Most formula is sold to women who didn't want to buy it - how manufacturers make their product appeal

[hunkermunker]

Given that most women want to breastfeed, yet most don't do it for as long as they wanted to, and given that only breastmilk or formula are suitable for babies under a year old, there's a lot of formula being bought by women who don't want to buy it.

Can we have a chat about how advertising formula brands (in the form of follow-on, etc) is actually unhelpful with regard to making the baffling choice of "which formula"?

How DID you choose which formula? What would've helped you with your decision? Do you feel that adverts for formula are a valuable addition to the information, or do you think that seeing words such as immunofortis, laughing babies and blue Ready-brek glows round breastfed babies and toddlers in adverts are really pretty meaningless?

Has there ever been a campaign to address the myths about b/fing head-on? Something simple, such as 10 of the most common myths in bullet point form with explanations/references where one could read up/speak to someone.

In the Bounty pack at the hospital would be a good place...

ilove, but that's the problem, isn't it: breast milk if free, outrageous, nothing to make a profit out of!!
Maybe if one could persuade Nestle et al to diversify into BF fashion or similar to keep the share holders happy ...

Why?

I wouldn't have thought so, wideawakemum.... Hunker is a long standing MN member, bf advocate .. more likely it's in the interest of personal research ?

Am quite taken by the idea that Hunker has all along been a double-agent for SMA...

I did not want to buy formula when I was forced into a position where I had to buy it. It broke my heart actually.

My reasoning for choosing was as follows (that's if reason, or indeed "choice" came into it at all at that time):

1. No to SMA - chavvy (like ladyhelen said).

2. Aptamil - too expensive. Resented spending the money enough as it was.

3. It came down to HIPP or C&G because they had organic options - chose C&G because didn't like the thought of HIPP's sachets (too much wastage).

4. When formula started to take over, started to panic about lack of ingredients in organic version (don't ask me why, I was not thinking normally at the time). Plus too expensive, so switched to normal C&G, so as not to change brands and confuse DS's tummy.

I never said any of this was logical!

Any of my friends who have reluctantly, yes reluctantly, ended up using formula have chosen Aptamil. It's definitely perceived as the best. I heard, however, that Aptamil and C&G are the same formula made by the same company. I don't know if that's true or not?

What I meant was why does a genuine interest in how formula is being sold to women who did not intend to go down that route, violate any marketing research code of practice? If so, which part of the code?

@ Habbibu! I just love that idea! Cannot wait for Hunker to come back .

Ah, no wonder Hunker's so knowledgable

I bought aptamil as it is more expensive lol and looks more serious, just in case I needed it, baby doesn't drink it when I was getting bitten recently, and you have to not use it after 4 weeks open so it went in the bin having had oh about 2 ounces of it drank. so was like throwing away about 8 quid to the formula maker, I also have aptamil follow on the cupboard, but am not bottle feeding it really is the packaging, and I was getting bitten thats why I bought it but that stopped. It seems from this thread that advertising is working. when I was having a hard time with bf I would go and stare at the formula areas in shops and marvel at the 3 feeds in 24 hours etc written on the box.dh though I was crazy. Also have a collection of shiny bottles, a steriliser etc as I knew bf was difficult first time round - sucked in

First, I don't believe that giving up very quickly means that you didn't really want to breastfeed. The emotional pressure of being told by hospital staff that you have to give formula, whether it's to your first baby at a week old or your second baby when you're still coming round and shaking from general anaesthetic after an emergency CS is very hard to stand up to.

I found PacificDogwood's posts really interesting, but suspect that a lot of the marketing of formula is to HCPs who actually have very little training on breastfeeding, or updating.

I can well believe that the cow and the polar bear given out by C&G or Aptimil makers - all the baby mags carry their ads saying send off for one free - influence the decision. The baby milk/food companies clearly continue with marketing strategies which have been found to work to sell their products.

The toy cow, toy polar bear and other cute stuff can be very powerful.

The toy lives in the home with the mother and the baby - a constant, unconcious reminder of the generic product (formula), the specific brand (linked with that symbol) and the approval of the brand (because it was part of a talk given in a trusted place (in that instance, Mothercare) where you had a nice time. Getting a gift of any sort gives you a warm feeling. All these reactions are associated with both the generic and the specific product.

