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Ads and Exhibits Guidelines
Welda Hörz
and Cindy Smith
LLLI Board of Directors
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 33 No. 3, June-July 1997, pp. 56-57
Dear LLLI,
As an Area Conference
worker, it was my job to arrange for advertisements in our program booklet
and commercial exhibits at the conference. I turned advertisers/exhibitors
away when the products, or services did not fit LLLI's Guidelines for
Commercial Advertisers or Guidelines for Commercial Exhibitors. Sometimes
they complained that their advertisement or exhibit had been allowed
at another Area Conference or even at the LLLI Conference. Exactly what
are the current guidelines and how do they apply in my Area?
A Confused Leader
Ed. Note: This
letter is a composite of questions and concerns brought to the attention
of Board members as they've traveled to Area Conferences around the
world.
Dear Leader,
It is frustrating when guidelines
do not seem to be applied consistently and it can be especially awkward
when working with advertisers and exhibitors.
The LLLI Board of Directors
(BOD) recognizes the importance of consistent guidelines concerning
commercial advertising and exhibits. In fact, this was one of the most
anticipated topics when Board, Division and Headquarters Directors met
in October 1996 and February 1997. Several policy changes and clarifications
resulted.
The following excerpt from
the "Guidelines for Commercial Advertisers and Guidelines for Commercial
Exhibitors" illuminates these changes. For the full text of this policy,
please refer to LLLI Policy/Standing Rules Notebook, Appendix
15 and 16. Leaders can obtain a copy of the newly revised guidelines
from their Area Coordinator of Leaders (ACL) or Affiliate Director.
1. General Policy
Products must be compatible
with LLLI principles and policies and in adherence with the World Health
Organization's (WHO) International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk
Substitutes.
2. Endorsements
Acceptance of an advertisement/exhibit
does not constitute LLLI endorsement. This statement will appear as
a notation in the conference program booklet/publication.
3. Advertisements/Exhibits
Requiring Special Permission
An organization that promotes
a cause, supports either or both sides of a controversial issue and/or
advocates a particular procedure, method or system, related, however
vaguely, to health must have the express permission of LLLI to advertise.
Advertisements/exhibits accepted previously may become unacceptable
due to changes in their and/or LLLI policies and/or philosophy.
4. Products Not Permitted
The following products
are not to be advertised/exhibited:
- Infant formula
- Baby bottles and nipples/teats
- Pacifiers and nipple
shields (not rigid plastic breast shells or breast shields)
- Tobacco products and
alcoholic beverages
- Contraceptives and/or
contraceptive devices
5. Products Permitted
with Caution and Consultation
The following products
may be advertised/exhibited with caution:
- Foods intended for
children of an appropriate age
- Food supplements, vitamins,
minerals and medications
The remainder of the guidelines
are unchanged from the July 1991 revision.
In its deliberations, the
BOD focused on three points. LLLI advertising and exhibit policies should:
- reinforce our commitment
to the world breastfeeding community;
- offer consistency in our
operations; and
- place more responsibility
in the hands of conference administrators.
"General Policy Statement
1" was added as the guiding principle for all subsequent points. Respect
for LLLI philosophy and the WHO code should be the basis for all decisions
regarding commercial advertising and exhibits.
Points 4B and 4C make clear
to advertisers and exhibitors that they may not display or promote the
use of bottles, nipples/teats, pacifiers and nipple shields. Other nipple
preparation or protection devices not intended for use during the act
of breastfeeding, such as shells for flat or inverted nipples, are acceptable,
although the efficacy of these devices has not been established by research.
(See the BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK.)
Point 4E establishes that
contraceptives and contraceptive devices are still considered outside
LLL's area of expertise, but the promotion of breastfeeding techniques
that may result in child spacing or lower birth rates are not. Thus
exhibits on natural family planning, the lactational amenorrhea method
(LAM), or fertility awareness are permissible if local or cultural sensitivities
are taken into consideration.
Guidelines regarding foods,
food supplements, vitamins, minerals and medications merit special attention.
"Products Permitted with Caution and Consultation" are neither accepted
nor rejected automatically. Such products need to be evaluated in the
context of local cultural sensitivities. Decisions about their acceptability
should not be made by the local conference staff alone. Consultation
with others in LLL who understand these sensitivities and are knowledgeable
about LLL policy and practice is appropriate. Area Conference workers
should consult their Area or Division/Affiliate staff support person.
Items in this category will
undoubtedly cause the greatest confusion among both Area Conference
workers and commercial advertisers and exhibitors. Nonetheless, the
Board finds it inappropriate to restrict these products simply because
of the difficult decisions involved. The following explanations may
help establish whether a product is acceptable.
Point 5A recognizes that
wholesome and natural food products for children are now available and
may be advertised/exhibited at LLL functions as long as they are compatible
with LLLI principles and policies, adhere to the WHO code, and are advertised/exhibited
for children of an appropriate age for such products. For example, no
food for babies under six months of age would be acceptable since General
Policy Point 1 states, "products must be compatible with LLLI principles
and policies" and LLL philosophy states, "For the healthy, full-term
baby, breast milk is the only food necessary until baby shows signs
of needing solids, about the middle of the first year after birth."
(See Publication No. 4.)
In Point 5B, the Board recognizes
cultural variations in the understanding of food supplements, vitamins,
minerals and medications. An item one culture views as a food supplement
might be regarded as a medication in another culture. A substance that
promotes healing might be considered a medication in one culture but
not in another. In order to accommodate cultural variations in our international
organization, the items detailed in this point may be advertised/exhibited
only with caution and with appropriate consultation as described above.
In short, the guidelines
for commercial advertisers and exhibitors have been expanded to permit
new products to be advertised or exhibited within the principles and
policies of LLLI. The new guidelines also reaffirm our adherence to
the WHO International Code of Marketing Breast Milk Substitutes. The
revised guidelines also reflect the Board's intent to respect the different
cultures, local interests and standards in our global organization.
Conferences are an integral
part of our mission. These guidelines will help promote respect for
LLLI's organization-wide principles while maintaining sensitivity to
local interests and concerns.
Why Accept Advertising?
Those who have been in LLL
long enough might remember the days when Leaven was an eight-sided black
and white newsletter with no advertising.
What's changed and why do
we now print ads in our publications? The primary reasons are rising
expectations and financial pressures.
As an organization, we enjoy
a more polished and prestigious image in the breastfeeding world today
and want our publications to reflect this image. Unfortunately the cost
to do this has increased also. The costs of paper and publishing technology
have outpaced the US inflation rate. Distribution costs, primarily postage,
have also increased steadily. Leader dues increases over the past 20
years have not been sufficient to cover the growth of the publication
and the increased costs of publishing and distribution.
In the mid-80s, when La Leche
League was having serious financial problems, we realized that accepting
advertising in our publications could provide some much-needed income.
It was at that same time that we decided that a more attractive and
comprehensive publication could offer more information to help Leaders
do their job. A magazine format also allowed us to qualify for second-class
postal rates in the US, which would reach Leaders in a more timely fashion
than bulk rates.
Bringing new products to
the attention of Leaders allows them to objectively evaluate these products
and use them appropriately, judiciously recommending them to mothers.
Leaders rarely confuse advertising with endorsement; they are aware
that advertising is a part of the education experience our international
Leader's journal brings to them. Without advertising, Leader dues would
need to be raised about $6-8 (US) per year.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:05 UTC 2007.
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