Tell Hospitals: No Marketing in Maternity Wards
Last week, we told you how The Walt Disney Company was promoting its new Disney Baby line in maternity wards around the country. About 2,000 of you responded by writing to Disney and urging the company to leave newborns—and their moms—alone. (If you haven’t yet done so, you can email Disney by clicking here.)
But the problem runs even deeper. Hospitals across the country are selling out their youngest patients and their parents by partnering with marketers who pitch products directly to, and collect personal information from, new mothers. One of the primary marketing companies is Our365, which pays hospitals for the exclusive right to sell newborn portraits in hospitals—and then sells that privileged access to corporations like Disney. In 2009, breastfeeding advocates accused Our365 of sharing personal information of new moms with Mead Johnson, the makers of Enfamil baby formula. Mothers who purchased a newborn portrait from Our365 reported receiving formula samples and coupons in the mail.
Our365 describes itself as “America’s largest provider of newborn portraits and a leading relationship marketing company serving moms.” Its in-hospital photographers also function as sales reps, promoting Our365’s marketing partners which include Proctor and Gamble, Fisher Price, and the Children’s Place. As part of its arrangement with Disney, Our365 photographers talk up the Disney Baby line, offer a free Disney Baby onesie, and urge moms to sign up for email updates from DisneyBaby.com.
We’ve compiled a partial list of hospitals which contract with Our365. Will you take a moment to call one of the hospitals and urge them to give maternity ward marketers the boot? For calling instructions, including phone numbers and talking points, Click here.
The amazing first moments of a newborn’s life should be one hundred percent commercial-free. And the price of a baby portrait shouldn’t include being subjected to invasive marketing pitches. Please take a moment to tell hospitals to protect and nurture new babies and their parents instead of exploiting them.
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