Oh the irony of Enfakid A+ Milk Formula with Nourishing the Brain and the Pursuit of Excellence!
Milk Formula Manufacturers are quite aggressive in their marketing campaign that they are not checking their “trying to be smart” ads. Blooey first pointed out the Enfakid Milk Ad as shown in the Inquirer (Page D3, October 22) and I want to re-post the photos and explanation below.
Flipping through PDI today, an ad reads… (page D3)
Flap opens to…
And then the milk formula in the corner.
Their ad further shows that
Your child can learn, discover and imagine far richer with Enfakid A+. Now with enhanced DHA levels that help brain cells communicate well to support your kid’s rapid mental development. Nourish the brain. Pursue Excellence”.
You can drink all the Enfakid A+ you want, but the order of operations should be PEMDAS or ““Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” , better known as Parenthesis Exponent Multiplication Division Addition Subtraction , as follows:
9+5 · 2 – (7 · 2)=14 (as proclaimed by the ad) is wrong!
Multiply 7 x 2 to get 14.
9+5 · 2-(14)=14
Multiply 5 by 2 to get 10.
9+10-(14)=14
Multiply -1 by the 14 inside the parenthesis.
9+10-14=14
Add 10 to 9 to get 19.
19-14=14
Subtract 14 from 19 = 5.
Basic pre-algebra shows that the above mathematical equation in the ad is false. Both the ad agency and the Mead Johnson (manufacturers of Enfakid) are at fault here. What a shame to promote and pursue excellence through their milk when they can’t even solve basic math equations. They wanted to appear witty with their cute math formula that Enfakid milk drinkers can easily solve…but failed miserably. Mead Johnson and other Milk formula companies should STOP touting that their milk can help produce intelligent children. They can’t even check their ads if it is right or wrong. Okay, even assuming they meant to put parenthesis in 9+5, Mead Johnson and the Ad agency were still not smart enough to check for typo errors.
Update from Blooey– Update: We heard from the PDI account executive for the ad… It is apparently a marketing ploy and part of a series of ads until Sunday. Not sure if this is just a turnaround move on their part.
Edit October 24, page A24 of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Oh, come on! The penmanship looks like that of a five to six year old child who I assume is a genius because kids their age aren’t taught PEMDAS in school until they reach Grade 5. If there was a contest between the child and the dad, no indication is shown in the first ad. Geesh, Mead Johnson will indeed look stupid to admit an error in their first ad so it is now trying to redeem itself. The public is smart enough to know that this is all part of disaster management.
Right below the ad , further excuses are written down:
Excellence can be tested in ways we least expect.
The average 3 to 6 year old may not know that this test should be solved using the PEMDAS rule. Help your child excel beyond the ordinary. Give him Enfakid A+. Now with enhanced DHA levels that help brain cells communicate well to support his rapid mental development.
So what is Mead Johnson trying to tell parents? That Enfakid A+ can make their child a math genius? With or without Enfakid A+, parents will find the means to give their children the best they can possibly give. Not every Filipino parent can afford Enfakid A+ but filipino mothers can choose to have extended breastfeeding beyond 3 years of age to supplement their child’s nutritional needs. But not many mothers know that because milk ads with Lea Salonga in it boasts that drinking their milk can produce very smart kids.
I continue to reiterate my stand that Mead Johnson and other Milk formula companies should STOP advertisements proclaiming that their milk can help produce intelligent children.
—-
If indeed a series of ads are already in place, why didn’t another ad appear a day after? FAIL! The ad agency and Mead Johnson Nurtitionals should nourish their brains first before spewing out misleading and deceptive ad claims.
Marketing ploy or not, breastmilk is still best for babies and even beyond 12 months old. Mead Johnson is the same milk formula company that convinces mothers to Ask their doctor about the Hoffman study and how you can give your child +7IQ points which is very misleading. Mead Johnson maybe in Possible Violation of Philippine Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (E.O. 51) that was signed in 1986 because the respondents in that study were newly born infants.
World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 16,000 children die every year from illnesses and complications caused by improper feeding practices, including the use of infant formula.
