Best for Babes

“Life Saving Devices”  (August 2009)

Launched in Fall/Winter 2009 issue of Mom & Baby magazine.   The ad coincides with the 2009 World Breastfeeding Week theme.  The ad copy reads:  “Every day and in emergencies, breastfeeding saves lives.  Planning on nursing?  The right crew can make for smoother sailing.  Get a support group.  Get expert lactation help.  Make sure your hospital, physician, employer and insurer are doing their part to help you succeed.  We’ll show you how at bestforbabes.org” Click here for the press release and a large image of the ad.   Posters will be available for purchase soon!  To run this campaign online on your blog or website, click here.

 Advantages of the campaign:

• It is not vulnerable to lobbying pressure by the formula industry, unlike the government’s “Babies Were Born to be Breastfed” public service campaign in 2004, which was derailed under industry pressure.  Formula advertising almost doubled at the same time as the government’s campaign launched and breastfeeding rates declined.  The original ads focusing on the risks of not breastfeeding never aired; and reaction to the diluted campaign was very mixed, with many feeling that the message employed scare tactics and put even more pressure (guilt & fear) on moms.
• In contrast, the Best for Babes ad campaign message is positive, empowering and upbeat and brings a much-needed sense of humor!   Frank About Women’s “gut-check” research revealed that  women were connecting to the campaign’s message, and this research was used to develop and fine-tune the campaign.  Feedback was overwhelmingly positive from women from across all races, ages, lifestyles and stages, whether they had breastfed or not. The ads resonated with participants because they imparted feelings of empowerment, not guilt, about breastfeeding. In the words of Sims Bulluck, co-creator of the campaign (and a mom herself): “This campaign is a breakthrough because it succeeds in making women feel emboldened  with information and motivated with a new perspective on breastfeeding.  Instead of scaring them with negatives, it celebrates this amazing gift women have with a positive and uplifting message—it is meant to turn women on instead of turning them off to breastfeeding.”
• The ads shift the focus to the barriers that keep 60% of mothers from achieving their personal breastfeeding goals, and urges mothers to educate themselves on how to overcome those barriers.  The intention is to put pressure on the obstacles to breastfeeding, not on moms.
• The ads are targeted to the 74% of women who try to breastfeed, and those who are on the fence.   It does not target women who can not or decide not to breastfeed.  The Best for Babes Foundation champions ALL moms regardless of their feeding decision (see the Best for Babes Credo).
• The ads can be customized to address many breastfeeding issues, such as the influence of partners in breastfeeding duration and success, the power of grandparents in supporting breastfeeding, or other cultural and institutional barriers (booby traps).   The ads can be selected to run individually in localized or national markets, or can be run as a group or series for maximum impact—we’d love to see the series on the subways!

Disadvantages of the Campaign

• Ad campaigns are extremely expensive to run.   Individually placed, full-page print ads in mainstream magazines can cost several thousands, even at the non-profit rate  (for-profit companies pay anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 and up, depending on the magazine’s circulation, I’ve heard $80,000 for an ad in People magazine which has a readership of 4 million per week!).  Pro-bono ad placement is wonderful but difficult to come by and extremely time-consuming to secure, and nearly impossible without a senior relationship with the media outlet.    Fortunately, there is a solution:  for only $60,000, Best for Babes can acquire ad space valued at $2 million by hiring the Plowshare Group to secure pro-bono ad space in leading publications like Oprah magazine and on billboards in bus stations, subways and airports!    To contribute to our fundraising campaign, click here.  All donations are fully tax-deductible. If we want to make breastfeeding the “mother of all causes,” then we need to invest in advertising to raise awareness, much as Susan G. Komen and the American Heart Association do.  We need your help!