Would you answer this survey

[MarineWife]

I got a survey about feeding from The National Opinion Network when my baby was 3 months old. I couldn't find any affiliation to a formula company so I filled it out and returned. I've received a survey every 3 months since. At first I thought I should answer it so they would get data from bfing moms. After the first 2 or 3 questions, all of the questions are about formula feeding and whether or not I received coupons checks or other mailings from formula companies. Now I'm beginning to think that it's just a marketing tool for formula companies and maybe I'm encouraging them to market more agressively. So, I'm wondering if I should continue to answer these surveys or not. What do you think? Here's the link to the website where you can fill out the survey if you don't want to mail it in. It doesn't really give any specific information except that it collects data for businesses.

Baby Survey

[AllyRae]

I quit answering them after the first few tries. It seemed like they were really just interested in what formula spam I was getting...and then I got even more formula spam.

[soccerchic21]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

What do you think? Here's the link to the website where you can fill out the survey if you don't want to mail it in. It doesn't really give any specific information except that it collects data for businesses.

Baby Survey

I think collects data for businesses = formula companies.

[bec]

I couldn't read it because it asks for a login. But it sounds like a market research company. That is most likely going to be a formula company. I would ignore them.


Bec

[Janice in Canada]

It is obviously formula company research, to measure the efectiveness of the their advertising.

My general opinion on providing any kind of information to formula companies, is - don't do it.

Any information that you give them, will be used to their advantage. The more they know about moms, the better they can market.

I was a salesperson and marketing professional for almost a decade - believe me - ALL information is helpful, even that from people who DON'T buy the product.

Janice

[phathui5]

Janice-

How would it be helpful from the people who won't use formula?

[party_of_seven]

I got that survey too. I answered it, and then I took a big black marker and wrote "FORMULA IS POISON!" all over it.

Funny, but I never got another one.

Yes, I'm serious.



Disclaimer: Yes, I am aware that some women cannot breastfeed, and I am truely sorry if you fall into that category, but I highly object to having formula marketed to the whole world as the best thing since sliced bread. No, I do not think that formula is actually poison, I was just trying to make a point to the people who sent the survey

[Janice in Canada]

How would it be helpful from the people who won't use formula?

Lets say, that people who are breastfeeding, repeatedly tell the formula co's that they breastfeed because breastfeeding will give their baby's higher IQ points.

Then the formula co knows that people are aware of the IQ differences, and that its important to them. So then the formula company knows it should research things that affect IQ points, and perhaps develop some additive that possibly has some relationship to IQ points, add that in, and them promote the h*ll out of this new additive.

Maybe you and I that are educated and 100% committed to bfing for a thousand other reasons won't be affected - but there's lots of others that only have a vague idea of the differences between ffing and bfing, and bascially beleive is the same. Get rid of that one thing they've heard, and maybe weaning isn't such a bad thing after all???

I suspect that the DHA additives are something like this - why DHA additives, and why now? Are they REALLY the most important additive that formula was lacking, or did it just happen to be something they discovered and could easily develop and add, and "re-invent" formula with it? DHA is supposedly linked with improved eyesight - was concerns over visual acuity something that moms worried about, or could easily understand?

Since I'm a marketer, not a scientist, I tend to think that these additives are driven more by marketing (give people what they want) than science.

sorry so long, I have alot ot say on this.
Janice

[MarineWife]

The questions dont ask anything about why you feed your baby what you do. They are all questions only about what you fed the baby each month. The questions that I think are geared toward improving marketing for formula companies are the ones that ask if you've received any coupons or other mail from any of the formula companies. I used to receive mail from Carnation Very Best Baby but not anymore. I think that's Nestle.

I put the link to show you that there isn't any info available about the company doing the survey or why.

I'm going to stop answering them. I thought if it was a survey on just collecting data about how people feed their babies that I would be helping the bf side. However, I see now that it is just a marketing tool for formula companies and I don't want to give them the impression that if they barrage me with more coupons and other crap I would use their products.

I forgot to add that two very interesting questions were if I received WIC and, if so, did I get checks or coupons for formula from WIC.

