Underhand tactics - formula companies

[AppleBlossom]

Does nobody get up and make a brew when the adverts come on? I do, I rarely notice them even though they hike up the volume on breaks.

Not every advert interests you - Where did the burger and power of advertising come in? Would a vegetarian be swayed to go have a Burger King whooper after seeing one on the TV? Silly comparisons now popping up through some light hearted banter. Not one single advert lead me to make my choice on what the discussion is about ...I may be gullible to a bargain and a fancy kitchen appliance that I will only use once yet I will turn my nose at those CD subscriptions £29.95 & £3.95 delivery saving £blahblah - I was never swayed where my children are concerned, I don't think I even noticed the adverts when I was pregnant.

The SMA adverts I forget what they are about I watch the advert when noticed and think the LOs are just so cute which tbh detours me from the point of the advert (the product) and watch my girls giggle at the babies on TV again mind off what it's about ...is that just me?

Exactly!

Adverts are powerful, that's why they're adverts, but they're not THAT powerful!

p.s, why the hell is this still going?! Lol

 

[pinklightbulb]

Wow this is the longest thread ever lol! I can't believe I read so much of it

ive read about 2 pages and give up! 124 pages of what?? ha x

I found it pretty interesting

 

[Wobbles]

I found some of the thread interesting too ...some fair and constructive points from either expecting Mums, Mums who FF and Mums who BF not all the same thinking just because they do one or other. There are some amusing parts of the thread though ...I personally think whist people question the tactics of advertising they should review their own tactics to try and persuade others to think alike to them, there's not much difference between the advert and some of that on this thread

 

[BrookieG]

I found some of the thread interesting too ...some fair and constructive points from either expecting Mums, Mums who FF and Mums who BF not all the same thinking just because they do one or other. There are some amusing parts of the thread though ... I personally think whist people question the tactics of advertising they should review their own tactics to try and persuade others to think alike to them, there's not much difference between the advert and some of that on this thread

couldnt agree more Wobbles x

 

[cb1]

On the subject of advertising, it's not as straightforward as a veggie wanting to eat a burger - it's all about product placement and brand awareness. Before I became pregnant if you'd asked me who made infant formular I would have said SMA or Aptimil, and when we decided to combo feed guess what we used...

 

[NIfirsttimer]

i agree.. i found it interesting, and encouraging that we managed 125 pages without getting the thread closed....although im sure it came close at times.

wobbles is right, advertising is basically attempting to make people think what you want them to think, theres a lot of that at play here in this thread, again tho, it seems advertising BF is great for these people, just not advertising any alternatives!
i have to say it really bugs me when people spam a thread up saying how boring / repeatitive / pathetic it is... that just increases the pages that the people who are genuinely interested have to trail through, and doesnt add anything constructive to the debate.. if you arent interested, or find it boring, just move on!

 

[Wobbles]

On the subject of advertising, it's not as straightforward as a veggie wanting to eat a burger - it's all about product placement and brand awareness. Before I became pregnant if you'd asked me who made infant formular I would have said SMA or Aptimil, and when we decided to combo feed guess what we used...

We started on SMA but it wasn't because of the TV advert, I knew it had been around for years used by many members of the family and known of by the grandparents, etc. and all that did was sway my decision on which brand not my decision of which method in the first place.

Again not gullible that I listened to an advert to 'how' I was going to feed my children. I walked into having my first child changing my mind through my whole pregnancy again nothing but me was the cause of that.

x

 

[RainbowDrop_x]

On the subject of advertising, it's not as straightforward as a veggie wanting to eat a burger - it's all about product placement and brand awareness. Before I became pregnant if you'd asked me who made infant formular I would have said SMA or Aptimil, and when we decided to combo feed guess what we used...

We started on SMA but it wasn't because of the TV advert, I knew it had been around for years used by many members of the family and known of by the grandparents, etc. and all that did was sway my decision on which brand not my decision of which method in the first place.

Again not gullible that I listened to an advert to 'how' I was going to feed my children. I walked into having my first child changing my mind through my whole pregnancy again nothing but me was the cause of that.

x

That's the reason I chose SMA.. My mum fed me it and OH's mum fed him it. My mum fed my brother C&G but he was milk intolerant but had a bad reaction to it so didn't want to give her that incase she reacted. But yeah the main reason I chose the brand I did was because it's well known on both sides of the family

 

[bubbles123]

I used Aptamil because that's what they gave me in hospital when LO wouldn't latch, he always got on well with it so I stuck to it. No ad would make me change brands as I have no reason to. The hospital stocked SMA, Cow and Gate and Aptamil - so it was chance I was given Aptamil. I don't remember seeing or being swayed by any formula ads when I was pregnant. I had never heard of Aptamil before I had LO. I had heard of SMA but like people have said that's because it's been around for years. I had heard of Cow and Gate because they make baby food. Never heard of Hipp Organic. And as a veggie a burger advert most definitely does not make me want to eat one. It does in fact make me incredibly angry - that McDonald ones with all the cows living in their lovely farm? AGGGHH!!! Their horrid factory farm more like.... So at least I understand why formula ads annoy BF'ers even if they don't bother me.

