t make your husband carry the baby, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t make minivans sexy, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help you tie your own shoes , but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t put out a hit out on your husband but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t save you from the birthing process, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t keep your maternity jeans from sliding down, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
aaaaaand my fave:
We can’t tell you who the father is, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t stop people from asking you when you are due AFTER the baby is born, but we can help you deal with everything else
We can’t help with the “baby brain” repetitiveness but we can help with everything else.
We can’t stop your snoring from waking the neighbors, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t hold your hair while you are puking.
We can’t double check that your shoes match, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help you paint your toe nails but we can help you deal with everything else.
We can’t hold your hair while you are puking? But we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help you find the father, but we can help you with everything else!!!
(Inspired by Maury:) )
We can’t help you persuade your husband that Thor isnt an appropriate boys name but we can help you deal with almost everything else!
“We can’t stop people from bombarding you with parenting advice, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.”
“We can’t tell you what’s what on the first sonogram when you are showing your friends but we can help you deal with almost everything else.”
We can’t keep your baby from kicking you in the bladder or lungs (or any other sensitive areas), but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t help you turn over in bed but we can help you deal with everything else.
We can’t stop you from crying during a commercial, but we can help you with everything else .
We can’t help the snarky remarks people make when you’re pregnant but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t make your husband wear a pregnancy suit to empathize with you better, but we can help you deal with almost everything else!
We can’t stop you from getting stuck on the floor for 3 hours after sorting baby clothes…but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t tell if you actually pooped or if that is just your hemroid, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t make your baby cooperate during the ultrasound but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from getting hemorrhoids, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help that your baby comes out of the birth canal pooping…but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t make the “Hemorrhoid Waddle” the next big dance craze, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t extend the drivers seat so your belly can fit behind the steering wheel, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We cannot stop your newborn son from peeing on you when the registrar comes in to have you sign his birth certificate…but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t make you feel better about the idea that “that” will come out of “there ” but we can help you with almost everything else!
We can’t stop you from wanting to punch your husband, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t paint your toenails for you, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from feeling like a human furnace, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop your protruding navel, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you control your farting, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t go through the labor pains for you, but we can help you deal with almost everything everything else!
We can’t help you tie your shoes, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.