Is this an illegal promotion?

[AgaPanthers]

See attached Ocado advert from Google search for 'SMA gold'

Bou I think we want the same things - affordable infant formula for everyone who wants it. The advertising, and fluffy toys, and "clubs" etc all add costs to the final price that the consumer pays.

So what the price stays roughly the same, but now there's the occasional promotion *Tiktok? What's the issue now?

So overpricing in a UK market wouldn't happen, cheap formula won't appear as the ingredients are regulated, the only difference we have now is the odd advert on tv and the odd offer once in a while.

Do you buy everything that's advertised on tv? No nobody does. Do you buy something you really don't need like 2bottles of champagne bbecause it's on offer? No most people wouldn't. So why would formula feeding parents suddenly adopt this behaviour?

" Do you buy something you really don't need like 2bottles of champagne bbecause it's on offer? No most people wouldn't. "

Of course they do, you should look at the supermarket wine market, sales on dependent on false promotions - one week they will sell 100,000 cases of a wine 'reduced' to £5, the next week it goes up to £8 and they sell 500 cases, but another wine is reduced to £5.

There is in reality no reduction at all, the fair price of the wine is £5, but it is difficult for a consumer to value a wine, so they will just buy on promotion a wine which is in reality worth exactly what they are paying. Over the year the same wine will be reduced to £5 multiple times, it's the same thing they do in furniture shops, and without it they wouldn't sell nearly as much furniture - they sell far more sofas at £600 reduced from £2000 than if they just sold them at £600 all the time. Otherwise they wouldn't do it would they??

The problem is you want to talk business plans and marketing. I'm talking the general consumer.

The general consumer dosnt give a shit about your statistics, all they know is their baby will only feed on one type of formula, that it would help if they could get a promotion once in a while to help fund feeding their baby. That's all they care about.

And should formula become so expensive it's unreasonable less would choose to feed in this way unless they really must, at which point you can turn to government help like some already do.

Boudicca, let me explain again.

Permanent low priced high quality formula is possible, and desirable. This won't lead to huge numbers of uk women abandoning bf, because very few people make a decision to bf/ff on cost grounds.

However, permanent low priced high quality formula would not be advertised or marketed unethically (making false claims, setting up helplines, giving away tat). Everyone would be happy, yes? Unless you think unethical marketing is a good thing and why would you think that?

And as for equating the purchase of formula with some sort of taboo or worry that it's like buying cigarettes - that really dramatises things! Ridiculous.

This thread is so grim. Citizen busybodies depress me even when it's about serious stuff, let alone a fucking one off discount on formula, which is a life supporting substance, for the love of christ.

I hope lots and lots of mothers who buy SMA for their babies see it and cash in.

aga so your saying mothers who know their baby will only drink cow and gate will suddenly pick up a box of sma because it's on offer? That they don't care baby will now be constipated or vomit everywhere, because they got a deal.

Don't be so ridiculous, your not going to purchase a unwanted formula just because it's cheaper. You buy the formula your baby needs and think "wish mine was on offer, but never mind"

Aga by that logic, hundreds - nay thousands! - of people who do not even have a baby will be saving 25% on formula at Ocado as we speak.

This is what's insulting,

The idea that parents who formula feed can't make decisions for themselves. They can, their adults. That they are suddenly going to put their offspring at risk for a saving or because they saw a advert on tv.

How can you not see that, that IS insulting to many.

It's not insulting in the slightest, when formula companies start marketing their product, breastfeeding rates fall. It's repeatable, proven fact.

Ham & plaques that's really interesting re aptimil. Obviously the apple of formula's.

If I am completely honest, I was drawn in to cow and gate by marketin. I was fortunate enough to be able to bf all 3 DC, but made sure that I had formula available as a back up just I case I had any problems.

When I had DS, my eldest, the supermarket were selling half size boxes of C&G, complete with a reusable plastic storage box. As I didn't plan to FF it seemed sensible (or so I thought) to buy the smaller size, rather than buying the full sizes on offer from the other brands. Maybe I'm a soft touch, but they reeled me in, and when I stopped BF to return to work, guess which brand I used? With all 3 DC.

So the law might be well intentioned, but the manufacturers will find ways around it to persuade us that their brand is best, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only sucker who falls for it.

I agree- it's very naiive to think marketing has no impact. Marketing is a multi billion dollar industry- why would companies waste money if it didn't work?

Babies are mostly fine switching formula. Very few babies would be made ill or uncomfortable by switching either permanently or occasionally.

Enough with the dramatics, Boudicca.

Mothers may prefer to stick with one brand and that's fine.

The marketing of formula is contained at present, by law. The reason for this is not because it's thought loads of people would put their babies at risk without it.

However, there is a risk that families on the margins of being able to cope at all, financially, may be encouraged to buy formula at one price, and then find it is dearer the next week. For a small number of families, this would be a bad thing. They might be forced into giving the baby something unsuitable instead eg ordinary milk.

I stress this is obv not a widespread risk in the uk. Only a handful of very vulnerable babies would be at risk. But that is the thinking behind the legislation.

The answer is of course permanent low prices.

The thing with formula is a company could spend 60million on advertising and have the niftiest packaging and price itself competitively, but guess what DC thinks it's the most vile creation ever made and refuses it and is quite content and happy on brand B that might not market as widely and be of a slightly higher price, but you have no choice you have to buy brand B because you need your child to eat.

Parents very rarely strike lucky with the first formula they have chosen, can take some swapping and changing till you find "the one". You then wouldn't dare change it, because wiping poo off the nursery wall after a explosive shit isn't something you want to do again any time soon.

Baby will choose the formula it likes, and works with their digestive tracks. Formula companies know this.

And yes, marketing works for all consumer products!

We all fall for it.

I don't know why Boudicca thinks she and other ff parents would be exempt from the effects in some sort of magical way!

Im not a ff parent.

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Fuck sake, sorry iPad playing up.

I'm done with this now. We can agree to disagree because the argument will just go round in circles.

I personally think its a unfair law placed on parents who formula feed, the fact they can't have the odd offer. You think its a fair law.

End of discussion on my part.

You are not a formula user Boudica? You have never used formula? Or you are not a parent?

I have chosen to bf and express after much thought. Will try to combine bottle and breast, if baby will take breast only it will be breast only, if baby will take bottle only it will be expressed milk.

Good luck with that.

I'm really glad tiktok, showy et al have rocked up. I've been opening and closing this thread all day hoping for some sense but wondering how the heck to even begin to reason with people who think that because someone once had a toke on a joint or did a bit of jaywalking that makes an illegal promotion of formula ok. Or with those who think that people deserve to have a quid off formula because it is expensive even though the stuff is expensive because it is sold with a 500% mark up on cost price that partly goes on more marketing but mainly to line the pockets of shareholders.

So THANK YOU from me that you have done such a brilliant job. You truly have the patience of saints.

Thanks :) after all, breast is best.