Underhand tactics - formula companies

[suzib76]

and i dont get why people who BF give a shit tbh, they have made the choice to BF so why waste energy getting wound up about an advert for bloody milk believe it i never chose to FF or BF any of my kids based on a magazine article and im pretty damn sure most FF's would agree
so what if they want to get their brand name out there, good on them i think so many people make far too big a deal out of this - its just an advert, for baby milk, so what

 

[smokey]

Let's be honest - they aren't providing this line out of the goodness of their hearts. They do it so you have a positive association with their product. So if you decide to FF or have to for any reason, you'll think 'oh, that SMA company are good, they offer support/helped me with a query'. It's all about brand loyalty.

Same as giving muslins and freebies out - it's so you think you think of them if you have to chose a brand of Formula. Although I think it's good that they offer a lot of information on both ways of feeding, I don't agree with the way they advertise follow-on milk at all.

ETA - if I wanted BF advice I wouldn't call a FF company, I'd ask my HV or MW or LLL (someone impartial and with no financial gain from a decision i could make....) etc etc. I wonder how many BF mums do actually call them for advice?

I did, I have also used their website for nappy advice as well.
They have to sell a product after what company doesnt use product association to gain loyalty, every company that had ever exsisted has used it in one form or another.
I have come across a number of formula, nappy, baby product websites that offer a whole wealth of info on many different subjects regarding babies so if any one comapny can offer help to a new mother then good on them.
why if a somthing like nhs offers ff advice as well as bf advice are they "covering all angles" and "just being fair" (I was given leaflets and advice on both) yet somthing like a formula company offer an alternative advice somthing that would do them out of profit are they are suddenly underhand and manipulative

 

[Jolinar]

I'm not seeing it either, all companies no matter what they sell have a vested interest in customer/public relations.

 

[ellie]

and i dont get why some are so uber defensive about this

I think the concern about ads like this is for other mums rather than ourselves. many mums are vulnerable and dont have that much support around them, or ways to get impartial help. companies like this put subtle pressure on people to buy their products. ALl companies do this of course! Its just that mums are often an extra vulnerable "market" for them. And we can easily make the mistake of thinking they are just trying to help ... when they dont give a shit about us (as mothers I mean ... we are just consumers to them) they just want our £ and they dont care how they get it. That's how they're being manipulative.

And you said it ... its not actually an advert for baby milk, its an advert for their helpline. They would like us to see it as an ad for their milk, when they are not supposed to. That's how they're being underhanded.

Im not sure this is actually going to be a helpful thread after all ........ it seems too many people just get too defensive to be abel to step back and think about the bigger picture. Oh well.

 

[Lu28]

I personally don't have a problem with this kind of ad or advice line, as someone else said, Pampers etc do the same thing, all in an effort to foster good associations with their products in the hope that it will encourage consumers to buy them.

I do have a problem with other types of advertising though. For example, I remember googling 'breastfeeding, low milk supply and low weight gain' at one point and the first result was a sponsored advertisement for one of the formula companies. Granted, it brought you to a page about breastfeeding advice but it really did anger me as a woman would not be googling for this information if they weren't worried about their LO and whether bfing was working for them. In that situation, I think the formula company is planting the seed of doubt and reminding that formula is an option when a mum is very vulnerable. I know it made me question myself yet again.

 

[WW1]

Formula companies main aim is to sell formula and their advertising will be with that in mind.

Having said that, part of selling formula is about brand image - if they give good advice for pregnant mums and have a helpful website it will give a good brand image which is massively important. They will want the advice on the websites to be of high quality as they will want people to think of their products as high quality.

I'm not at all sure the government ban on advertising has an impact on whether people BF or not. I believe in other countries there is no such ban and BF rates are much higher. A ban on advertising is paying lip service to promoting BF in my opinion. There needs to be much more support during the early stages for women who want to BF. All the ban does is make the formula companies come up with follow on milk and a way to get round the legislation.

Sorry if I've gone slightly off track. I don't think the advert is particularly bad ~ I think the support for women who want to BF is often terrible and that is a far bigger issue.

 

[AppleBlossom]

I don't see a problem with it. I don't get why people get so pissed off when formula is advertised but whatever. I don't think it's dirty tactics at all, just exploring the options available when feeding your children

 

[Sam9kids]

Formula companies main aim is to sell formula and their advertising will be with that in mind.

Having said that, part of selling formula is about brand image - if they give good advice for pregnant mums and have a helpful website it will give a good brand image which is massively important. They will want the advice on the websites to be of high quality as they will want people to think of their products as high quality.

I'm not at all sure the government ban on advertising has an impact on whether people BF or not. I believe in other countries there is no such ban and BF rates are much higher. A ban on advertising is paying lip service to promoting BF in my opinion. There needs to be much more support during the early stages for women who want to BF. All the ban does is make the formula companies come up with follow on milk and a way to get round the legislation.

Sorry if I've gone slightly off track. I don't think the advert is particularly bad ~ I think the support for women who want to BF is often terrible and that is a far bigger issue.