 

[Tiff]

When I made the choice to switch from breast milk to formula, I was thankful that I had seen a few pamphlets or something to help me with my choice of what to give Claire. But in no way, shape or form did anything sway me when I was pregnant that I was going to breast feed.



Yeah, I got free stuff from Formula companies. You know what I did with them? I gave them to the Battered Women's and Children's shelter here in town, as when I was pregnant (again) I was adamant on BF and nothing was going to change that. They could've outfitted me with all the free stuff in the world, all the coupons... didn't make a lick of a difference. I know its been said over and over again, but if someone really wants to BF there's no way a commercial is going to change their mind.

 

[Mrs Muffin]

On the subject of advertising, it's not as straightforward as a veggie wanting to eat a burger - it's all about product placement and brand awareness. Before I became pregnant if you'd asked me who made infant formular I would have said SMA or Aptimil, and when we decided to combo feed guess what we used...

We started on SMA but it wasn't because of the TV advert, I knew it had been around for years used by many members of the family and known of by the grandparents, etc. and all that did was sway my decision on which brand not my decision of which method in the first place.

Again not gullible that I listened to an advert to 'how' I was going to feed my children. I walked into having my first child changing my mind through my whole pregnancy again nothing but me was the cause of that.

x

That's the reason I chose SMA.. My mum fed me it and OH's mum fed him it. My mum fed my brother C&G but he was milk intolerant but had a bad reaction to it so didn't want to give her that incase she reacted. But yeah the main reason I chose the brand I did was because it's well known on both sides of the family

Brand loyalty built up over years of advertising?

 

[Rach27]

Does nobody get up and make a brew when the adverts come on? I do, I rarely notice them even though they hike up the volume on breaks.

Not every advert interests you - Where did the burger and power of advertising come in? Would a vegetarian be swayed to go have a Burger King whooper after seeing one on the TV? Silly comparisons now popping up through some light hearted banter. Not one single advert lead me to make my choice on what the discussion is about ...I may be gullible to a bargain and a fancy kitchen appliance that I will only use once but turn my nose at those CD subscriptions £29.95 & £3.95 delivery saving £blahblah - I was never swayed where my children are concerned, I don't think I even noticed the adverts when I was pregnant.

The SMA adverts I forget what they are about I watch the advert when noticed and think the LOs are just so cute which tbh detours me from the point of the advert (the product) and watch my girls giggle at the babies on TV again mind off what it's about ...is that just me?

The burger comparison was silly (well tongue in cheek) by my own admission in an attempt to steer the conversation back in the realm of the original topic

While I'm sure that most of us on here won't likely be duped into buying something for our children we don't need, others, who perhaps don't research as thoroughly, will, and it's therefore important for companies to adopt some kind of code of ethics in regards to their advertising IMHO.

I may be wrong, so please correct me if so, but I think one of the main objections to my suggestion that this kind of advertisement should be banned is that many feel that SMA (and other companies) should be allowed to advertise their first milk? And, of course, you're entitled to your opinion. FWIW, I also think they should be able to advertise it with a similar disclaimer.."Although breastfeeding is recommended for your baby for first six months of life, we have developed a formula milk for when this is not possible. Please consult your health professional before you use our product." Or something similar. (Having said that, the ad should be information focussed and not make out that FF is easier or more convenient than BF - just that it is an alternative).

At least then the advert would be open, honest and not underhand. There also needs to be more 'feeding' (in general) support available for all first time mums IMHO.

My problem is the fact it is currently illegal for them to advertise, as above so they are trying to target the same audience in a sneaky way and therefore not necessarily giving the woman the adequate information required to make their choice.

It's just my 2p worth, is all. Though 2p seems to have gone along way this week!

