Public Citizen also is launching an online petition calling on the three major formula makers – Abbott (maker of Similac), Mead Johnson (maker of Enfamil) and Nestle (maker of Gerber) – to stop marketing their products in healthcare facilities.

Hospital promotion of infant formula in discharge bags contravenes the consensus by all major healthcare provider organizations that exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months after a child is born is best for the health of both babies and mothers. Research convincingly shows that mothers who received infant formula samples are less likely to breastfeed exclusively and are more likely to breastfeed for shorter durations. Hospitals that distribute formula samples are in violation of a 1981 World Health Organization (WHO) code that prohibits healthcare facilities from marketing infant formula.

Yet, at least two-thirds of hospitals in the U.S. distribute samples of infant formula, even if mothers have indicated that they plan to breastfeed. Succumbing to infant formula companies’ marketing techniques is costly, both in terms of money spent on formula and the health of mothers and children. Formula feeding costs between $800 and $2,800 per year. Additionally, the formula samples usually are brand-name products, which cost up to 66 percent more than store brands. Families typically continue to use the same expensive brand they receive in samples.

“Hospitals and doctors’ offices shouldn’t be used as marketing vehicles for any product, period,” Public Citizen President Robert Weissman said. “They certainly shouldn’t be pushing products that harm the health and well-being of babies and new moms.”

Added Elizabeth Ben-Ishai, campaign coordinator for Public Citizen’s Commercial Alert project, “When hospitals distribute formula samples, they are engaging in marketing for major pharmaceutical and food companies. Many hospitals are actively trying to promote breastfeeding in their obstetrics units. But by continuing to allow marketing of infant formula in their facilities, they are undermining their own efforts.”

Children that are not breastfed have more medical problems, including severe lower respiratory tract infections, obesity, diabetes, childhood leukemia and more. Women who do not breastfeed have higher rates of diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer, post-partum depression and bladder infections.

“Health care providers weaken their own credibility by allowing themselves to be used as marketing conduits and readily distributing infant formula samples,” said Jeanne Blankenship, chair of the United States Breastfeeding Committee. “This simple action gives the appearance that they sanction and encourage formula use for all mothers.”

U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, acknowledging that breastfeeding is one of the most highly effective preventive health measures for mothers and babies, in 2011 issued a Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding. Among other actions, Benjamin highlighted the need to “ensure that the marketing of infant formula is conducted in a way that minimizes its negative impacts on exclusive breastfeeding.” She called for holding marketers of infant formula accountable to the WHO code and ensuring that health care clinicians do not market formula by providing venues for its advertisement or distributing samples.

Many hospitals across the country have stopped distributing formula samples. A 2009 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 34.2 percent of hospitals nationwide have stopped the practice, and in November 2011, Rhode Island became the first state in which all hospitals with maternity wards stopped distributing formula samples to new mothers. A recent study noted that in states with higher numbers of hospitals eliminating the distribution of formula samples, there are higher rates of breastfeeding.

To read Public Citizen’s letter, view a complete list of hospitals that have received the letter and learn more about the organization’s campaign to stop infant formula marketing in healthcare facilities, visit http://citizen.org/infant-formula. The petition is available at http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10062.

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Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit http://www.citizen.org.

General Motors Co. plans to stop advertising with Facebook Inc. after deciding that paid ads on the site have little impact on consumers’ car purchases, according to a GM official.

The move by GM, one of the largest advertisers in the U.S., puts a spotlight on an issue that many marketers have been raising: whether ads on Facebook help them sell more products. On Friday, Facebook is expected to sell shares in an initial public offering that could put a market value on the company of as much as $104 billion.

Executives have spent the last two weeks trying to convince investors that its advertising business makes it worthy of a sky-high valuation.

Read more: http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304192704577406394017764460.html

Through the 1990s, a practice called “culture jamming” grew in popularity and sophistication. It aimed to disrupt consumer culture by transforming corporate advertising with subversive messages. So, as in the example above, a Coca Cola sign has been defaced to note the company’s other imperative aside from love. Another canonical example was current BuzzFeed chief Jonah Peretti’s 2001 attempt to order a pair of Nike’s through the company’s website emblazoned with the word, “sweatshop.” Culture jammers would use the power of brands against themselves. Their most famous organ remains the magazine AdBusters, which is widely credited with helping jumpstart Occupy Wall Street last year.

Culture jammers capitalized on the general feeling of many on the American (and global) left that corporations had (and have) too much power and that one very powerful expression of that power was advertising. Advertisements seemed to have mythic influence that could get people to do all kinds of things from buying Hummers and McMansions to starving themselves to attain fashion-model thinness.

