Standing in line at a store the other day, I noticed a brightly decorated kiosk full of pink items for sale.
The products were all pink to remind us that it is breast cancer awareness month. Immediately, I dropped what I was purchasing, and began a breast self-exam. I was overtaken with awareness.
Okay, not really, but it did make me aware that October was coming.
And what pink things were for sale? Coffee mugs, a spa pillow, various magnets and, of course, a KitchenAid pink hand mixer. Nothing says,”I support breast cancer research” more than using your KitchenAid mixer.
I get it. We all do. You are a brand, and you want to show your support for breast cancer awareness. You want women to feel their boobies and get their mammograms.
You also want to sell your products.
KitchenAid has an entire line of pink products in a shop they called “Cook for the Cure.” In their online shop, the brand attests:
Cook for the Cure® gives people with a passion for cooking a way to support a meaningful cause. The program raises funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. From pink products and celebrity chef auctions to home-based fundraising events, this partnership between KitchenAid and Susan G. Komen® has raised over $9.5 million in the past 13 years.
Nearly ten million dollars sounds like a lot – and it totally is. That equals about $730,000 per year.
According to its site, “Cook for the Cure,” this year, KitchenAid will donate $450,000 or more to Susan G. Komen® to support the breast cancer fight – regardless of sales of its pink products.
Perhaps you, as a consumer, are buying products thinking a portion will go to the charity. The fact is, companies like KitchenAid are giving a set amount regardless of what, or how much you buy.
Laura Crawford, writer at She is Lola, sums it up perfectly.
“I think seeing pink ‘stuff’ with big banners of products and brands supporting breast cancer research and awareness helps to bring it to the forefront of my mind. But I think that if a company were truly committed to donating a certain amount of proceeds for a charitable cause, they’d do it regardless of the sale of their products.”
Then there are brands that make a promise, right there on the label. If you buy their product, some of the proceeds will support breast cancer research or organizations.
This tactic is called “cause marketing.” Brands are using their cause, one that is cute (read: pink) and everyone can stand behind to get you to purchase their products.
Take Yoplait for example. They’ve been supporting their cause, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, by marketing their products through a campaign called “Save Lids to Save Lives.”
For every pink lid from one of their products, they donate ten cents to the breast cancer cause. You used to have to lick them clean and mail them in, but now you can go online to their website to designate where you want your dime to go.
The problem is that oftentimes, programs like this have a cap so that the brand’s donation will not exceed a certain amount.
As a consumer, you are purchasing their products over and over again not knowing if a portion of your purchases are still going to the cause, or if they are just going into the brand’s bottom line.
All of this cause marketing benefits breast cancer programs, research and awareness. Breast cancer treatment, better breast cancer screenings, education and the information we know about breast cancer today wouldn’t be where it is without money. Today, breast cancer is treatable and beatable, and it’s because of the work of scientists, researchers, clinical trials, physicians and philanthropists.
The cause is perfect. It’s about women (though men get breast cancer, too). It’s pink (which is cute). And we can all get behind the cause.
But you know what doesn’t have the money that breast cancer has? Lung cancer. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women, yet it doesn’t get even half of what breast cancer has.
And prostate cancer, which affects one in seven men, gets a little over a half of what breast cancer gets in funds.
And pediatric cancer, which is the leading cause of death by disease in children under 15, receives only 4% of federal funding for cancer research.
I’m not telling you where to put your money, or what your cause should be, but I think it’s time we stop focusing on ways we can incorporate color into our lives, and instead put our money where it’s needed most – from our checkbooks, not a purchase.
TapGenes Takeaway: Before you buy, think about where your pink dollars are going.