 

[bubbles123]

I think the current problem is the advertising ban itself. It needs to be changed, so that things like this SMA ad can't happen. Now, you can either ban all adverts, phone lines, baby clubs etc by any company that makes formula completely or you can allow restricted advertising of first milks (nothing else though) only with the disclaimers Rach 27 has just mentioned. I personally would choose the latter, as that would allow formula companies to get their names out there but would also reinforce the importance of BF'ing if you can and end the formula companies trying to get to people through other means. Just my opinion though.
I think banning things always causes more problems then it solves. Restricted advertising would be best.

 

[smokey]

Does nobody get up and make a brew when the adverts come on? I do, I rarely notice them even though they hike up the volume on breaks.

Not every advert interests you - Where did the burger and power of advertising come in? Would a vegetarian be swayed to go have a Burger King whooper after seeing one on the TV? Silly comparisons now popping up through some light hearted banter. Not one single advert lead me to make my choice on what the discussion is about ...I may be gullible to a bargain and a fancy kitchen appliance that I will only use once but turn my nose at those CD subscriptions £29.95 & £3.95 delivery saving £blahblah - I was never swayed where my children are concerned, I don't think I even noticed the adverts when I was pregnant.

The SMA adverts I forget what they are about I watch the advert when noticed and think the LOs are just so cute which tbh detours me from the point of the advert (the product) and watch my girls giggle at the babies on TV again mind off what it's about ...is that just me?

my weakness is the kitchen appliances, I see one of these new slicer dicer thingies and think ooooo wowwww gotta have that then it sits in the cuboard never touched
Brian saw the giggling baby advert for the first time the other daay and burst out laughing so I replayed it for him a couple of times but I couldnt tell you what brand it was for so it kinda failed as we where to busy watching the babies

 

[bubbles123]

I like the giggling baby ad... can't remember who it's for either though!

 

[smokey]

When I made the choice to switch from breast milk to formula, I was thankful that I had seen a few pamphlets or something to help me with my choice of what to give Claire. But in no way, shape or form did anything sway me when I was pregnant that I was going to breast feed.



Yeah, I got free stuff from Formula companies. You know what I did with them? I gave them to the Battered Women's and Children's shelter here in town, as when I was pregnant (again) I was adamant on BF and nothing was going to change that. They could've outfitted me with all the free stuff in the world, all the coupons... didn't make a lick of a difference. I know its been said over and over again, but if someone really wants to BF there's no way a commercial is going to change their mind.

Excactly and those that do ff either had it in mind in the first place or had to out of necisity (dont make me spell I havnt slept in 3 days)

 

[smokey]

On the subject of advertising, it's not as straightforward as a veggie wanting to eat a burger - it's all about product placement and brand awareness. Before I became pregnant if you'd asked me who made infant formular I would have said SMA or Aptimil, and when we decided to combo feed guess what we used...

We started on SMA but it wasn't because of the TV advert, I knew it had been around for years used by many members of the family and known of by the grandparents, etc. and all that did was sway my decision on which brand not my decision of which method in the first place.

Again not gullible that I listened to an advert to 'how' I was going to feed my children. I walked into having my first child changing my mind through my whole pregnancy again nothing but me was the cause of that.

x

That's the reason I chose SMA.. My mum fed me it and OH's mum fed him it. My mum fed my brother C&G but he was milk intolerant but had a bad reaction to it so didn't want to give her that incase she reacted. But yeah the main reason I chose the brand I did was because it's well known on both sides of the family

Brand loyalty built up over years of advertising?

No id say that was more brand loyalty built up over years of experiance, there is a huge differance

 

[smokey]

Does nobody get up and make a brew when the adverts come on? I do, I rarely notice them even though they hike up the volume on breaks.

Not every advert interests you - Where did the burger and power of advertising come in? Would a vegetarian be swayed to go have a Burger King whooper after seeing one on the TV? Silly comparisons now popping up through some light hearted banter. Not one single advert lead me to make my choice on what the discussion is about ...I may be gullible to a bargain and a fancy kitchen appliance that I will only use once but turn my nose at those CD subscriptions £29.95 & £3.95 delivery saving £blahblah - I was never swayed where my children are concerned, I don't think I even noticed the adverts when I was pregnant.

The SMA adverts I forget what they are about I watch the advert when noticed and think the LOs are just so cute which tbh detours me from the point of the advert (the product) and watch my girls giggle at the babies on TV again mind off what it's about ...is that just me?

The burger comparison was silly (well tongue in cheek) by my own admission in an attempt to steer the conversation back in the realm of the original topic

While I'm sure that most of us on here won't likely be duped into buying something for our children we don't need, others, who perhaps don't research as thoroughly, will, and it's therefore important for companies to adopt some kind of code of ethics in regards to their advertising IMHO.

