BREAKING NEWS: P&G win gold on the mumsnet family awards (which they sponsor)

[iloveberries]

Anyone else a bit cynical about this and think that P&G have basically 'bought' the award. My best friend and husband used to work there (how i met him) and I can guarantee they are anything BUT family friendly to work for!!!

i wouldn't normally have wanted to know about the audit, because i trust mumsnet, BUT with someone like MTG carrying the banner for P&G and the discussions on this thread, I'm now rather dubious of the whole award.

i started reading this thread last night before it completely kicked off, and then found 300 odd posts this morning.

despite the obviously bizarre tone of the thread, it's really interesting to consider the paying of lip service to family friendly policies in blue chip companies. having never worked for one (and always envied what i thought were fab benefits), i'm now wondering just how much of a con it all is.

not really the impression giving this award should have achieved...

MTG not only knows current policy, but is intimate with all the long history of the firm, and believes as an absolute that ALL P&G products are superior. Are you related to the original Proctor and Gamble or someone similarly historical with the firm?

You can't be objective and claim all their products are superior. Seriously, you just can't. That isn't a fact - it's your opinion.

playing devil's advocate:-
1)possibly P & G are best of a bad bunch so won the award fair and square
2)possibly they are more family friendly for lower paid employees (admin support staff) etc than for their "staffers".

cortina - it's great that your friend loves her job at P&G but your description of her family basically says her DH does all the "family type stuff in the week".... while she's at work i guess..... So it doesn't really make P&G family friendly, just that they will promote women equally as men if they work really hard...

Greythorne Fri 04-Nov-11 08:31:57
According to Marketing Week, P&G won the award "for its commitment not to use peer-to-peer marketing or child brand ambassadors." For that, they receive the Gold Award .

Ummmm... sat on my kitchen worktop is a bottle of Bold 2 in 1 Rose Blush & Peony liquid. A P&G product. Sent to me in the hope of peer-to-peer marketing.

Of course I am just using it and until now hadn't mentioned it to anybody.

The survey is also flawed because it combines family friendly for staff and customers

easyjet has a much harder battle wrt customers than say, BT or MetroBank

It would have been better to separate the two out

And re blue chip companies and sticking to policies - i have worked for a few and some are better than others, just as smaller employers and other sectors are.

I used to be in recruitment. I worked in Old Trafford, in Manchester where one of the P&G sites were/are.

I interviewed lots of people from there when they made a wave of redundancies.

Not one person I spoke to had a nice thing to say.

Unless things have changed in the last 4 years, which of course they could do,I wouldn't have called them family friendly employers AT ALL!

Biscuit - I often get little 'treats' from P&G brands, free samples to buy my shopping budget no doubt.

They're not the only ones that do this though are they?

Me again. Isn't it also a big conflict of interests to "support" an award, then be nominated/ nominate your company, and then win it? That feels odd.

@iloveberries

wow! a lot happened since i logged off at 9.30!

greythorne you're a smart lady.
shirley you're a funny lady
1309 your posts about being from the competition made me laugh!

MTG so now you're a teacher? Thanks to whoever solved that one. Funny that you LOVE P&G so much but yet have ended up doing them nothing but damage.

Interesting article here:
www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/1052280/
and here
www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/fmcg/mumsnet-hands-pg-%E2%80%9Cfamily-friendly%E2%80%9D-endorsement/3031535.article

So P&G (one of mumsnets big advertisers) can now display their logo, and no mention of an 'independent' staff survey. Instead official selection criteria was pretty vague.

That, quite frankly, is just bollocks. P&G have only ever advertised once with us IIRR - a Fairy thing - they are NOT one of our biggest advertisers.

@iloveberries

I would love to see the details of this survey as at the moment i imagine it was a survey of three (MD/HR director/CEO) with one question "would you like to put our logo on your pack in response for lots of jollies together and lots of ad money? "are you very family friendly?"

I will get you the details - I don't actually have them - but the audit was done by and external organisation - as well as by Mumsnetters

@iloveberries

I LOVED mumsnet and always loved the fact they seemed genuinely there for mums. Now it seems they're just another greedy company who doesn't really respect us and thinks we're a little bit fluffy in the head and can be marketed at without figuring anything out for ourselves.....

Sometimes it's very easy to be cynical - we came away from the awards night thinking, wow, this is actually one of the most worthwhile things we've ever done, as a bunch of companies were genuinely engaging with this family friendly issue and coming up (with Mumsnetters' help) with real innovations, plus genuinely opening themselves up to scrutiny. Next time you must come along as I guarantee you'd be swayed!

@josephinebonaparte

This thread stinks of shit and the MNHQ interventions just discredit it even more.

How exactly?

@Cortina

My thought all through this thread has been that 'Mindthegap' is somehow connected to Mumsnet towers? A researcher on their pay roll etc? Or something similar. Could be way out of course.

Yes, indeed, you are. I'm considering suing you for libel

MN has gone really funny lately. The parenting news email has been replaced with MN news, we're recommending random products left right and centre, and they sign off with 'Love, MNHQ ' x

It's like getting an email from Nigella.com or something. There's not even any swearing in QOTW. It's become mass market hasn't it.

Revolting

@BornSicky

Me again. Isn't it also a big conflict of interests to "support" an award, then be nominated/ nominate your company, and then win it? That feels odd.

They did not "support" the award - I don't know where you got this idea from? No one supported the award. The companies who wanted to join our family friendly programme just entered it which meant they let us talk to their staff, look at their policies and test them with panels of mumsnetters.

Oh, sorry, x posts.

I do love being a member of a site which can disappoint you by not calling you a cunt in its weekly missives

Yes but seriously, 'Love., MNHQ' is that not just the cheesiest bit of cheese you've ever seen on here? I don't know what to do. It's all wrong.

Awards aside, did you not think MTG was even a teeny bit suspect ?

Mm, true. What shall we suggest?

See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya,
MNHQ

perhaps?

MTG was about as subtle as a streaker with P&G pompoms on her nipples.

@JaneBirkin

MN has gone really funny lately. The parenting news email has been replaced with MN news, we're recommending random products left right and centre, and they sign off with 'Love, MNHQ ' x

It's like getting an email from Nigella.com or something. There's not even any swearing in QOTW. It's become mass market hasn't it.

Revolting

We always did sign off with love MNHQ btw - well for about the last five years or so - it's just that now it's a script.

"Swears by" mails are a free newsletter displaying products recommended on the boards and collated in an attempt to be useful (and eventually procure a discount for Mnetters) and we've never ever put swearing in QOW cos it buggers up the spam filters.

Thanks for the feedback though . There is a thread to discuss new newsletter design - it's a work in progress for sure - here

@JaneBirkin

MTG was about as subtle as a streaker with P&G pompoms on her nipples.

Not all Mumsnetters are subtle, we've found. Doesn't mean they are stooges!

God, Justine said bollocks!!!

Well Bof it was fine before but I can't remember what they used to say now.

My mind is filled with fluffy faux familiarity induced cotton wool.

I might suggest something like 'till next week' or even 'au revoir'.

anything would be better frankly and not in pretend handwriting...pleeeeease.

Oh thanks Justine

It's the script isn't it. That's what's so dreadful, please stop the script forthwith. Having love MNHQ in staid typecase was avant garde and even postmodern. It worked.

The flowing weirdy writing does make it look like a Nigella email. Will take a look at the thread.