Help us save 16,000 Filipino children’s lives every year and 1.5 million babies dying every year throughout the world, because they were not breastfed. This is a public emergency, but nobody seems to be noticing because babies cannot speak for themselves.
Read more on Breastfeeding in the Philippines: Hoffman Study Promoted by Doctors on +7IQ points is Misleading & Inaccurate
PR Companies and New Media Publishing (Part 1)
PR Companies and the Milk Formula Manufacturers (Part 2)
Related Blog Entries
It’s obviously not in the milk.
Enfakid A+ Does Not Nourish Your Kid’s Brain lolz
Enfakid A+ Milk Newspaper Ad = FAIL
Philippine Milk Makes You Dumb
Join Online Contests in my Shopping and Food Blogs
Intelligence in a can — it’s absurd when you really think about it.
thank you so much for pointing this out. Bah, these milk formula companies should stop using that smart babies campaign line.
Hello,
The Enfakid people made a crucial mistake of not including parentheses on 9+5.
If the equation read (9+5)·2 – (7·2)=14 then that would be correct. 🙂
I think it was not needed to show the arithmetic step by step. It’s too simple anyway. 🙂 Although it probably did not seem simple to the folks at Enfakid.
but we have to show it to them. Even if typo error, it is the responsibility of Mead Johnson and the ad agency to check before final printing. It’s both their faults. They need to NOURISH THEIR BRAINS.
Agreed. In the corporate world though, people find very little use for MDAS. 🙂
DTGs last blog post..Gaming can be used for marketing…
Hi,
Wondering why my orig. comment didn’t appear. Anyway, the folks at Enfakid forgot to put the parenthesis around 9+5. Then (9+5)·2 – (7·2)=14 would be correct.
I don’t think you needed to explain the arithmetic step by step. It’s too simple, but somehow the Enfakid folks still made a mistake. Maybe they didn’t drink Enfakid when they were young? 🙂
DTGs last blog post..Gaming can be used for marketing…
or they were NOT breastfed. Breastmilk is still the best and has the natural DHA’s and other components that can’t be replicated in milk forumula.
How ironic!
Junelles last blog post..I am a Danny and Lindsay FAN | CSI New York
This is just too funny. Mead Johnson should have a look at who handles their advertising campaign. I’m thinking, heads are gonna roll.
Cookies last blog post..Garage Sale?!?
now they are making it appear that the mistake is a marketing ploy. baloney!
It’s not only the fault of the ad agency. MJ’s marketing staff that approved the ad is as liable. Anyway, my family has been drinking “fresh” milk from Aus or NZ for a long time already. I don’t trust powdered milk. Too “synthetic” for me. Whatever the claim is (more taurine or whatever), it’s still processed. If you can afford it, go “fresh” milk. Raise some cows or whatever.
Update: We heard from the PDI account executive for the ad… It is apparently a marketing ploy and part of a series of ads until Sunday.
Not sure if this is just a turnaround move on their part.
yeah right! at least they were smart enough to fix it.
Am not math wizard since I hate that subject (but am an engineering undergrad) LOL
I suppose the basic principle is when the numbers are enclosed by ( ) , it has to be computed internally before factoring in the whole equation.
If there is no ( ) intervention, then computation should be done from left to right.
In this case:
Multiply 7 x 2 to get 14.
9+5 x2-( 14)=14
then proceed with left to right approach
Add 5 to 9 is 14
14 x 2 – (14) = 14
then multiply 14 by 2 and it will give the 28 answer
28 – (14) = 14
14 = 14
Just my 2 cents…. peace 😀
Sonnies last blog post..When The Seniors Have Fun
but PEMDAS order of operation is as follows- Parenthesis ( 7 x 2) then Exponents (there is none) then Multiplication (5×2) then addition (9 +10) then subtraction (19-14)
i agree with PEMDAS as well. that was what we were taught in highschool.
jenccs last blog post..Isang Munting Alay
Ohh the MDAS rule… my mistake LOL
Sonnies last blog post..When The Seniors Have Fun
OMG. My friends and I saw this din. Kunwari pa silang marketing ploy. WEH!
http://uneditedmara.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/advertising-f-a-i-l/
uneditedmaras last blog post..ADVERTISING F A I L
Oh yeah.. and so i heard earlier ..
