Taking the cue from the growing popularity of social media, Danone Dumex (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd’s (Danone Dumex) CareLine has turned to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to more actively engage with mothers and mothers-to-be.

According to Mr. Ang Chong Lee, Marketing Director, Danone Dumex (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, CareLine was initiated in 1998 as a telephone hotline for customer queries but has since evolved into a communication platform for mothers and mothers-to-be to  share and exchange information on the trials, tribulations and joys of motherhood and parenthood.

“From questions on the type of food to avoid during pregnancy and tips on how to make the most of one’s pregnancy and the confinement period to travelling with young children, CareLine advisors are asked for advice on just about everything and anything related to pregnancy and motherhood. Last year (2011), some 50,000 mothers used the CareLine service.  

“We attribute the growing popularity of our CareLine service to the fact our advisors comprise mothers, nurses, midwives, dieticians and nutritionists; all of whom have undergone a training programme that is recognised by the Malaysia Nursing Board as Continuous Professional Development, so callers are assured that they are attended to by experienced and qualified personnel,” said Mr. Ang.

And to further engage with mothers and mothers-to-be, CareLine has turned to social media. Starting with a Facebook competition held earlier this year, CareLine has since uploaded a video featuring some of the callers and their experiences on its Facebook page and on YouTube. Under the Mama Club umbrella, CareLine’s Facebook page, which has garnered more than 86,000 ‘likes’ to date, is a hive of activity with mothers sharing tips, ideas and experiences with each other.

“We’re really pleased to see the amount of conversations that take place on CareLine’s Facebook. It has become a community of mothers and mothers-to-be,” added Mr. Ang.