This post is a little bit off topic for my blog, but it’s something that I feel is important to address. A few months ago, I was approached by Nestle to attend a small blogging event to learn more about their company and products. I signed on to attend and to participate in part of the presentation by sharing a couple of Holiday crafts. I was excited to attend the event, meet with other bloggers, and happy to learn more about the company. Then… a few days before the event I learned about the Nestle Boycott on Twitter. In short, Nestle has been under scrutiny since the mid-70s for using aggressive and ethically questionable marketing tactics in promoting its baby formula products to women in developing countries. I’m embarrassed to say that I had never heard of the boycott and obviously hadn’t done enough research before I committed to participate in the event.
After reading through many articles and blog posts covering the topic of the boycott, I had to make the decision of what to do next. I talked it over heavily with my family, friends, and other bloggers, and made the choice to continue with the commitment I’d made, hoping to engage directly with Nestle and learn more about their involvement in the issue.
I do have to say that Nestle put a lot of effort into the event, and I had an enjoyable time meeting and getting to know the other bloggers and also some of the great folks over at Nestle USA. Although I did get answers to many of my questions, I still feel like there’s more that needs to be addressed. I realized this is a global issue and goes beyond the Nestle representatives we interacted with. Read here and here for some additional attendee perspectives.
It’s been interesting to see the results of my decision. I’ve been forced into this world of confrontation, where I usually steer clear of (I’m not one to engage in a debate, I think of myself more as a mediator). I do know that I’m a changed person, mother, and blogger because of getting more involved in the boycott issue. I’ve come to learn from and respect many of the activists involved with the boycott. I may not agree with everything they say or do, but I know that many are trying their best to educate anyone and everyone on some very important issues.
Now what? I don’t know. I do know that I will continue to email, read, and educate myself about this issue to appease myself and my family. I’m happy to see these questions posed and I’m hopeful for some answers. Thanks to Annie for her research, as I wouldn’t even have known what questions to ask.
Written by Marie LeBaron
Marie LeBaron is the founder and managing editor of Make and Takes. Always having a love of crafts, she enjoys getting messy with glue and glitter. There’s always some sort of project going on, her kitchen counter is often cluttered with crafts. When she’s not crafting and creating with her kids, she loves to run, read, and blog! Read other posts by Marie
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for your thoughtful post Marie. As you probably know, I am starting to get some answers from Nestle. I am posting them verbatim on my blog, but also including a research-based response to each of their answers. I hope you’ll continue to follow along. Glad to hear that you are also going to continue to do your own research.
Marie~ I watched this all unfold from the sidelines last week – It was clear to me that the activists involved are very passionate about the topic and had done a lot of research. It also appeared to me that many of the bloggers who attended were put in a difficult spot – many just learning about the boycott. I appreciate your honest and genuine post.
Like you, before this surfaced on twitter – I was unfamiliar with the situation. I think it is impressive that you decided to go in order to learn more and ask questions. Good for you!
I am glad you decided to post on how you felt.
Thanks for being so honest and open-minded about this. It probably hasn’t been an easy experience and I regret that well-meaning people were caught in the crossfire at times.
Hi Marie, many thanks for this insight. As Campaigns and Networking Coordinator I often come across situations similar to this where Nestlé is hosting or sponsoring an event. Quite often these are on issues where Nestlé is being challenged and are part of its strategy to portray itself as ethical. It has also invited journalists and others on all-expenses-paid trips to Switzerland and at least one highly inaccurate article that resulted is now a central part of its PR strategy (distributed by Nestlé without the substantial right-to-reply we were given in a subsequent publication).
So there is good reason to be suspicious of events like this. However, I take as my starting point that those attending may not be aware of the concerns. I found out about this event due to the traffic coming to our sites from links posted on Twitter. I did send messages to directly to the bloggers asking whether they would investigate the evidence or simply relate what Nestlé said, with a link to further information. This resulted in an email conversation with one of those attending that I think we both found productive.
