I (Janice) wrote,
>>"We could and should do market research ourselves."

Valerie wrote,

> I disagree.  The outcome of a media battle between breastfeeding advocates
> and the infant formula industry will not benefit breastfeeding advocacy.
There
> is no way to win such a campaign against an industry that has billions at
its
> disposal and the media in its back pocket.

Me (Janice) again.  (I'm going to contradict myself here).
Valerie, I agree with you,  too.

When I first got into this (thinking about breastfeeding promotion and
advocacy), as a person with a marketing background, I thought we needed to
have billboard about breastfeeding everywhere, etc - ie we just needed to
get the information out to the people.

However, as time goes on, I have come full circle on this issue.  Really, I
now understand and agree with the LLL philosophy - you make real, lasting
change, by helping women to breastfeed successfully.  I agree that we could
never outspend the formula and pharmaceutical co's.  As I said in a
different post, "what you resist, persists".  These co's will spend their
many dollars to protect their market, they have no other choice.  Until the
point where they find another product with a greater profit margin than
formula to sell, they will continue to sell formula, as opposed to something
else.  We know the profit margin on formula, compared to other items, is
large.  It was being eroded by the introduction of store-brand formulas -
who's whole basis of competition is based on price.  However, the
established brands are now able to greatly increase the margin again, with
the new DHA formulas.  As a marketer, I think that the new DHA additives
were more likely developed to bring in a "new" product that they can charge
more for, than anything to do with "new" research that allowed for the
development and production of the additive to increase intelligence.

If someone were to give me a billion dollars for breastfeeding support and
promotion, I am now of the mind that I would spend it all  \on setting up
support groups for moms everywhere (LLL) and educating health professionals
to be able to knowledgeably support the really difficult cases.

But, the Dept of HHS decided to do an ad campaign.  Since that decision was
made and funded, I was VERY happy to see that, at least, the ads were well
researched, and I was quite happy with the campaign they came up with.  But
of course the formula co's will counter it, and I also have concerns about
where the real support will be there to help moms to follow through on
decisions to breastfeed.

I was once asked to give feedback to our local health region, on a new
breastfeeding pamphlet to moms.  We made great strides by Wiessingerizing
it, and it was quite forward thinking.  However, I almost walked away from
it, when I realized that,  here was the health region telling MOMS to
breastfeed for 2 years, when I knew the reality was that they did not have
the health personnel that were educated or funded well enough to support
these moms in that decision.    Nice pamphlet, but where was the real
support?

So back to my original comment on research.  I see "market research" as
separate from doing "advertising".  Market research is just understanding
your customer/client, and that is required for any successful endeavor.
Market research is what you LC's do everyday when you are talking to
clients, if you are asking the right questions.  When you understand why
people make decisions in favour of your product or not, AND when you
understand your competitor's products, then you develop your strategy -
which may include mass market advertising, or it might not.

I said in a different post recently, that sales people are the greatest tool
in the marketing mix.  It is the most expensive, but it is the most
effective.  A personal relationship will win over samples or faceless
brochures, or mass media.

This is the advantage that we have - person-to-person contact.  Every new
mom sees one or more health professional.  That's why the "how" and "what"
that these people say and relate to the moms and families is so important.
And that's why formula co's have always tried so hard to influence them.

Sorry for the mishmash of thoughts.

Janice Reynolds

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