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 stop the waddle, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop the Mommy Wars, but we can help with almost everything else!
We can’t stop everyone from asking how you feel even though we know the answer….but we can help you deal with almost everything else!
We can’t promise that “due date” means a darn thing, but we can help you everything else.
“We can’t stop the unwanted parenting advise, but we can help you with everything else.”
And my last ditch effort LOL . . . “We can’t make your due date come any sooner, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.”
Baby talk. Ugh.
We can’t keep your underwear from creeping up, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t prevent the boob sweat stains on all of your shirts, but we can help with am most everything else.
We can’t stop your boobs from suffocating you when you try to lay down …..
We can’t help you from waking yourself from your own snoring, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t prevent the grape size growth throbbing in your rectum, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t help you slap your husband when he says he needs a good night’s sleep afteruyou’ve been in labor 33 hours but we can help you with everything else
We can’t stop you from crying because you burnt your toast and it was the last piece of bread, but we can help you deal with almost anything else!
We can’t stop your baby from getting the hiccups, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t make you stop waddling, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help you out of the car, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you check that your shoes match, but we can help you with pretty much everything else.
We can’t inform you that a large glob of your lunch is still on your boobs…and belly…hours later, but we can help you deal with almost everything else…
We can’t stop your husband from passing out in the delivery room, but we can help with almost everything else!
We can’t make that taco that sounded sooooo good five minutes ago stay down, but we can help you deal withh almost everything else.
We can’t help that your brain falls out with the placenta and you’ll never have a good memory again, but we can help you deal with almost everything else
“We can’t stop people from asking if you have hemorrhoids, but we can help you with everything else”.
We can’t stop people from saying “you are getting it all done in one shot!” to you twin mommies-to-be but we can help you with everything else!
We can’t control people asking if “twins run in your family” but we can help you with everything else!
(from a twin mommy!)
We can’t stop you from breathing fire and swallowing glass, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help you stop passing gas in public, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help you make a pickles and ice cream sandwich, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t control the emotional rollercoaster, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you build that 700 piece crib, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t keep your mother-in-law away, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t insert a catheter to help minimize potty breaks, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
“We can’t stop people from asking if this was planned, but we can help you with everything else”.
We can’t help you fake a smile when strangers try to predict the sex, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t tame the dragon lady that appears when your husband won’t go two towns over to get you your favorite burrito, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t knock out that guy who asked if you know who the father is, but we can… (Yes, a customer of mine, who knew absolutely nothing about me, asked me this question! I’m over 30, and married BTW!)
We can’t prevent you from hating everyone, but we can…
We can’t give dirty looks to every super-mom who asked you “isn’t being pregnant magical?”, but we can…
We can’t stop the round ligament pain when you go in for the best cat-like stretch ever first in the morning, but we can help you deal with almost everything else!
We can’t change the look on people’s faces when you tell them you’ve got eight weeks to go, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t stop you from crying during that laundry commercial, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t stop the pregersaurous rex from coming out, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t help that EVERYONE has now seen your lady parts, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t help you put your underpants on, like a human, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t stop people from asking if it was planned, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t keep people from telling you you’ll be even more tired when the baby comes, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t take the glucose tolerance test for you, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help you shop for a maternity bathing suit but we can help with almost everything else.
We cannot help that your favorite heels will not fit, post-pregnancy but we can help with everything else!
We can’t give you a pedicure, or even see your toes, but we can help you with everything else
We can give you and more lung capacity but we can help you deal with just about everything else.
We can’t stop your Mother In Law from filming your delivery, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop the glimmering “glow”of sweat that everyone likes to compliment you on, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t make your husband pass a human being from one of HIS bodily openings but we can help you win everything else.
We can’t stop people from constantly asking if you’re still pregnant, but we can help you with everything else!
We can’t stop people from asking you when your EDD is…. after you had the baby, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop your two year old from telling you your belly button is squishy, but we can help with almost everything else
We can’t get rid of your mother in law who says you should always be pregnant cause that’s the best you’ve ever looked, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t make pregnancy less barbaric, cuz lets face it pregnancy is
Fing uncivilized.