[Evergreen]

I know just which survey you are talking about! I got it every three months until Dyl was about 18 monhts. I never got any formula coupons though.

I filled it out mostly out of boredom. When it asked which brand of formula you feed your baby,I would write "Breastmilk is best!" in the margin. imature, I know :LOL

Anyway, I am sure it was to help market formula, but I figured I would show them that there are some of us who will not be swayed. The last survey asked when you plan to wean baby from the breast (if you are still breastfeeding) and the choices where kind of humerous. They were, like, between 18-19 mos, between 20-21 mos, between 21-22 mos, not sure. No option for breastfeeding an older child at all :roflmao

[Peppamint]

Originally Posted by Evergreen

I know just which survey you are talking about! I got it every three months until Dyl was about 18 monhts. I never got any formula coupons though.

I filled it out mostly out of boredom. When it asked which brand of formula you feed your baby,I would write "Breastmilk is best!" in the margin. imature, I know :LOL

Anyway, I am sure it was to help market formula, but I figured I would show them that there are some of us who will not be swayed. The last survey asked when you plan to wean baby from the breast (if you are still breastfeeding) and the choices where kind of humerous. They were, like, between 18-19 mos, between 20-21 mos, between 21-22 mos, not sure. No option for breastfeeding an older child at all :roflmao

Ditto! I filled it out everytime, I can't remember exactly when they quit coming but since dd didn't wean until 21 months I always marked exclusively breastfeeding. I also showed them that I didn't start solids right away either.

I was hoping it was going to a reputable source, but mostly just wanted to prove that not all moms switch to formula at 3 weeks or 3 months.

[Queen of Cups]

I got it a couple months ago, and I filled it out. I was sure to include in my answers the fact that I got coupons/ads from almost every brand, was mailed formula by two companies and given formula by the hospital and have NEVER given my baby formula. I wanted them to see that the market is very saturated and new moms do get tons of info - and not everyone buys into the formula world. (the nurse at the hospital suggested just leaving the sample forumula there since I was breastfeeding, so I hid it on top of the tv armoir!)

[MarineWife]

Wow, Queen of Cups. At which hospital were you? I thought most hospitals had policies these days that they didn't give formula if you said you were going to bf. I was not given formula when I had my babies. No one ever even mentioned it. I don't even remember anyone asking me how I was planning to feed my baby. I just started bfing and that was that.

I got a few mailers from Very Best Baby because a friend of mine gave me a baby calendar and, not knowing what it was at first, I went to the website to get more info. I guess I had to register and that's when I started getting the mailers with formula coupons. There was a number you could call to cancel the mailers but I could never get through to anyone. I finally gave up trying and I haven't gotten anything from them for several months now.

[Queen of Cups]

Really? Almost everyone I know IRL has received formula samples at hospitals - along with at least one nice big diaper bag full of coupons and magazines from a formula company.

[MarineWife]

I've always made it very clear to everyone that I would be breastfeeding so maybe the nurses understood not to give that stuff to me. I also tell everyone that I know to make sure they tell everyone at the hospital that they will be breastfeeding. My OB clinic did periodically give away diaper bags or changing pads or something like that that came with some formula coupons. I never took them. My dh did come home with something like that once, though. He didn't realize what it was.

[Peppamint]

Originally Posted by Queen of Cups

Really? Almost everyone I know IRL has received formula samples at hospitals - along with at least one nice big diaper bag full of coupons and magazines from a formula company.

The hospital where I birthed dd was a BF friendly hospital, so no formula samples. HOWEVER, there were of course formula ads in the freebie magazines that were in the new mom goodie bag. : Somewhere along the line, my name was given to formula companies. I'm unsure if it was via the magazine subscriptions at the dr office or what. :

I discontinued OB care halfway through my second pregnancy and gave birth to ds at home... and oddly enough not a single can of formula or paper diaper sample arrived in my mailbox.

[annettemarie]

Whenever I get unsolicited mail from people who seem to know too much about me (formula companies, prescription drugs targeting symptoms I have, etc) I always call them and demand to know where they got my address, and also that they remove me from their mailing list. I'm pretty sure they have to tell you...
Annette