Upfield (manufacturers of Flora marg, and Proactiv) don't want Mumsnet to buy their products any more

[Barracker]

They've made the decision to 'no longer work with Mumsnet' because they want to 'treat everyone equally' because of their 'values'.

By this I'm sure they mean any woman who uses this site should definitely NOT buy their products. That would be an unpleasant association between mumsnet and their values that would be too much to bear.

Here is a helpful list of their products that they don't want in any way associated with Mumsnet:

Country rock
Flora
Rama
BlueBand
Lätta
Flora Proactiv
Becel
I can't believe it's not butter

Please don't sully their brands with any association from you, you horrid mumsnetters. Your money is tainted with unacceptable values.

Story covered by Mail on Sunday this morning including revealing who Mimmymum is and her court case against Miranda Yardley:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7566795/Mothers-boycott-Flora-margarine-pulls-adverts-Mumsnet-transaphobia-row.html

No up to date comment from the manufacturer. Someone is having a shit weekend I suspect. Someone will have an even shitter Monday...

LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD

Yes, I was thinking that - all the posts saying “I never bought it anyway because it’s shit” won’t really be effective!

I bought it, used it all the time, now I need to go out and do a taste test on other brands to see what I can use instead

Would be helpful if they could spell check mind you...

Mumsnet currently boats ten million users and allows parents to share tips

🚤

I didn’t get my boat. Is it in the post?

Made me smile when I saw a huge pile of unsold flora in the supermarket last night.
I think in their brief research they have forgotten that many of their target customers (vegans or women types) still live at home where the food is bought by older adults who still understand biology and won't take too kindly to this. They will buy other brands.
Also with the trans kids scandal and the detransitioners this issue will become toxic for a brand. Young people will not always see transitioning as unproblematic and may even start to resent firms that seek to capitalise from it. There is also the whole free speech issue.

Foolish decision on their part.

‘Toxic brand’ - works on so many levels...

This thread got away from me, so I HRTFT.

Looking at the speed of the response to twitter complaints, I've been wondering if it was all a set-up job and there's a Pippa high up in the company? Otherwise, it's just a batshit crazy decision to make over the course of two days.

I wasn't very clear. I meant that it was decided ages ago by one of the executives, and Mimmymum followed a script for how it was to play out.

I suspect that, like Ocado, Upfields will end up regretting this. However also like Ocado they will never admit to it publicly.

Highly plausible Juells.

What a bunch of idiots taking advice off somebody who dabbled in a bit of voluntary marketing for an organisation (whose own PR is a mess) and whose qualifications/experience in this field are unclear.

I bet that mumsnet garners a lot more new members than Flora does new customers from this virtue-signalling So many women feel uneasy about the subject, but don't know where to go for information, and get shouted down by woke friends.

DanclikeEmmaGoldman I don’t use margarine, but in the supermarket the other day, I picked up a tub of Flora brand which advertised itself as “plant based”. I thought it might be handy if I was baking for vegan friends, except a major ingredient was milk solids Perhaps it just identified as vegan?

This is what Flora has to say:
'Our product is certified vegan, however we don’t recommend if you have a dairy allergy.”

So how does that work?
Vegan with milk in?
Vegan but not suitable for vegans with milk allergies?

Just spoke to my mum who lives in a different country, she has seen the Mail story online and is going to buy a different spread. Agreed Upfield's decision is ridiculous and sexist.

They're doubling down according to that Mail article, so this wasn't the brain fart of an intern running their twitter account. After reading that article I'm more convinced than ever that the decision came from way higher up.

All a bit sinister.

the decision came from way higher up.

Of course, this whole ideology is top down.

Also interns don't make marketing decisions.

It's very odd to run a whole taste testing campaign and promotion and then immediately afterwards slag off the organisation you did the promotion with.

Their marketing strategy seems rather confused and that's putting it kindly.

Even if it was pre-planned and top down,why Mimmymum. What brand would want to be identified with her, especially following the Miranda case? It only adds to the toxicity. There must be a better spokesperson for young cool, woke vegans - assuming that is their target market.

it does seem a colossally daft marketing move on the part of Flora

'MILK SOLIDSs' as an ingredient makes be feel really sick 🤮🤮🤮

It's not about vegans.

It's about a company proving itself to an ideology, "we follow".

Upfield have a Contact Us page; you can fill in the details with NA or 00000000-type answers as your query is not regarding a product. Suggest we all do this.

@TiredofthisBS

I suspect that, like Ocado, Upfields will end up regretting this. However also like Ocado they will never admit to it publicly

I missed this. did Ocado boycott Mumsnet too?

Oh yes. Their trustpilot rating crashed too. Dimwits. Same twitter nonsense.

Well that's weird. I just checked my flora marg that has a "vegan" label on it and the ingredients say "may contain traces of dairy" and "to avoid dairy altogether, we recommend flora dairy free".
Well fuck me sideways but isn't a "vegan" label on something meant to mean that you are "avoiding dairy altogether"?
I am hoping the vegan I bought it for doesn't look too closely... definitely another reason (if I needed one) to buy a different brand!!!