I may be wrong, so please correct me if so, but I think one of the main objections to my suggestion that this kind of advertisement should be banned is that many feel that SMA (and other companies) should be allowed to advertise their first milk? And, of course, you're entitled to your opinion. FWIW, I also think they should be able to advertise it with a similar disclaimer.."Although breastfeeding is recommended for your baby for first six months of life, we have developed a formula milk for when this is not possible. Please consult your health professional before you use our product." Or something similar. (Having said that, the ad should be information focussed and not make out that FF is easier or more convenient than BF - just that it is an alternative).At least then the advert would be open, honest and not underhand. There also needs to be more 'feeding' (in general) support available for all first time mums IMHO.

My problem is the fact it is currently illegal for them to advertise, as above so they are trying to target the same audience in a sneaky way and therefore not necessarily giving the woman the adequate information required to make their choice.

It's just my 2p worth, is all. Though 2p seems to have gone along way this week!

I laugh at anyone who thinks that and anyone that does is in for a huge shock.
Its deffinatly not the easy option when you standing at the kitchen counter at 3am boiling the kettle, mixing it up half asleep, loose count and have to start all over then waiting anouther 15 mins or so running it under cold water to cool it down when your baby realy isnt interested in "please hold on im cooling it down"
Or when you realy just want to get to bed but are still there washing and steralising every little detachable part.
Or when your taking the last bottle out of the staraliser trying to be as quick as you can but drop the last teat on the floor and yout being screamed at to hurry up.

 

[bubbles123]

Unless you read a lot of baby magazines or watch a lot of baby programmes on the TV there really isn't that many formula ads on the scale of things. I can only think of 2 (that horrible Aptamil ad and the laughing baby... and you don't see them that often)Your family using something or seeing your friends using something and them liking it is far more convincing then some ad.

 

[bubbles123]

Does nobody get up and make a brew when the adverts come on? I do, I rarely notice them even though they hike up the volume on breaks.

Not every advert interests you - Where did the burger and power of advertising come in? Would a vegetarian be swayed to go have a Burger King whooper after seeing one on the TV? Silly comparisons now popping up through some light hearted banter. Not one single advert lead me to make my choice on what the discussion is about ...I may be gullible to a bargain and a fancy kitchen appliance that I will only use once but turn my nose at those CD subscriptions £29.95 & £3.95 delivery saving £blahblah - I was never swayed where my children are concerned, I don't think I even noticed the adverts when I was pregnant.

The SMA adverts I forget what they are about I watch the advert when noticed and think the LOs are just so cute which tbh detours me from the point of the advert (the product) and watch my girls giggle at the babies on TV again mind off what it's about ...is that just me?

The burger comparison was silly (well tongue in cheek) by my own admission in an attempt to steer the conversation back in the realm of the original topic

While I'm sure that most of us on here won't likely be duped into buying something for our children we don't need, others, who perhaps don't research as thoroughly, will, and it's therefore important for companies to adopt some kind of code of ethics in regards to their advertising IMHO.

I may be wrong, so please correct me if so, but I think one of the main objections to my suggestion that this kind of advertisement should be banned is that many feel that SMA (and other companies) should be allowed to advertise their first milk? And, of course, you're entitled to your opinion. FWIW, I also think they should be able to advertise it with a similar disclaimer.."Although breastfeeding is recommended for your baby for first six months of life, we have developed a formula milk for when this is not possible. Please consult your health professional before you use our product." Or something similar. (Having said that, the ad should be information focussed and not make out that FF is easier or more convenient than BF - just that it is an alternative).At least then the advert would be open, honest and not underhand. There also needs to be more 'feeding' (in general) support available for all first time mums IMHO.

My problem is the fact it is currently illegal for them to advertise, as above so they are trying to target the same audience in a sneaky way and therefore not necessarily giving the woman the adequate information required to make their choice.

It's just my 2p worth, is all. Though 2p seems to have gone along way this week!

I laugh at anyone who thinks that and anyone that does is in for a huge shock.
Its deffinatly not the easy option when you standing at the kitchen counter at 3am boiling the kettle, mixing it up half asleep, loose count and have to start all over then waiting anouther 15 mins or so running it under cold water to cool it down when your baby realy isnt interested in "please hold on im cooling it down"
Or when you realy just want to get to bed but are still there washing and steralising every little detachable part.
Or when your taking the last bottle out of the staraliser trying to be as quick as you can but drop the last teat on the floor and yout being screamed at to hurry up.

I use Dr Browns and I am great at knocking those vent things on the floor and having to start all over again... Or forgetting to sterilise one part of the bottle...Grrr. Definitely not easy.