Digital marketing of commercial infant formula in Argentina: a digital ethnographic study

https://doi.org/10.18294/sc.2024.4776

Published 23 April 2024 Open Access


Flavia Demonte Postdoctoral Fellow in Social Sciences. Adjunct Researcher, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, based at Escuela Interdisciplinaria de Altos Estudios Sociales, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina. image/svg+xml , Daniela Paola Bruno Postdoctoral Fellow in Social Sciences. Researcher, Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Researcher, Facultad de Periodismo y Comunicación Social, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. image/svg+xml , María Celeste Nessier Master in Nutrition Sciences. Project Coordinator, Centro de Estudios en Nutrición Infantil "Dr. Alejandro O'Donnell", Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. , María Elisa Zapata PhD in Human Nutrition. Director, Centro de Estudios de Nutrición Infantil "Dr. Alejandro O'Donnell", Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.



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Keywords:

Breast-Milk Substitutes, Infant Formula, Marketing, Qualitative Research, Social Networking, Argentina

Abstract


Although evidence of the benefits of breastfeeding is widespread, there are several challenges to initiate and sustain it. Infant formula companies use marketing strategies that violate existing regulations, contributing to its early abandonment. We explore the digital marketing exposure of infant formulas in Argentina by analyzing people’s interactions with brands and the traces of these interactions in conversations engaged in Facebook groups during 2022, from a qualitative approach based on digital ethnography. Results show that companies deploy regulatory avoidance tactics and seek contact with mothers. Users do not interact with the accounts but are exposed to their strategies given the correlation between product attributes present in advertising with their motivations and aspirations. The mediators between marketing and mothers are medical professionals, used as marketing resources. We conclude that authorities should promote new agreements on the practices of medical professionals and develop regulations taking into account digital environments.


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