Advertising Appeals in Baby Formula Commercials across Cultures

Advertising, as a means of social communication, is seen as a reflection of cultural values, so does baby formula commercials. Advertising appeals, including both emotional and rational appeals, are an important strategy for advertisers to create effective commercials. This cross-cultural study compared the types of advertising appeals used in baby formula commercials of China, America, and Malaysia. It further investigated whether advertising appeals were related to the cultural values of these three countries using the Hofstede model, specifically individualism-collectivism. A comparative content analysis was used in this study. A total of 16 TV commercials on the same baby formula brand, S-26 Progress Gold, were identified and analyzed. The findings illustrated that advertisers tailor their advertising appeals, even in emotional appeals, different focuses of appeals are highlighted, to establish connections with their target customers in the global contexts.

Homemade infant formula recipes may contain harmful ingredients: a quantitative content analysis of blogs

Objective:When breast-feeding is not possible, commercially made human milk substitute is recommended. Some consumers would prefer to make their own homemade infant formula (HIF) and may seek information on this practice from internet sources. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the content of blogs posting HIF recipes.Design:Blog postings were identified through a comprehensive search conducted using the Google search engine and the following search terms along with the term ‘blog’: ‘Make Your Own Baby Formula’, ‘Homemade Baby Formula’, ‘Do It Yourself (DIY) Baby Formula’, ‘DIY Baby Formula’, ‘Baby Formula Recipe’ and ‘All Natural Baby Formula’. A quantitative content analysis of blogs offering recipes for HIF was completed. Blogs that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed for disclaimers, blogger’s credentials, rationale for HIF use, advertisement or sale of recipe ingredients and recipe ingredients.Setting:Worldwide Web.Results:Fifty-nine blogs, featuring one hundred forty-four recipes, met inclusion criteria. Among reviewed blogs, 33·9 % did not provide a disclaimer stating breast milk is the preferred option, 25·4 % recommended consulting a healthcare professional before using, and 76·3 % and 20·3 % either advertised or sold ingredients or recipe kits, respectively. Credentials of bloggers varied and only seven bloggers identified themselves as ‘nutritionists’. The three most frequently mentioned recipe ingredients were whole raw cow’s milk (24·3 %), raw goat’s milk (23·6 %) and liver (14·5 %).Conclusions:Clinicians should be aware of this trend, discuss source of formula with parents, advocate for appropriate infant feeding practices and monitor for side effects.