Making Pink October Really Matter for Breast Cancer
Here we go. It’s just about that time of year again where everyone and their brother pull out the pink wash, spray it on a single product and push it out to the masses with a big to-do, as in: “look how great our ’cause marketing’ is, ladies!” I say “brother” specifically, because the superficial approach most of these efforts seem to take has got to be mainly a man’s idea of how to raise money for breast cancer. The theory behind the usual pink October approach:
1) Every woman in the world shops as much as possible.
2) This shopping-obsessed woman can be swayed over to another aisle, and a product she has zero need for, merely by pink or shiny packaging of some sort.
3) Even if said woman doesn’t really wear make-up or is not buying soup much these days, this will do it. She’ll stock up on whatever it is to give that 2 cents a pop to a breast cancer-related fund – as long as it is pink!
4) And, to be sure, even if women don’t do the Filene’s Basement run on your special pink October product, just IMAGINE all the press your public relations people can garner for the me-too campaign!
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The above describes how an awful lot of brands today are looking at October and its breast cancer awareness drive. What it doesn’t describe is any particular commitment or innovative approach to really getting the double-duty results a brand should want from participation in cancer prevention. Traditional pink October efforts are a lame approach to “cause marketing,” not because the cause is not incredibly worthy (!), but because brands usually dip their toes too daintily in the water that every other brand has already walked through. Over many years of Octobers, that lake has gotten murky, and all the pink and gloss can’t help it an iota. So, I guess it isn’t so odd that your one big month’s worth of publicity doesn’t generate either a ton of money for the breast cancer cause or any sustained new customer interest in what our brand is all about.
Could we have seen that coming? I do believe we could have.
So, yes, I am on the hunt for breast cancer month efforts that really speak to the cause, deliver some significant funding – and don’t rely solely on the pink wash. I will give extra points to any that really serve the cause by raising awareness among a new segment (i.e. preaching to those outside the choir). That may be younger women or teenage girls who still feel immortal or, perhaps more importantly, men. How do you make pink month matter to them?
Well, according to a Los Angeles Times article by Dan Neil, it looks like one non-profit has come up with a new idea. It’d be a cliche if it weren’t so true, but what is known to sell any number of things for men? Starts with an “s,” my friends. Well, the Rethink Breast Cancer organization was really rethinking. Rather than leveraging the sad/fear of losing your wife angle, these ads make a point in Madonna cone-bra style .
I can see where they are coming from, and it may well be an attention-getter with men – but is lechery a truly effective motivator? Guys – please comment to let me know your thoughts.
Otherwise – I’d love to hear about breast cancer awareness efforts that go beyond pink – and possibly even go beyond October. If I hear about some good ones, I’ll write up the best practices and tell you why they work so well for this women’s cause that needs to resonate with men.
