By implying that babies are a fashion accessory, J&J insulted the bond between a mother and a child.  This video on youtube shows a number of people’s feelings about the insult. Advertising Age provides an excellent overview of the time line here as well.

To my way of thinking the failure was in not actually having anything to say.  Any pain reliever could have said the same thing.  If all you have to say is that you understand your target, you’d better make sure that you actually do.  In this case J&J and Taxi clearly did not.

Pulling the campaign was the right move in this case, not because of the critics, but because it was very unlikely to be effective.  I would actually say they were fortunate that people were as vocal as they were so they could avoid wasting hundred of thousands in wasted media buys.

There’s a lesson here about “common interest” campaigns and social media.  The buzz will say one of a few things.  “Wow this brand really gets me” or “I hate it”  With the instant communication options open today, it would be very smart to monitor the buzz and react quickly.  If you get the Wow, ramp up.  If you get the latter kill it and listen to the reasons why.