Publicity and the control of corporate behavior: The case of infant formula

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Abstract
Special ironies attend the public controversy concerning the marketing of infant formula in less developed countries (LDCs). While the conditions concerning which controversy arose existed in LDCs, claims‐making proponents enjoyed their greatest success in the United States, and the primary target of their claims was a European‐based corporation. Until the late 1960s, marketing practices of companies selling infant formula in LDCs were non‐controversial. During the 1970s, however, claims‐making by groups critical of these practices resulted in the emergence of a social problem of international significance. This paper describes how activists critical of corporate activities initiated a publicity campaign aimed at changing corporate behavior. Using the framework developed by Fisse and Braithwaite (1983), we demonstrate that infant formula activists were able to generate pressure on corporations through publicity. Corporate response to this pressure, and the solution reached between the activists and one of the involved corporations, Nestle, S. A., are also described.