Michael Phelps' Mom Exits McNeil's ADHD Facebook Page
Debbie Phelps, mother of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, has gone from McNeil’s Facebook page, ADHD Moms, according to blogger John Mack.
The move follows Michael Phelps’ loss of many of his endorsement contracts because he was photographed sucking on a marijuana bong.
UPDATE: A McNeil representative tells BNET that the move was planned, “Debbie Phelps’ departure from our ADHD Moms community was scheduled to occur in January 2009, and to prepare for it we shared this news with fans in a few ways that month.”* See comments section below for the company’s full statement.
As Mack, who writes the Pharma Marketing Blog, points out:
…it’s cruel because what Mrs. Phelps is dealing with may be what many parents of children — even adult children — with ADHD must deal with! I, for one, would have loved to hear what Debbie['s] thoughts were on her son’s bad bong behavior at a party.
(McNeil, a Johnson & Johnson unit, makes Concerta, the ADHD drug.) Mrs. Phelps exit from McNeil’s page does not remove her from the web, however. She has her own Facebook page, and it contains messages of support from other moms with ADHD kids. Mack quotes it:
“We still love you and Michael too. Just remind him that he is a role model and a beacon for all kids with ADHD. We need for him to take care of himself and to do all that it takes to be in good health.” — Caren W. Madsen, Washington, DC (shown here hugging president Obama who’s loving it!).
“I just wanted to show you a little motherly support for what is going on right now. My kids love your son. I am sorry his life is in the spotlight all the time. While I do think he is a role model, it is my job to explain to my children that role models are still human. Humans make mistakes. Best wishes.” — Ann Mitchell Caren, Atlanta, GA
HURRAY for REAL ADHD moms! As opposed to the virtual ADHD Moms™
More seriously, the Phelps phiring raises the interesting question of whether there was a third-party “morals” clause in Mrs. Phelps’ contract. Most celebrity endorsement contracts contain a morals clause — it states that the contract will come to an end if the star engages in any criminal or morally dubious behavior (giving the company a get-out if the star is caught taking drugs or driving drunk). Was Mrs. Phelps’ contract with J&J dependent on her son’s morals? We’ll never know. Unless J&J tells us.
* This item was updated with a quote from McNeil; it also corrects language used to describe Mrs. Phelps’ departure from the Facebook page.
Jim Edwards, a former managing editor of Adweek, has covered drug marketing at Brandweek for four years, and is a former Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University's business and journalism schools. Follow him on Twitter or send him an email.
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