Agreed

Thats what ive always said.... more should be focused on those that want to bf, more advice and support

 

[Dopeyjopey]

Personally i wouldn't get advice from ANY company that sells a product, be it nappies, formula, baby food etc. In fact, i get most of my advice here as i know nobody has a hidden agenda.

If i'd known anything about how to prepare formula i would have given up BF after a week (a particularly hard night) so i'm glad i didn't come across anything like this because i am happy about my decision to BF.

To avoid any involvement in one of 'those' debates i would like to add that I'm not slating FF in the slightest.

 

[pinklightbulb]

Nothing wrong with it IMO...

 

[smokey]

I dont know if anyone else got one of these but I got given a green nhs book when pregnant and a purple one when LO was born ( it covered birth to 5years I think)
In this NHS book it gave info on how to go about breast feeding and info about how to make up formula.
I dont see what the difference is, its just another form of getting info on options.
Any educated person with common sense can then make their own judgments from what they learn

 

[ANiceCuppaTea]

Any educated person with common sense can then make their own judgments from what they learn

Ah, there's the crux. Common sense isn't always that common.

 

[bathbabe]

i dont see the problem, i FF but it doesnt mean that if something was promoting BF id complain? Everyone makes their own choices and babies get fed be it FF or BF. xxx

 

[smokey]

Any educated person with common sense can then make their own judgments from what they learn

Ah, there's the crux. Common sense isn't always that common.

Very true

 

[AppleBlossom]

That's the thing though. People who BF complain when they see formula being advertised. As a previous FFer I wouldn't complain if I ever saw anyone promoting BFing I refuse to believe that there are some people who are naive enough to truly believe that FFing is the only way to feed your baby and that they let these kinds of adverts "brainwash" them. We all know BFing is an option, we know what our breasts are primarily for. It's just a case of choice. If you want to BF but are unsure how, ask for advice. Same with FFing. If I ever find a woman who says they FFed because of an advert they saw for Cow and Gate I will buy a hat and I'll eat it!

 

[pink.crazy]

This all makes me sad why is there such a problem? Really?

 

[bathbabe]

That's the thing though. People who BF complain when they see formula being advertised. As a previous FFer I wouldn't complain if I ever saw anyone promoting BFing I refuse to believe that there are some people who are naive enough to truly believe that FFing is the only way to feed your baby and that they let these kinds of adverts "brainwash" them. We all know BFing is an option, we know what our breasts are primarily for. It's just a case of choice. If you want to BF but are unsure how, ask for advice. Same with FFing. If I ever find a woman who says they FFed because of an advert they saw for Cow and Gate I will buy a hat and I'll eat it!

Buy a big hat and i will share it with you! xxx

 

[Susie28]

I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like they are advocating feeding poison to a baby! I'm really not sure what's so horrible about it..... is it because (SHOCK HORROR!!!) -they are PERHAPS encouraging women to formula feed rather than breastfeed by advertising their company like this?

They are advertising their own product (as all companies do) and offering an advice line service at the same time. Perhaps they do have ulterior motives but all companies do! Does it matter? I don't know many people who would Formula Feed/Breastfeed solely on the basis of seeing an advertisement like this.

^bold=edited

 

[AppleBlossom]

I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like they are advocating feeding poison to a baby! I'm really not sure what's so horrible about it..... is it because (SHOCK HORROR!!!) -they are encouraging women to formula feed rather than breastfeed?

They are advertising their own product (as all companies do) and offering an advice line service at the same time. Perhaps they do have ulterior motives but all companies do! Does it matter? I don't know many people who would Formula Feed/Breastfeed solely on the basis of seeing an advertisement like this.

But they aren't, which is why I don't get why people get so annoyed. The only adverts on TV for formula are for follow on. And the one that sticks in my mind is the Aptamil one where it quotes something along the lines of "Breastfeeding is best for your baby, nothing compares to it. IF you decide to move on from breastfeeding try Aptamil follow on milk" Even when they are advertising their own product, many companies still tell their audiences that BFing is also an option.

 

[Susie28]

I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like they are advocating feeding poison to a baby! I'm really not sure what's so horrible about it..... is it because (SHOCK HORROR!!!) -they are encouraging women to formula feed rather than breastfeed?

They are advertising their own product (as all companies do) and offering an advice line service at the same time. Perhaps they do have ulterior motives but all companies do! Does it matter? I don't know many people who would Formula Feed/Breastfeed solely on the basis of seeing an advertisement like this.

But they aren't, which is why I don't get why people get so annoyed. The only adverts on TV for formula are for follow on. And the one that sticks in my mind is the Aptamil one where it quotes something along the lines of "Breastfeeding is best for your baby, nothing compares to it. IF you decide to move on from breastfeeding try Aptamil follow on milk" Even when they are advertising their own product, many companies still tell their audiences that BFing is also an option.

What I mean, is that people are interpreting it that way (that they are somehow promoting FF OVER bfing by advertising this way)