Increasing Loyalty to Breastfeeding: Investigating a Product Development Strategy

Abstract

This article demonstrates how social marketing insights were used to influence women's loyalty to breastfeeding. The article reports on a social marketing campaign undertaken by the Australian Breastfeeding Association and a government health department, which used a product development strategy in order to increase breastfeeding loyalty. Seeking new approaches to support breastfeeding behaviors is critical and timely, because while initiation rates of breastfeeding are high in developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the United States, duration rates are significantly lower. Results indicate that a product- focused strategy influences pregnant women's loyalty to exclusively breastfeeding.

KEYWORDS:

• loyalty
• breastfeeding duration
• new product development
• social marketing

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Robyn Hamilton, the National Director of the Australian Breastfeeding Association, for providing access to the data from their campaign and advice on breastfeeding topics.