We can’t make your pickles and ice cream sandwich, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help it that you had to have that belly button ring, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t help you tie your shoes, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t give you bail money when you attack a person for touching your belly but we can help with everything else
“We can’t hold your hair while you throw up every morning, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.”
“We can’t help you shimmy out of the car but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t push your bellybutton back in, but we can help you deal with everything else.
(alternate: We can’t make your outie an innie again…)
We can’t find your ankles either, but we can help you deal with everything else.
We can’t promise you won’t poop in the delivery room…
We can’t stop the baby from biting your nipples while breast feeding, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We cant cut your toenails but we can help you deal with almost everything else!
We cant help you see your feet but we can help you deal with almost everything else!
We can’t help you stop waddling when you walk… But we can help with almost everything else.
Ok… I had more than 3 headlines, but here are my top 3…
1. We can’t make your husband feel nauseous, exhausted an constantly gagging but we can help with almost everything else.
2. We can’t stop you from crying during toilet paper commercials but we can help with almost everything else.
3. We can’t stop people from giving you unwanted advice but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t help you fit in your stand up shower, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from waking up in the middle of the night feeling like your leg is being bitten by a ferocious dog(dang Charlie horses) but we can help you with pretty much everything else 😉
We can’t help you reach 10 cm, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop your middle of the night Charlie horse but we can help you deal with almost anything else!
We can’t help you with the people who keep asking about the second, third and fourth baby when you haven’t even popped out the first, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t make you not feel like you ran a marathon after taking a 15 minute shower, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t groom your hoo-ha for you, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
“We can’t help you stop eating donuts but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop your bum from sweating through your pants, but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from almost throwing up from bending over, but we can help you with almost everything else
We can’t stop people constantly asking if you are STILL pregnant, but we can help you deal with everything else!
We can’t stop people asking what you’re having, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t sleep on your stomach for you, but we can help you deal with almost anything else.
We can’t help you with the strange lady who awkwardly wants to know about your future with breast feeding, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t stop those varicose veins from showing up, but we can help you deal with almost anything else!
We can’t help with the need to tell everyone “I’m not getting fat I’m pregnant! But we can help with everything else.
We can’t stop your belly button from poking out like a turkey timer, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t keep strangers from giving you unsolicited parenting advice, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t make you love looking like a whale, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t get you off that hormonal roller coaster ride, but we can help with almost everything else
We can’t help you paint your toenails but we can help you with almost everything else
We can’t scratch your growing belly for you but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
(I used anti-stretch mark lotion to help with the itching)
We can’t help you keep your pregnancy cleavage forever (they’re going to deflate eventually – enjoy it while you can), but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t keep your boss from checking out your rack, but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t stop people from telling you it is “just” Braxton Hicks contractions, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t keeping your belly from becoming public property but we can help you with almost everything else.
We can’t push your belly button back in, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
“We can’t hold your hair for you while you throw up every morning, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.”
We can’t make your grandmother like the baby’s name you’ve chosen, but me can help with everything else. :/
We can’t convince your other kid to let you nap but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop you from snoring like a freight train…but we can help with almost everything else.
We can’t keep your other kids from playing with your bloated feet and ankles like putty, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t keep you from throwing your hip out when you walk but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
we can’t always satisfy your 2 am cravings for fast food , but we can help you deal with almost everything else !
We can’t help prevent your nose from smelling people and their body odors from a mile away, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t stop you from having seconds, thirds and fourths but we can help with everything else.
We can’t paint those toes you can no longer see for you, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t stop the baby from using your ribs as monkey-bars, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t sleep for you, but we can help with everything else.
We can’t squirt milk, but we can help you with everything else.
We can’t tattoo your due date to your forehead so people stop asking every 10 minutes, but we can help you deal with almost everything else.
We can’t help with the fact your husband just has no freaking clue what you’re going through! But we can help with almost everything else!
We can’t stop your third trimester waddle, but we can help you deal with almost anything else!