As a more than casual observer of the infant formula industry, NABA picked  
up the theme of Ross Products massive marketing campaign with their label 
change  and new tag line - "Strong Babies Start Here." Ross hired 6 high-profile  
women as spokespersons on their new website where mothers will share their  
parenting concerns. They are pitching strong women as a theme for raising strong  
babies by giving them Similac. Ross spent $7 million on media advertising in  
2005. This website and theme is targeted at "yoga mommies" who are affluent 
and  between 20-30 years of age and relevant to this group's lifestyle- no TV,  
purchasing organic items, making purchasing decisions through chats with 
peers,  friends and family. The new website is designed to emulate this type of  
interaction as many of these mothers utilize the web heavily for information 
and  support. Ross introduced its new organic formula, specifically for this 
group of  mothers. This group of mothers is also the group with the highest 
breastfeeding  rates, something Ross needs to chip away at if they are to sell more 
 formula.
 
The US does have truth in advertising laws that reside within the purview  of 
the Federal Trade Commission. Each time we see a formula ad that is false and 
 misleading we need to report it to the FTC at _www.ftc.gov_ 
(http://www.ftc.gov) . The FTC will do nothing unless there  is a large number of complaints. 
Just think what all of us on Lactnet could do  with $7 million to help mothers 
breastfeed!
 
Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA

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