Serviceplan’s campaign for Herconomy’s Breastmilk Money turns breastfeeding into a financial asset

Lower breastfeeding rates among Nigerian mothers can be attributed to several longstanding interconnected factors, including cultural beliefs and practices, socio-economic factors, healthcare access and education, as well as the aggressive, predatory marketing of formula milk and baby foods by Western food and drink processing corporations. Addressing these issues is not a simple task, requiring comprehensive strategies that include education, support, healthcare, and policies promoting breastfeeding as the optimal feeding option for infants. Serviceplan Innovation – a unit within the advertising and communication agency Serviceplan – has partnered with Nigerian financial platform Herconomy to create a campaign for their product ‘Breastmilk Money’ – an innovative banking solution that transforms the act of breastfeeding into savings by accruing interest on funds saved from not purchasing formula. This initiative aims not only to empower women in their decision to breastfeed but also to foster their financial independence. The visual identity of the campaign, which translates the essence of breastfeeding into digital design, is based on thorough research, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. “We reviewed detailed reports from organisations like WHO and UNICEF to understand the scale of the issue,” explains Art Director Rohil Borole. “In a nutshell, only 34 per cent of mothers in Nigeria exclusively breastfeed, and formula can consume up to a third of a family’s monthly income.” Serviceplan Innovation also assembled a team of women, including lactation consultants, journalists, photographers, and mothers, who shaped the work with their expertise and lived experiences. “One standout contribution came from journalist and mother Ogechi Ekeanyanwu,” Borole continues. “She wrote an editorial for Breastmilk Money that blends that personal insight with objective facts. Her article is paired with powerful photography by artists like Yagazie Emezi and dynamic data visuals that bring the issue to life.”