It is no accident that formula manufacturers' weaning foods ranges are branded with the same name as the milks - brand loyalty is massively important in this product area and allows for cross-promotion, so that any advertising for Brand X weaning food becomes a de facto ad for Brand X formula milk.

The biggest rival to Brand X is not Brand Y or Brand Z, but breastmilk - the market leader by a mile, with 75 per cent of mothers breastfeeding at birth. So all formula advertising has to undermine breastfeeding; one way of doing that is to try to engender the warm feelings people have for bf. Hence the cuddly toys, cute logos alongside the health claims about immunity.

If it didn't work, they wouldn't do it.

Ohhhhhhhh, how funny!

Sorry guys, the game's up. I'm a secret Nestle employee, researching the market to launch "luvyerbaybeehunnybun" formula in the UK.

but elkiedee- in our local hospital it was exactly the opposite: the nurse went round the ward and asked very sternly if you were breastfeeding and shook her head if you didn't immediately say yes

some of my friends still gave up very quickly

Is it true that BFing rates in Australia used to be as low as here, but that they have achieved a massive increase with a v concerted and no doubt expensive public health campaign? Do any of the knowledgable BFadvisors/researchers on here know?

I just think a lot has to do with cultural norms, and it is difficult to turn what is currently the norm around. I had never seen a baby being breastfed until my friends started having children. My mother was told on the day she had a v normal delivery of a healthy infant (me!) that she was "unable" to BF. And I know this is a cause of regret to her to this day (I have turned out ok, though, I think..).

I am proud to say that DSs1 and 2 are adept at BFing their teddies both in the cradle AND the rugby hold, LOL. In all seriousness, I wonder whether having seen their baby brother being BF will make them supportive to their partners when/if the time comes?

Equally, I do not think the recent discussion on baby dolls being sold with bottles on here, was an unreasonable one.

Sorry, I am rambling, in my head it all makes perfect sense. Just one last thing: there are lots of things that I did not particularly like about BFing, but that does not take away from the fact that there is overwhelming evidence that it is the best food for infants - and I cannot help thinking, that maybe, just maybe HCP should be more judgemental, not less - albeit only if this can then be followed up with lots and lots and lots of practical and hands on support.

Australia's an interesting comparison. They've spent a lot on bf, but have low maternity leave/rights compared with the UK and their formula regulation is less strict than ours too -based on voluntary codes. NB I may be a little out of date here, as it was 2007 when I looked it all up.

I chose cow and gate as you could get it in smaller boxes - I wanted to gradually transition from bf to ff and the larger boxes went out of date before I had used much

Tiktok totally agree, having studied psychology know how companies can lure people in, happens in supermarkets, funny how you go in for a couple of items and come out with a whole trolley load that you dont need.

however the formula brands would not influence me as beastfeeding would always come first. i only used formula as my body stopped producing milk and so i had to resort to formula. I was the only person in my antenatal class who would bf, the rest wanted to ff, for others it might do or brand loyalty, if their mum or relatives used a certain brand.

I seriously doubt that formula companies would manage to lure away a mother who is successfully establishing breastfeeding. I think the competition between brands boils down to which one makes struggling mothers feel less guilty for giving up. None of them in my case, but unfortunately that wasn't enough.

I put DS1 on Cow and Gate Premium 1 (as it was then) as it was the formula he'd been given in the SCBU when prem and it hadn't made him ill.

I think it is unlikely that Australia achieved this with a public health campaign - that's the problem in the UK IME. The answer lies in HCPs being more supportive IMO, not by stigmatising people.

My own experience of BFing was that my baby didn't gain weight fast enough and I had loads of pressure put on me to use formula. Different BFing advice was given by different MWs and it's all very well people on here spouting the theory but it is really worrying. I will never really know whether it was the best thing or not.

Even though I detest giving my baby shite that comes in the form of the powder I still have the reminder everytime I feed her that 'breast is best' on the blasted formula milk container. I don't doubt that because I'm not completely thick. I also doubt this guilt approach is particularly effective in terms of those who intend to FF all along. It just upsets people who have tried and failed for whatever reason.

FWIW she's on C&G, purely because it was the one my husband bought. Probably it's to do with the colour of the packet or something because to be honest I assumed they were all the same. How can a particular milk be chavvy . She seems OK on it so I have no reason to change.