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 attend those all those prenatal appointments for you, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop those annoying belly comparisons by other pregnant women, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t ***buy you an electric mobility scooter,**** but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
(I gained 38lbs during pregnancy and had terrible sciatica pain third trimester!)
We can’t pick a name that you and your husband will both agree on, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t prevent the cheesy games from being played at your baby shower, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from crying at the save a pet commercials, but we can help with just about everthing else.
We can’t assemble the nursery furniture for you, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop pregnancy brain from happening, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop the baby from kicking you in the ribs just as you finally get to sleep but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you with that…uh….brain…..forget….thingy…..but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you fit more than yoga pants your last trimester, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t ****tell baby that mommy’s bladder is not a punching bag,**** but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
(Especially when you are trying to sleep!)
We can’t ****blame your bad gas on the dog or your husband,**** but we can help you with almost everything else!
(But I will try to blame them myself!!!!!!) 😉
We can’t help you pick the perfect name… but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
….but this is all in good humor… and I would’ve actually loved a scooter… I’d love one now even… 🙂
Ooh! Good one!!
We can’t stop the baby from kicking your bladder, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t ask your Mom to not pace directly outside the labor/delivery room door for hours on end, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t dislodge the tiny foot from your rib cage, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from eating ice cream at 3 am, but we can help you with everyone else.
We can’t make the late night milkshake run but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t remind you what your legs, toes, and bikini line looks like, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you put on your shoes and socks, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t stop your kids dad from. Saying “oh does it. Hurt?” During. Labor. (No actually it feels good) but we can help with anything else.
We can’t keep your husband from stopping for coffee on your way to the hospital, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t give excuses about why you don’t like 8 month pregnant sex but we can help you with anything else…
We can’t help you get comfortable with less than 20 pillows, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from crying during an episode of Real Housewives, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t promise your water won’t break in the car on the way to the hospital, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t install the carseat for you, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you catch your 2 year old running up and down the aisles at the toy store, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t stop your vericose veins from showing.
We can’t stop you from punching the next person who reminds you that you are ONLY eating for two, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t treat you to a plain double cheese burger after every doctor’s appointment, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t help that the doctor told you for six months you were having a girl… SURPRISE! It’s a BOY!! But we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from walking slower than a tortoise.
“We can’t stop your husband from cooking fish sticks when you have morning sickness but we can help you deal with almost everything else.”
We can’t tame the super sense of smell, but we can help with everything else
We can’t promise that your new hemorrhoid will ever go away, but we can help you with everything else.
also
We can’t promise that a 21 year old medical student will be holding your unshaved leg during labor, but we can help you with everything else.
I also submitted mine on facebook, but I’m not sure if those count as “official” entries…
We can’t help you fill out your maternity leave paperwork, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t help you answer the question “but where do babies come from?”, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from waddling, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t help you not cry at diaper commercials, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t throw you a gender reveal party, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t feed you a medium rare steak or sushi, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t make your mother-in-law fall in a hole and disappear before she asks for the nineteen thousandth time what the baby’s name will be, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop strangers from asking how dilated you are, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
Name above is supposed to be Brandy…haha.
We can’t help you decide on a name…
Name above is supposed to be Brandy…haha.
We can’t play with your 3yr old while you dream about a nap on the couch, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
we can’t cure pregnancy brain, you’re probably going to forget you’re still wearing slippers, or that your shirt is on inside out, but we can help with everything else.
good one!
We can’t call the cops on this 3 a.m. dance party, but we can help you with everything else.
YES!
We can’t help you make sure you are wearing matching shoes but we can help you with almost anything else.
We cant convince you NOT to wear those stretchy maternity pants until he’s 12, but we can help you with everything else.
We cant change your inlaws wishes to name him after Uncle Alfred, but we can help you with everything else.
We cant send your husband through the drive-thru at 3am (again), but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t family members from asking what you are naming the baby but we can help you deal with everything else.
We can’t keep morning sickness from appearing after noon, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
OH this was the cause for a lot of fights during my summer pregnancy.
We can’t keep your legs from resembling a California road map, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t make strangers stop trying to touch your belly, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can remove the word “big” from the English language, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help cut off your engagement and wedding rings from your swollen fingers but we can help with almost everything else.
We ***CANT remove the word “big” from the English language, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
Unsolicited advice: You’re on your own. Everything else: We’ve got your back.
We can’t keep you from crying during corny T.V. moments and insurance commercials…
We can’t stop total strangers from giving you “helpful advice” but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t help you off the couch, but we can help you deal with everything else.
We can’t make your husband agree to your baby name, but we can help you deal with almost everything else!
We can’t keep you from sweating through your sheets every night, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t save you from your bladder being used as a trampoline, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t keep your colleagues from heating fish in the microwave near your desk…
We can’t cure pregnancy brain, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop the spontaneous tears, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t shave your legs for you, but we can help you with almost everything else
We can’t stop your husband from believing he’s “going through this too”… But we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you deal with the fact that in the 9 months of your life that you actually NEED alcohol you can’t have any, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
I would have loved to have had the “get it moving” pill, if ya know what I mean. And congrats on the collab, Ilana. Great way to get your readers involved.
We can’t prevent you from becoming an outtie but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help your partner REALLY understand what it’s like, but we can help with almost everything else.
(not sure my last comment went to spam) I would have loved to have had the “get it moving” pill, if ya know what I mean. And congrats on the collab, Ilana. Great way to get your readers involved.
We can’t prevent you from becoming an outtie but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t clean every bathroom you might have to throw up in, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop the negative comments about your child’s name choice, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t convince your toddler that you didn’t eat a baby, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t prevent your bladder becoming a trampoline, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t help you onto and off of the toilet, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
Ahh! It posted a few times, sorry!
We can’t stop people from saying, “You’re ONLY 6 months??” but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t console you during that emotional commercial, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
“We can’t stop people from giving unsolicited parental advice, but we can…”
We can’t keep you mother out of the delivery room, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t help you spell out baby’s name (a-g-a-i-n!!) but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t convince your husband that he is not going to poke the baby in the head during intercourse, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t push your belly button back in but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t help you get in to bed, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t make your baby arrive on time, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop those smells you used to love from making you violently ill, but we can help with almost everything else.
Thought of more: “We can’t stop everyone from asking if you’re sure you’re not having twins, but we can help with almost everything else.” or “We can’t give you the epidural now, but we can help with almost everything else.”
We can’t keep you from falling asleep by 8pm with fatigue, but…
We can’t help you avoid getting up to pee three times a night, but…
We can’t put your socks on for you (or take them off), but…
We can’t stop the anxiety of pushing a watermelon through a grape sized hole, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t provide you with a spoonful of raw cookie dough, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t provide you with a delicious cold cut sub, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop your husband from drinking a beer in front of you, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
Can you tell I’m currently pregnant…?