A slightly different take on the 20/20 show...

I already posted this elsewhere, but my comment fits your thread exactly so I'll re-post here!

Frankly, I'm not surprised by reaction of many of the people on the ABC
Forum.

In my opinion, the ads take too big of a jump from where we are, to where we
want to be. To me, these ads (both the original, and revised) place the
entire burden of breastfeeding on the shoulders of the mom. But we all know
how many obstacles she will face, both in the health system through poor
information and technical support, and societal opposition to NIP, balancing
work and breastfeeding, etc.

For the most part, a mass media campaign should inform the general public
and changes attitudes of all society - mom, her family, her employer, health
professionals & administrators. But these ads place all the burden on the
mom.

As a breastfeeding mom, with no ties to the past or existing health care
system, I wish the ads could have spread that responsibility around. Here
in Canada, where we have initiation rates as high as 90% in many places,
moms KNOW they should breastfeed. I'm tired of people telling us to do it,
without the support systems in place to help us achieve it. I actively
confronted my local health region when they proposed a pamphlet that
recommended breastfeeding for 2 years or longer, whether they would actively
support this with REAL services. I know there is a contact number and
website at the end of the ads, but the message is not clearly communicated
that there is support in place to help the moms. Although initiation rates
are lower in the US, I still choose to believe that the majority of moms
want to and would breastfeed, if they felt that the obstacles before them
were achievable.

I have no problem with the statistics or the degree of risk that is
communicated in the ads, only that is only targeted to the moms themselves.

The vast majority of moms who stopped breastfeeding, have NO idea how they
were sabatogued by the health system, their relatives, their employer, the
formula co's, general society, etc. I think it is completely understandable
that they feel very insulted and attacked by this campaign.

I think perhaps just a subtle change, such as showing a number of bystanders
cheering on the moms that are taking the risks (doctors, employers,
grandmothers, husbands, etc) would have illustrated that we ALL have a role
in preventing moms from taking these risks.

The formula co's marketing strategy is effective because it empathizes with
the circumstances of the moms. This campaign does not. I think a
campaign, with visuals aimed at a more general target, would have won over
the moms better - after all they are the final decision maker. An ad
showing a doctor and nurse and grandma mother all tossing a baby back and
forth could have been an equally vivid analogy of the risks that faces a
baby when not breastfeed, and who is responsible for those risks. How about
a mom in the middle of a circle of people (ala the game "monkey in the
middle"). She has her blouse half open and she is trying to breastfeeding
the baby, but others are repeatedly taking the baby away from her? That's
how I feel the situation is for a mom trying to breastfeed, these days.

I hesitated to voice my opinion earlier, because I don't want to "look a
gift horse in the mouth" (the campaign commitement itself), and perhaps,
since I am Canadian, I have a different expectation of the role of society
in supporting individual action. I know that the US is built on a strong
belief of "you can do anything you want if you try hard enough", thus
placing all responsibility for breastfeeding on the shoulders of the mom.
Personally, I think this is an unfair expectation.

Janice
(former sales and marketing professional)
Saskatchewan, Canada

I had the same reaction...it's like they think that Americans are so stupid that they need *really strong* images to get the message across. In combination with the watered down numbers, I'm afraid these ads will only reinforce the image that bf advoctates are making a big deal out of very little and making mothers feel unneccesarily guilty.

I'm a huge bf advocate, but I think these ads may actually do more harm than good. :

-Kate

I agree with you all in some ways BUT I also think that when something is so engrained in someones head...like formula feeding...it takes something shocking to snap you out of it. It's like violence on tv/media...most people are so used to it that the news and movies will go to new extremes to get their attention. I really like what Janice said...

"The vast majority of moms who stopped breastfeeding, have NO idea how they
were sabatogued by the health system, their relatives, their employer, the
formula co's, general society, etc. I think it is completely understandable
that they feel very insulted and attacked by this campaign.

I think perhaps just a subtle change, such as showing a number of bystanders
cheering on the moms that are taking the risks (doctors, employers,
grandmothers, husbands, etc) would have illustrated that we ALL have a role
in preventing moms from taking these risks."

I was one of those moms who just didn't have support...didn't even cross my mind that someone could help me when breastfeeding became painful and difficult so my 1st son went on formula at about 3 months. Now this time around I had support...online from MDC, my husband was more involved and I got help from a lactation consultant (my angel!) and I was just more educated all around. Nursing my 8 month old is second nature to me now and while I am sad that I didn't get that with my 1st son...I can look back and see how easy it was to take the formula option.

I think one of the best forms of activism that WE as breastfeeding mothers can take is simply doing things like nip, offer words of encouragement to other nursing mothers and offering help to women who are pregnant...Before my first son was born a friend told me "you read to that baby" and followed up with a gift bag of beautiful books. It made an impact. Maybe we could take that approach with expecting mamas? We have to take back our lives and bodies from politicians (either side!) and "big money"...I think that we can have a bigger influence than any commercial for that matter. I am rambling so I hope I made sense. Any movement to start a change is going to be a controversy.

Sorry for my horrible spelling!

