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Original poster

Request MN Towers - Breastfeeding Calendar for Developing Countries?

86 replies

ruty · 15/05/2007 22:48

I dropped MN Towers an email, but just putting it here in for everyone, including Justine and co. In light of NetMums acceptance of Nestle sponsorship and the resulting threads about it here, i was wondering if we could do something positive to counteract the aggressive marketing of formula to developing countries.
One idea might be a calendar, made up of Mnetters who are currently breastfeeding [they could be shot so anonymity doesn't have to be totally lost if need be], maybe sponsored by a nice company with donations to Save the Children. And perhaps with a bit of publicity we could get the calendar distributed to maternity hospitals in places like Bangladesh.

Any thoughts? Anyone with the right background to help out/advise?

thanks...

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Original poster
ruty · 21/05/2007 12:16

Thanks pampam! Was wondering if the thread was running out of steam...will keep bumping it just in case! On hunker's petition thread there are some great examples of T shirts and stuff out there already - [a T shirt with 'mothersucker' on it. ]
We may not be allowed to use the Mumsnet name - it depends if Mumsnet endorsed it i suppose - but a calendar still may be the best option if we want to photograph Mnetters - maybe we should save it for next year [don't think the Nestle issue will be over by then ]

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pampam · 21/05/2007 11:11

wanted to add my support, still bfing dd 11months and willing to be photoraphed

Original poster
ruty · 19/05/2007 19:10

nice idea. though not sure how many people would want to have a pic of a babe breastfeeding on a T shirt. It would be about the right size though. And good for fundraising with post cards tho you're right it probably wouldn't be that cheap...I suppose we could have a baby's face made up of smaller images of mothers breastfeeding children...Anyone else have an opinion on it?

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Astrophe · 19/05/2007 09:24

Maybe a t-shirt? If people would buy it (and I daresay it wouldn't be cheap, as the printing would have to be pretty good quality for the little pics to show up), then it would serve double purpose - fund raising and awarness raising. Personally I would buy one with a large picture on the back, and a small slogan/emblem on the front - I'm not fond of Ts with a big picture on the front (not sure why!), but back is better for people to see it anyway.

We could sell it in a pack - T-shirt and 5 postccards and a poster to put up at your local clinic?

Would babymilk action sponsor? MN? Government health agncises? NHS? I know NOTHING about raising sponsorship, and as an expat have not much of an idew who to ask tbh. I guess we would need an amountb of money for start up costs.

Original poster
ruty · 18/05/2007 18:49

yes you're probably right about the size thing Apostrophe. but i do like the postcard idea [so usable and great for awareness raising but not so great for fundraising] Any more ideas?

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Astrophe · 18/05/2007 16:31

I guess we'd have to get in touch with the company which does the mosaics (and I'm sure there must be othrs) and find out how big the final image has to be to make it work. It was just that the example picture on the link is quite big, but the little photos are quite small - some of them you can't really tell what the pic is of.

I still like the idea of post/note cards too, and they would be the sort of thing I would send to friends as I thnk the final image would look clever and arty and beautuful. But I'm just not sure of the size thing.

Original poster
ruty · 18/05/2007 14:45

Maybe a postcard would still work - maybe the individual photos of babies don't have to be very big - so that you would have to study it carefully to make out each image. and then you could have the tagline 'what do all these babies have in common' and the answer on the back. And the individual photos were of babies, but the big photo was of a baby on the breast. Does that make sense? But they would probably have to be distributed around free of charge...

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Astrophe · 18/05/2007 12:47

I was thinking that the main pic would be of a baby being BF (it say on the mosaic website that it works best if the main image is a cose up of a face), but all the little pics would be just of babies faces - not sure if the 1000 tiny pics would work if they were each of a mum bfing - I thnk they would be too small and you wouldn't see what they were of.

Also, I think the final size of the 'product' would need to be fairly large (A4? I don't know) - so that you can see each individual picture. So I'm not sure that postacards will work. Have a look at the mosaic link and you'll see what I mean.

Pearhaps a greeting card would work (ie, folded - with the image in landscape, over the whole piece of card, front and back IYSWIM? - So when you fold it flat you see the whole picture), or is there something else anyone can think of that could have a larger picture on it (wall planner, as somebody sugested?).

