Never a Dull Moment...

Best for Babes Debuts Game-Changing Breastfeeding Ad in USA Today

Monday, June 28th, 2010

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Mark Friday, June 25, 2010 on your calendars. Why? Because years from now we will be looking back at this date as THE turning point for breastfeeding in our culture.

Last Friday, the USA Today Pregnancy & Wellness Report, produced by Media Planet, will reach 2.2 million readers in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. It will be distributed to ob/gyn offices and physicians through the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will be carried in all Destination Maternity stores, will be distributed at March of Dimes events, will be circulated to 25,000 members of the United States Breastfeeding Committee and all member organizations, and to all physician members of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.

The ad was the brainchild of The Best for Babes Foundation, whom I am extremely proud to be a sponsor of at the Silver level.

Why is this ad different from others? Why did I support this unique, groundbreaking ad?

Bettina Forbes, co-founder of Best for Babes explains:

No scare tactics: There are no pregnant moms riding mechanical bulls or participating in log-rolling contests, unlike the government's ad campaign, which was criticized for a whole lot of things, including succumbing to formula lobbyists and making moms feel guilty if they couldn't breastfeed. Breastfeeding rates actually went down after that campaign. (Too bad we don't have the $3 million to spend on our campaign!)

It has mass-market appeal: Unlike the Ohio billboards that got flak for showing a black baby drooling breast milk that looked really unappealing, the ad urges all moms to find the right support, whether they breastfeed or not! THAT is truly a first. We're taking the pressure OFF moms and putting it on the "Booby Traps".

Highlights donor milk: Most moms don't know that donor milk is the 2nd best choice to breastfeeding, and don't have access to it. Formula is 3rd.

Raises awareness of the WHO Code: The WHO Code was designed to protect moms who WANT to nurse from being derailed by aggressive formula marketing (like doctors giving mom free samples, which have been shown to decrease breastfeeding duration) but which NOBODY in the mainstream knows about. There is NOT ONE formula ad in the issue, unlike practically every high-circulation, mainstream pregnancy & parenting magazine and website, which we worked very hard to persuade Media Planet to uphold. All of the sponsors in our ad are WHO Code compliant, including Evenflo, the only WHO Code compliant bottle maker (and parent company of stellar breast pump Ameda) - we think they deserve kudos for that!

It's positive! Just like with parenting, we have to be careful not to only react to bad behavior but to recognize and reinforce good behavior. We need to create as much media attention and buzz for ads or marketing campaigns that get it right as we do for those that get it wrong.

While Best for Babes has already experienced tremendous support and kudos including feedback from actress Alysia Reiner...

"The ad is so fantastic, so hip but informative, warm but also sassy & smart, LOVE IT! So proud to be involved with you guys." ~ Alysia

I'd like to appeal to you to help them raise further funding to roll-out this campaign on billboards, bus stations and doctors' offices around the country. Please help to spread the word about it via Facebook, Twitter, email and by simply talking to others. (To make it easy for you, there are quick links to share on Facebook and Twitter at the top of this post... click away!)

So did you get your copy of USA Today on Friday? If not, you can download the Pregnancy & Wellness Report here. Tell us what you think of the ad, the report and let us know if we can count on your for support of this very important initiative.

Tags: 'best for babes', 'breastfeeding versus formula', USA Today

Filed under: by Wendy

Comments

Judy @MommyNewsBlog

June 29th, 2010 @ 8:30 pm:

EXCELLENT! I can't wait to see the issue. How great! I'm so proud of you for being a sponsor of this great cause!!

Wendy Armbruster Bell

June 29th, 2010 @ 8:39 pm:

Thanks Judy - I am blessed to be able to support Best for Babes and am touched by your kind words. :-)

Deidrea Haysel

June 29th, 2010 @ 10:12 pm:

You should be SO proud..to be a part of something this special, this epic...we WILL change the face of breastfeeding and you'll always know you had a part in it!!!

Wendy Armbruster Bell

June 29th, 2010 @ 10:55 pm:

I've done nothing but support a wonderful organization. It is not about me, it is about all the present and future moms and babes that we will be helping!

Cassaundra

July 21st, 2010 @ 8:28 am:

Although this publication is by far the best I have seen, it is still NOT fully there. The pediatrician giving advice on infant feeding still uses the out-moded and ineffective "breast is best" language that should have been ditched years ago. And instead of normalising breastfeeding as is necessary and pointing out the risks of artificial feeding, trumpets formula as a perfectly acceptable second choice. IT IS NOT. The World Health Organisation calls formula the fourth and last choice for feeding and says that it should be avoided as much as possible. I was pleased to later see a member of the ABM point out that pediatricians receive no training on breastfeeding, but it was not in the context of the earlier article where the obviously uneducated pediatrician was falsely proclaimed as an infant nutrition expert. Until the truth about the risks of artificial feeding is widely disseminated to ALL mothers and ALL ob/gyns and pediatricians have been properly trained with the course material provided by the WHO, a few ads targeted at mothers will not make much of a difference.