This is a new low MNHQ

[thestudio]

I know you've got to make a living, but the language in the promoted post below is unethical.

The clear implication is that 'Mumsnet-the-site' - which draws all its authority from us, your users, the Mumsnet 'hivemind' - believes that all young children NEED Equazen.

The only question is which age that it should be given.

I'm quite shocked by this. I've worked in a similar area so I know the score and I'm a commercial realist.

I don't think the ASA will be thrilled.

To be honest I thought the threads promoting Mounjaro via a specific company was an all time low when promoting prescription medicines isn't allowed/breaks advertising rules. They don't care - you are the product, remember that!

Exactly this. I can't imagine any of the sponsored posts with MN have much ROI for the clients, despite the site itself receiving high traffic. Part of the reason is that nobody really cares about MN, they come here for other users. If other users genuinely get excited about a product then it may influence others (hence why MNHQ started using fake quotes from real members). I still remember in the beginning they didn't even mark sponsored threads as '"AD" which is clearly against advertising guidelines.

MN is just a platform and not a trusted person or entity that you actually take recommendations from. They most likely charge exorbitant prices for a sponsored post due to the visitor numbers but hard to say how many of those ads even get taken seriously. I noticed they never run repeat campaigns (the only one was for Uniqlo which went for a few months but has now stopped) which is never a great sign, showing companies didn't get their money's worth and aren't coming back.

Yup I complained about that and they said it was permitted (but did seemingly somewhat change the wording after that).

Does anyone remember the very very early days of Mumsnet when they asked for donations to keep the site afloat (or am I remembering that wrong)?

Ohhh. Not Milton Keynes 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Since the shocking behaviour by MNHQ some months ago over faking poster's reviews - and the radio silence following it - the only protest available to me is to studiously ignore every single product and service that MN tried to push. The trust completely went with that debacle.

In the same way I view Insta influencers, I now automatically assume that anything that's MN AMAZING!!!! and MN MUST BUY!!! is a pile of unnecessary, probably dishonestly-reviewed, crap.

I had to google to even find out what Equazen is. I'd never heard of it. It seems all it is, is a vitamin tablet. I'm not sure what's wrong with that. Plenty of kids are given vitamin c tablets (chewable and taste yummy) for instance. What is wrong with that? How is giving your child a vitamin tablet a 'new low'? Unless you don't believe in giving your children vitamin supplements?

That said, you would be better posting this on Site Stuff https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff , which deals with site layout issues, tech issues, ad placements, etc.

The implication that all children should be given them is the bad bit and MN shouldnt promote that idea. No child with an adequate diet needs supplements.

I assumed they write the titles that way so you accidentally click thinking it is a thread.

Top Guns and flashing aircraft still taking over our screens.

Me too 🤣.
I wonder if Milton Keynes has seen a rise in visitor numbers recently?
Disappointed visitors presumably .

I went to Milton Keynes for the first and only time two years ago.
I was quite excited about it at the time.
I was a bit sad when I thought I'd missed the monorail.

Me too!

I agree 100% with you.

Get a decent adblocker

I saw MK and thought it meant Michael Kors.

There’s a decent theatre in Milton Keynes.

I do find MNHQ oddly Disney-fixated; I assume it’s a sponsorship deal.

Also, did anyone REALLY not know about Baby Boden?? Mind you, I studiously refuse to click on amy thread with AD on it, so perhaps it’s revealing something terribly exciting. I suspect not though.

oh i am seriously disappointed now. I had assumed Milton Keynes too. My life is a lie!

I now can't unsee previous post of 'Molten Keynes' - would be best ever fangirl site name for economics keenies. I would get out more but....

I didn’t even see that ad - but searched for it after your post. You need better things to occupy your time - you really do.

If you think that's bad, pay a visit to the Weight Loss Injections board and have a look at the multiple sponsored posts promoting presciption-only GLP1 medications in collaboration with Zava and MedExpress. They've clearly been carefully lawyered to follow the letter of the law but they merrily trample all over the spirit of the tightly-controlled laws that we are fortunate to have in this country banning the direct marketing of POMs. Utterly unethical.

I’ve looked more into this product and it’s based on scientific research. It’s expensive but I’m now seriously considering buying it - due entirely to your post. Thank you!! If this were just a pop up ad I never would have considered it. But now you’ve complained it has led me into looking into this product.

Also, there are at least two which keep popping up in Active about the countdown to going back to school. That's almost a month ago now - I don't suppose anyone is "counting down" now. I never click on any of the promoted threads. Do they actually have comments?

I hate the promoted threads. Also they appear in all of the topics even when totally irrelevant to them. I hang out on The Litter Tray and am continually being disappointed when I see a thread titled "How should I entertain my 6 month old?" or similar and then realise it's about babies not cats

I think MN lost the trust of users with regards to recommendations a long time ago, so I don’t think having MN recommends is a benefit anymore to advertisers.

All these Promoted By….threads sound like they’re written by the same person who did a training course in ‘how to hook in readers’ some time in 2015….