It is wonderful – and often the case – that Nestlé’s attempts to divert criticism go badly wrong as its claims do not stand up to scrutiny. This is happening now on the PhD in Parenting blog where Nestlé’s responses to a list of questions are appearing. The forthcoming International Nestlé-Free Week (26 October – 1 November) has gained a massive boost, particularly in the US, as a result. I very much hope we can raise the pressure on Nestlé about a current concern: its new strategy of labelling formula with the claim that it ‘protects’ babies (see a picture on my blog of a tin from Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, with under-5 mortality of 140 per 1,000 live births).
There are, however, important lessons for campaigners to learn. Although the way Nestlé pushes baby milk in breach of international standards and other aspects of its business are emotive issues, there needs to be care in how these are raised. In this case most posts on Twitter were, in my view, providing useful information, but some were attacking some bloggers for attending, for being unaware or for defending Nestlé and dismissing concerns in an increasingly forthright way (in some cases). An unfortunate result is that for a period the discussion was about etiquette and who said what and should they have, rather than on Nestlé. Those who do not want their view of Nestlé changed, may use the comments of a few to dismiss the whole campaign and label all campaigners as aggressive.
So in my view it is neither fair nor productive to attack those caught in the middle.
At other events we sometimes hold demonstration AGAINST NESTLE and pass information to those who decide to enter – we are often thanked afterwards for doing so. The immediacy of Twitter means time for reflection and analysis does not always occur. It is something to think about. Twitter is not journalism, yet the #nestlefamily tag was there to provide a window on what Nestlé was presenting to the bloggers. It was totally right to challenge the misinformation coming from Nestlé – we should challenge this company wherever it raises its head until it changes its practices.
Nestlé will continue to try to use people for its two-step communication strategy and has no qualms about misleading them. I hope campaigners will all be cooler next time so that the evidence is the focus.
I can understand it if bloggers at the event want to keep their heads down on this issue now, and appreciate your posting this blog.
Marie, you are so kind! After reading everyone’s posts…well, I still don’t know how or if I’m going to post. I’m just surprised at how much this affected me personally. I didn’t think it did at the time.
But on the other hand, I had such a fantastic time meeting and talking with you! :)
Marie, first things first, it was great meeting you and spending a bit of time with you! I have showed the spooky house to several friends and they thought it was the cutest thing!!
Regarding the issues, I understand where the activists are coming from. My issue still relies in the fact that I don’t think Nestle will answer any questions to satisfy though. So, the objectivity isn’t there, which is necessary to make decisions (of course many thing I had no objectivity in it all either since I was there). I guess, each person will need to read all sides and make their own decisions.
And, I’m with Amanda – this has affected me more than I would like to admit. When someone attacks your character and integrity, I don’t take that lightly. It’s all just baffling…
Thanks for posting about what was on your heart and mind. No one can blame you if you didn’t know about the boycott. Personally, we did know about (for many years). We boycott them for them for many reasons including the baby formula issues and their bottled water facility practices. The crazy thing is that we know people who work higher up in the company and they don’t have a clue why people would boycott them. They have totally bought the company’s stance without questioning it. I guess some people can be bought. Others like us can not work for a company that we feel is unethical.
I’m just glad that you were able to use this as an educational experience to help you get a better understanding of the issues.
Great post Marie! I think you did an amazing job of assimilating the information you received and taking to heart the issues you learned about while at the event. The bloggers were put in a tight spot and you came through {unsurprisingly} with flying colors.
It was a pleasure meeting you, Marie. This event has been quite a learning experience for everyone involved. Awesome post, my friend.
When I saw the drama building on Twitter I was fascinated by both sides of the situation. My husband and I discussed the topic of endorsement-through-publicity in-depth and it was a huge eye-opener for me to consider. I knew vaguely about the boycott, but originally thought I would’ve done exactly what you did, had I been approached – in order to have a candid discussion about the issues. However, the activists who spoke out that day on Twitter make a very good point – Tweeting about the event, even in a neutral way, definitely contributes to positive hype surrounding Nestle and I didn’t see any of the attendees tweeting about tough issues until it was thrown in their faces.
As women and moms in a position of influence, I think the Nestle situation is definitely one that should provoke a deep consideration of the brands we choose to align ourselves.
I admire your courage in posting so honestly about your experience!