I think it would really work best as a poster, but who would buy them, and what would people do with them? They'd be great in clinics etc, but its not much of a fund raiser - giving posters away to clinics!

I like the idea someone (Mrs A?) had about having a catchy line about babies of all walks of life having BF in common:

1000 babies have one thing in common.
We were all breastfed.
(Mmmmmmm! Thanks Mum!)

I don't know, advertising probably isn't my calling! But that sort of thing.

Original poster
ruty · 18/05/2007 12:30

Great Mrs JC. Anyone else want to send a pic in of them bfeeding, rather than having to pose for a shot?

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MrsJohnCusack · 17/05/2007 23:45

I'd do a pic too
(DS is 10 weeks)

Original poster
ruty · 17/05/2007 23:39

The mosaic idea is a very good one, especially if we could use photos Mnetters have already, their favourites as you say. Now how do we go about compiling them. Postcards might work, mightn't, they? And there could be a little 'No to Nestle logo', or would that be too much?

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Tatties · 17/05/2007 20:58

Love the mosaic idea!

BabiesEverywhere · 17/05/2007 20:32

Sounds fun, I'm breastfeeding my 8 month old DD and I like the idea of the mosaic photo.

WriggleJiggle · 17/05/2007 20:22

I like the 'what have they all got in common' idea. Although I like the idea of 12 b/f mothers, the sales would be more restricted - it wouldn't be the sort of thing I would buy as christmas presents for the relations iyswim.

Astrophe · 17/05/2007 20:13

Its cool huh? I wuld def buy one of those on a calender, notebook, note cards even, as I think it would be 'arty' enough to excse the fact that I was sending out BF promo cards to friends IYSWIM.

It says you need 1000 images, but that shouldn;t be too hard if lots of MNers contributed their fave picture of their DC.

Original poster
ruty · 17/05/2007 19:35

ooh i like it.

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Astrophe · 17/05/2007 19:00

What about something like this mosaic photo ? A beautiful photo of a baby at the breast, made up of tiny pictures of our DCs who have been BF (sort of expanding on Mrs Aprons good idea!) And a catchy line or two?

Astrophe · 17/05/2007 15:10

Mrs A, I like it! More appealing for a calendar or similar to, as you can have lots of adorable smiling/funny/silly etc kids pics rather than Mum after mum after mum, with boobs out!

Original poster
ruty · 17/05/2007 13:55

sounds great. Perhaps we should do a little pamphlet/book? I'm being a bit light hearted but it is such a good opportunity and it would be sad to give it up completely...We do need a sponsor though...

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MrsApron · 17/05/2007 13:51

You could have good straplines
we all have something in common
some of us found it harder than others
some for a short time some for longer
It all makes a difference

oh I dunno just spouting here

Would be nice to see a lots of differnet ages of kids too and it might appeal more to people than lots of BF images.

Original poster
ruty · 17/05/2007 13:44

no it's rather a good idea Mrs A....

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MrsApron · 17/05/2007 13:39

you know we could do the subtle route. Loads of pics of cute kids and babies full spectrum of children if possible children/babies with SN different ethnic backgrounds all gorgeous with the final pic saying what do they all have in common and a mass feed in pic?

Or is that too cheesy for words?

agalch · 17/05/2007 13:26

I am bfing 9 month old and would be happy to be photographed.I am in Scotland tho so would need to find someone who is involved up here.

Think it's a fab idea btw!!

Original poster
ruty · 17/05/2007 13:16

aw feetheart how sweet. yes photos of Mnetters who have breastfed at some point might work - a wall planner might be a good alternative but if the photos are a bit small it might not get the message acoss - useful alternative to calendar though.

Just googled Gok Mrs Apron. Had no idea who he was. We might go for the camp high end market in that case, lots of us dressed as vampish Madonnas with one breast bare?

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Tatties · 17/05/2007 12:50

Feetheart, that's the kind of thing I was thinking - MNers who are no longer bf may be able to contribute then if they had any photos they were willing to share.

I've had another idea (don't think it's already been mentioned) - what about a wall planner, with several small pictures on it? Again, would depend on our market, but wall planners are useful for lots of people. I know I've seen one in a hospital recently parading formula ads

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