Read more: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/05/the-new-culture-jamming-how-activists-will-respond-to-online-advertising/257176/

ALTHOUGH the word “upfront” is English rather than Spanish, the broadcast networks and cable channels that aim programming at Hispanic viewers are again increasing their presence during the annual television upfront week.

There are nine presentations scheduled this week to brief advertisers on programming plans for the 2012-13 season (and yes, also woo them with shrimp and adult beverages). Last May, during the upfront week that preceded the 2011-12 season, there were five such presentations.

The reason for the higher profile this upfront week is the growing interest among advertisers in reaching Hispanic consumers in light of the results of the 2010 census, which found that the Hispanic population had surpassed the 50 million mark. More demand among advertisers to reach Spanish-speaking consumers — and those acculturated Hispanics who are bilingual or speak English — means more efforts by media companies to sell commercial time during shows those consumers watch.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/business/media/broadcasters-pitch-programming-for-hispanics-advertising.html?_r=1&ref=media

It sure does seem like ages ago that the MTA announced its first — and, so far, only — subway station naming rights deal, but after three years, the Barclays Center is coming to the subway system. As we learned back in June of 2009, the MTA is earning $200,000 annually for 20 years for the right to append the name of the new arena to the subway station name, and the new moniker is now showing up on maps and at the station.

Pacific Street, we hardly knew ye.

As the photo above shows, the Barclays Center name is slowly taking over some column posts even though the arena won’t open for another four months or so. Meanwhile, it has made its first appearance on the online subway map but not the PDF available for download.

Read more: http://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/05/15/at-atlantic-ave-an-updated-name-with-a-corporate-twist/

California public schools are in for another round of drastic funding cuts if voters don’t accept temporary sales and income tax increases in November. Poway schools are among many schools across the state looking at ways to bring in a more reliable stream of private money.

Last week, members of the Poway Unified School District Foundation took fundraising proposals to the district’s school board that included corporate sponsorships for things like technology, sports teams and school transportation.

The foundation’s consideration of corporate sponsorships has already drawn criticism from Public Citizen, a national consumer advocacy group opposed to advertising in schools.

Read more: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2012/may/15/poway-schools-foundation-considering-corporate-spo/

Seattle school officials, having backed away from a cost-cutting bus plan that inflamed families across the city, will still face a horde of parents at a School Board meeting Wednesday night.

And they’ll likely anger another set of activists when they take up a proposal to allow commercial advertising on school athletic fields.

The drama will all play out in front of incoming Superintendent José Banda, who is planning to fly in for the board’s formal vote on his contract — a three-year pact that would grant him an annual base salary of $270,000, which would make him the highest-paid superintendent in the state.

Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018215452_schoolboard16m.html

Legislation allowing Missouri school districts to sell advertising space on buses has been stopped by a Senate committee.

The bill had previously passed the House, but it received no support in the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday. The committee chairman, Sen. David Pearce, declared that the bill is dead for the session that ends Friday.

Read more: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/f107be75b93d4945a801059a1ef69ec4/MO-XGR--School-Bus-Ads/

Alcohol Justice, the U.S.-based industry watchdog, released a new report today showing convenience store giant 7-Eleven cuts prices on supersized, youth-attractive alcopops so they are cheaper than non-alcoholic energy drinks. While on average, alcopops were the same price per standard alcoholic drink as beer, supersized alcopops in 16- to 24-ounce cans were cheaper per standard drink than similarly sized beer. Some supersized alcopops, such as Four Loko and Mike’s Harder Lemonade, entice youth with more alcohol for the price than even similar sized malt liquor.

Read more: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/7-eleven-threatens-children-with-supersized-alcopop-bargains-says-alcohol-justice-2012-05-16

The MBTA appears to be moving full speed ahead with plans to sell naming rights to various T stations. The authority has New York-based IMG Worldwide, best-known for repping sports and fashion stars, preparing a request for proposals. (It’s already conducted a focus group and will report the results to the MBTA board at its next meeting. We’ve tried to imagine the scenarios of the focus group: “Say, so the conductor announces you’re pulling into McDonald’s Station—does that make you hungry, not hungry, sad?").

So suppose if everything goes according to the tentative plans. What then? Nothing maybe. The MBTA tried in 2001 to sell the naming rights to the Back Bay, Downtown Crossing, South Station and Sullivan Square T stops, but nobody ponied up any dough. And it’s unlikely the sales of naming rights would make a big dent in the MBTA’s $161 million deficit.

Read more: http://boston.curbed.com/archives/2012/05/next-stop-walmart-crossing-the-t-and-naming-rights.php