To correct this horrible mistake, the ad agency will come up with a follow up… something like –
“an child drinking ENFAKID will be able to see the error”… blah blah blah…
they can’t fool us with their sloppy ad.
I guess they idea was to leave all of us wondering why the did that, now you got it right.
remember the MDAS rule?
multiplication and division before addition and subtraction (of course consider the parenthesis before applying MDAS)
who can forget this rule?
I used to spend 4kphp/month for enfa-products for my kid when he was younger and this is what we get? LOL, i should have started him with Nido, that was waaaaay cheaper or even Bonna.
issais last blog post..Beware of the White Rabbit
Oh my gosh ! that’s how much it costs? Now they are spending your money to produce this deceptive ad. tsk tsk.
Oh and I never used Enfakid with any of my children. I used the good old Nido, or Anchor and pampered them with good nutrition and love. Eh, I grew up with evaporated milk and I turned out fine.
yup, 4 years ago, it was 850php for the largest can of enfa-pro i think. i think it has gotten more expensive.
issais last blog post..Beware of the White Rabbit
“Marketing ploy” my ass :))
jepoys last blog post..Enfakid A+ Milk Newspaper Ad = FAIL
you said it Jepoy. Let’s call it crisis management. They don’t want to admit it is an error or else they look like fools.
maybe they are using alexa or google algorithm! 🙂
itot54jonis last blog post..Lists Of Milk And Milk Products Where Melamine Was Not Detected (BFAD)
they want to make it appear that drinking their Enfakid A+ will produce the next geek
I don’t buy the whole marketing ploy thing. There was never an indication that something was wrong in the first ad until it got pointed out that the answer to the equation was wrong. Don’t you think whoever was behind it scrambled just to salvage themselves and Mead Johnson from the goof up? Hence the “marketing ploy” and the “series of ads”.
(And they all claim to produce smarter kids. Ayayayay. The irony of it all.)
No indication at all…not even a question mark that a dad and a child were debating on the equation.
Marketing disaster management ploy I must say.
make a booboo = enfakid moment!
Pingback: ADVERTISING F A I L « uneditedmara
the answer is correct
9 + 5 x 2 – (7×2) = 14
9 + 5 x 2 = 28
28 – (14) = 14
that’s not how it is solved.
PEMDAS order of operation is as follows- Parenthesis ( 7 x 2) then Exponents (there is none) then Multiplication (5×2) then addition (9 +10) then subtraction (19-14)
This is great post. There’s no truth to advertising, really. Malas ng PDI, they missed that. Probably because most of the guys there are MassCom not MathCom (hahaha).
I remember seeing one of their ads showing Lea Salonga in it. Didn’t Lea drank KLIM (I love milk, I love KLIM jingle??) and not Enfakid A+? Unless it’s the same milk with a different name.
definitely no truth to advertising. False advertising claims. That’s why they should stop saying that it helps develop intelligent kids.
Marketing ploy…? Do they think that we are that stupid. Perhaps these Ad guys ODed on Enfakid!
Check out their ad yesterday (23 Oct) with the Triangle-Trapezoid thing. See if you can find the “intentional” error in that.
Nice try!
I heard the AD AGENCY is SAATCHI…
tsk.tsk..tsk…
If true, wow that ‘s a big blunder on their part. Saatchi is a worldwide ad agency.
this is very stupid of them (the ad agency or mead johnson themselves, whoever can take the blame!)
i suddenly remembered my teacher in elementary who taught me of MDAS (multiply, divide, add and then subtract)… hehehhe… I have no idea if MDAS is still applicable today…
yatots last blog post..Currently doing an experiment!