I did like the ads, but I understand your point of view. What I wanted to say, is pretty much what someone else said before (I don't remember who) but when it comes to asvertising about cigarretes (quitting smoking) they don't hesitate to put a man dying of lung cancer. When they want to encourage you to wear your seatbelt, they will try to shock you by showing you how people die everyday when they don't wear seatbelts, they don't just create a nice, pretty ad saying "not smoking is BETTER than smoking, but in the end, both are ok" like formula companies do. IMHO, I feel guilty when I don't wear my seatbelt. I would feel guilty about smoking because all the ads I've seen show me how I would be killing myself and my loved ones by smoking.
I think the other person that posted this did a better job at explaining the point I'm trying to make. but anyway, I think most people learn when feeling fear or guilt. It may not be right but maybe it's the only way people will listen

Just my .02 cents!

's

I have studied social marketing a little (not a ton!) in the course of getting my Masters degree in Public Health/health education. I can see the point being made here, but from what I understand, most people are not motivated to change their health behaviors through education alone (i.e. - If I tell you that smoking will give you lung cancer, that is likely not going to be enough to make you stop smoking.)

I think that some variation of Breathless Wonder's suggestion may be a good place to start. I did do a presentation a while back on barriers to bf, & social support is a big one. I know that I got zero support for bf with dd #1, but I am educated & stubborn & when someone tells me that I can't do something, I am more inclined to prove him/her wrong than believe it. Many women do not have that going for them (I guess that this one area where my stubborness is a plus!).

Perhaps what needs to be looked at is scaring the significant others into acting responsibly & not risking the health of their newborns. Instead of telling mama that feeding her baby formula is like riding a mechanical bull when pg, maybe we should tell daddy this. "Hey dad, you wouldn't encourage your baby's mom to skydive when pg, why the heck would you encourage her to formula feed? You don't want your baby to get leukemia, ear infections, etc. Be a man; take care of your kid; do the right thing; support your baby's mom; and don't let anyone tell her that she can't bf - you have the power to help her save your baby's life & health." Show dad encouraging his 8 month pg girlfriend or wife to jump out of a plane, then compare that to him encouraging her to formula feed.

But you know what? - the ads and the expose only made it to 20/20 BECAUSE the ads were "over the top". And unfortunately, maybe it took "a bomb going off" to get peoples attention to this topic. I think 20/20 was only interested in the story because of the great "visuals" of the story.

If we had started with a "subtler" ad, the formula co's may not have fought it, and the story wouldn't have made it onto 20/20. I'm NOT saying this was all done intentionally.

but I have seen how a bad situation can turn into good PR. A few years ago, the Australian Breastfeeding Association released a TV ad that showed a bfing toddler nursing and then speaking to the camera. It caused some contraversy, but in the end it was very good publicity.

Actually, when I think about it now, we should be thankful that the formula co's interfered. Had they not, the ads would have gone out, and the only discussion and contravery would have been that the "breastfeeding advocates" were too pushy and mean in producing these strong ads. But with the formula co's getting involved, and it being exposed, at least some moms may have their eyes opened to the whole formula industry and its marketing practices.

It is very unfortunate and unfair to the formula feeding moms from the past, who weren't given much help and had few choices, and can't go back and change anything. That's why I wish the ads had shown others who must take partial responsibility for moms not breastfeeding.

we are discussing this exact issue on Lactnet right now. One american says that "this is the way we must do it, here" - shock women into getting angry, and then they will fight for the laws and support. But I wish the ads had "pointed the finger" towards where these women should be directing their anger - as it is now, they can only blame themselves, or the makers of the ads.

Janice

I'm NOT saying that the risks should be hidden, or the ads should be watered down.

I'm just saying that they should have shown more people than just the moms - as they are now, it looks like it is entirely the mom's fault if she formula feeds.

Exactly as ChristaN said:

Quote:

The thing I worry about a bit, is if moms think they are being VERY aggresively pushed to breastfeed - some of the very stubborn ones will formula feed - just that same as the very stubborn of us, fight to breastfeed, now!!!

As ChristaN also said:

Quote:
That's what will happen with some of the moms who formula fed.

I don't think strong ads are bad, I just think we need to be careful to make sure the anger can be correctly directed at those responsible for some of the mistakes of the past - the health system, society, the formula co's, etc - not JUST the moms, themselves. I'm not worried about "guilt", I just think we need to spread this wonderful change-motivating "guilt" around a bit!

Janice

Since we're all such stellar marketers , we should just email a link to this thread to the ad council! Us nursing mamas have got some good ideas!

The problem, turquoise, with both your and my suggestion regarding breastfeeding and cosleeping, would be that it would be trying to over come *2* barriers at once. I don't know how successful this would be in the beginning, what with the JPSC (?) and other organizations hammering on the dangers of cosleeping.

The other benefit to airing an ad that shows what you CAN do to "help" a breastfeeding mother is that is gives CONCRETE alternatives. This is important, because for example, people might think, "I don't want to spank my child. The studies show it's not good But when the time comes, they may not know what to do in PLACE of spanking. The same goes for formula and breastfeeding. Grandma needs to know what to do in place of giving the baby a bottle of ABM/ sugar water/ cereal. Daddy needs to know how ELSE he can bond with his baby, other than through feeding.

People need to see these alternatives being used, and working.

Quote:
I never mentioned co-sleeping

They are both (eventually) rocking baby to sleep in a rocker.

Quote:
I would change this just a bit...

The voiceover would say "you never know how making your life more complicated also increases the risks of ..." "Why delay the tender moments? Breastfeed. Consult and IBCLC, etc if you need some advice or assistance."...

Don't make the substitute the norm from which the breast is an improvement. Nature came first.:Love