Yesterday I viewed the presentation on the National Breastfeeding Media
Strategy - and I was blown away!

We have all dreamed of having Public Service announcements for
breastfeeding - well now it seems our dreams will come true!

The Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health have
launched the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign --the first national,
federal-led campaign of this sort.

You can see it at:
http://www.breastfeedingtaskforla.org/OWHGrant/National-Breastfeeding-Media-
Strategy.pdf

(if you have limited time, view the one above - it will take a few minutes
to read it all)

http://www.breastfeedingtaskforla.org/OWHGrant/national-breastfeeding-campai
gn.pdf

(I had to upgrade my Adobe reader from 3.1 to 5.1 to view these slide
presentations)

As I understand it, the campaign provides the professionally researched and
prepared content, and then local persons can approach their local media to
request the ads be run.

In a message to pr4bf a person working on the project notes:
"It will be crucial that we are on the same message regarding the campaign
though--especially when pitching to PSA directors to get them run.  The
Office on Women's Health will be leading mini-media trainings by conference
and/or video conference so we can try to train as many people as possible to
deal with PSA directors and other media outlets.  Though we are all
passionate about the subject, a clear and consistent message to the media
will likely get more reception."

I totally support this concept - a nationally consistent, professionally
researched campaign, that is ready-made for local coalitions and individuals
to support and endorse.

I initially had concerns about the content, when all I knew was the broad
goal, (to promote breastfeeding as the "ideal" feeding choice), but after
viewing the slide presentations above, I am reassured.  They seem to have
gone through a thorough market research process, and while they are
explaining the market in "marketing" terms, I'm sure many of you will agree
with their conclusions.

They have discovered the "language" problem, and note the weakness of
discussing "benefits".  Their chosen "slogan" is:

"Breastfeeding - its too important not to."

I strongly urge all of you to take the time to review the strategy.  The
campaign will have its greatest strength when we all adopt the same language
and repeat the same messages.  Frequency and repitition are very important
factors in advertising.  (I think this will be much more powerful and
effective than the recent thread of "slogans" here on Lactnet - some of
which I think run counter to what this campaign advises - such a "mother's
magic milk" - this is *not* the message we want to send!)

This 3 year campaign begins in August.

Janice Reynolds

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