Nice post, Noemi. Whether it was planned or not, I think the campaign was successful as a “marketing ploy.” Now, the blogging world is talking about the ad and the product. At the end of the day, the manufacturers and the ad agency managed to achieve the goal they wanted in the first place: to create buzz for Enfakid. Good or bad publicity, it’s still publicity. That I think is the “marketing ploy” they’re talking about. 🙂
I beg to disagree, James. This guy at Philmug working for an ad agency says it best (to quote him)
They committed a blunder and they looked even more stupid with the second ad.
it is not a marketing ploy. When the ad came out last wednesday, i immediately called up my friend from the agency and told them about the mistake they committed in their enfa equation ad. they were clueless about it! i blogged about it too and they were all quiet. then friday came and out came their new ad. i called them again and told them it was a day too late that’s why i call it the GREAT CORRECTION AD.
they will not own up to their booboo and admit that they are bobo ;D
A perfect example of crisis management. (doh) This is indeed a very embarrassing mistake for such company / ad agency.
thanks for the post. i will probably continue with my breastfeeding for another 6 months or longer, since premium brand like Enfa is not as smart as we think they are 🙂
Wow. So nadoble pa tuloy gastos sa ad. A big bulk goes to advertising, sana babaan na lang presyo ng products nila. Hehe.
My son drinks the ordinary full cream milk since he turned 3yo. He seems fine naman.
Breastfeed as long as you can, up to 2 years if you can! I exclusively breastfed all 3 of my kids up to 8 months and up to 1 year and 4 months mixed feeding. After that, any full cream milk will do with their regular food na. Tipid ka na, healthy pa sila! 🙂
in my opinion.. magandang ad ito…
napag-usapan… SAATCHI kasi ang gumawa..
may naaalala ba kayo na ad ng gatas na ganito kaingay? enfakid lang ang alam ko.. tapos na ang paggamit sa mga artistang sikat.
Maganda s’ya kung ikaw ay isang struggling at di kilalang produkto. Ibig sabihin ko, maganda ito kung hindi sana s’ya para sa Enfakid. Ngayon, nasira ang kredibilidad ng Enfakid– ng management team, ng kumpanya.
That’s just an advertisement. Never mind it. You blogger is just a freak!
so just because it is an advertisement, I will just ignore it. Where is the “truth in advertising?”
And as a freak, how freaky are bloggers? Please explain.
Don’t buy or use the said milk formula if you only rely on the ads. As a mother, you should know what’s good and not for your kids. Eventhough the ads say it can make you become a superhero, why believe di ba? Milk is not the only food that can make your kids smart and intelligent.
I strongly agree with you…THOSE WHO ARE FAULT FINDERS INDEED HAVE A LOT OF FAULTS IN THEIR LIVES,THAT EVEN A SLIGHT ERROR MATTERS MOST TO THEM. MILK IS NOT THE ONLY SOURCE OF NOURISHMENT TO OUR CHILDREN,THUS MAKE THEM INTELLIGENT. IT IS ALSO FROM THE WAY WE DID OUR PART TO MAKE THEM SMART BY TEACHING THEM WELL..PEACE!
Wala namang Enfakid A+ nung panahon nila Einstein and Jose Rizal..It’s not in the milk…It’s in the genes and all others: good nourishment, good childrearing, love, attention, kahit nga pinabayaang bata kung matalino talaga lalabas at lalabas…=)
(but definitely breastmilk is the only best for babies) though I never was lucky to be able to sustain breastfeeding…
Milk companies should stop their promotions that milk will make a child smart and intelligent.I worked before in baby food products. We have a foriegn speaker tackled this topic in PPS convention.That milk formula will not make kids smart and intelligent.It will only help in brain development and nourishment of a child.pareho-parehong gatas lang yan,marketing strategies nyo lang yan para mabili gatas na tinda nyo.Breastmilk is still best for babies.
Major damage control indeed! Surely, a lot of parents who are giving Enfakid A+ have their heads spinning in dismay and may well be on their way to the supermarket to change brands.
If they have not been cautious enough to set their claim in the market, how can we as consumers be assured that that the ingredients that come with their milk have been carefully studied?
Just a thought! I am just glad that we have not yet reached the age for our little girl to even come near to being prescribed Enfakid A+.
Thank you so much for sharing. Much appreciated.
what kind of logic is that? Fault finding is not the same as criticism.