I am stunned that anyone who advocates for breastfeeding would support the message of the Similac ad. This is what I posted on FB:

I worked in advertising before I became an IBCLC. I know the industry very well and I know the way creative directors approach an assignment. 

I agree with you that ALL mothers should be educated in the safest and healthiest way to feed their babies. I have always been appalled that mothers who bottle-feed are taught nothing about feeding their babies. But, that is a separate issue that really stems from the expectation that AF is the norm and everyone knows how to do it. Of course it is untrue (I never fed a baby a bottle until I was an IBCLC) and it's irresponsible not to care for these families appropriately. But doing one thing wrong does not mean we should do the other thing equally wrong. 

I can see the marketing, PR and design plan all over this ad. The only goal is to sell AIM--the ad agency would be fired for doing anything else. This video is going to win advertising awards. And, it's going to sell AIM. And it's going to do it the same way the "breast is best" campaign did--by seducing breastfeeding advocates into promoting it for them and by coercing breastfeeding advocates into censoring their comments, educational materials, posts, books, videos, etc so as not to appear to be engaging in the marketing-derived "mommy wars". And pretty soon, everyone will be hedging their bets with industry propaganda such as "....but when you can't, this is just as good and really all choices are equal and everyone is doing a great job no matter what...". Now, there a public health position to be proud of. At least if you're the creatives on the Similac campaign it 


Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, USA & France
Intuitive Parenting Network, LLC



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