Think Before You Fall For Cause-Related Marketing
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 10.24.07
Photo credit: festivefrog
Every October, we're assailed by a barrage of pink-ribbon products purporting to support breast-cancer awareness: Buy specially marked packages of frozen microwavable dinners and 50 cents goes to breast-cancer research, or pick up a pink blender and an unspecified portion of the proceeds will go toward advancing women's health. But are these companies fueling the cause or dragging it down?
"There are some products that have a pink ribbon on them, but might actually be contributing to the disease by producing toxins that have been linked to breast cancer," Katrina Kahl, a communications associate at the San Francisco-based Breast Cancer Action, tells TreeHugger.
Cause-related marketing isn't a total wash—it generated $55 to $60 million for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 2006, according to Cindy Schneible, vice president of development at the non-profit.
But Kahl questions the impact of some of these companies' so-called largesse. She points out auto companies that encourage people to test drive their latest hot rods by doling cash to a breast-cancer group for every mile driven. "At the same time, car exhaust actually contains chemicals that are linked to the disease," she says. "So it's a little ironic to encourage people to test drive a car for breast cancer, knowing that what's coming at the other end of the tailpipe is actually contributing to people getting the disease."
Other "pinkwashing" culprits: Cosmetics companies that persist in including chemicals that are known reproductive toxins and carcinogens (look out for ingredients lists that include parabens, formaldehyde, and toluene), as well as dairy purveyors that source from cows treated with growth hormones. "We're asking those companies, if they really cared about women's health, to take a step further and look at their products to see if they might actually be [causing cancer]," Kahl says.
Before you open your hearts and wallets to pink-ribbon campaigns, Breast Cancer Action's Think Before You Pink campaign urges you to pose some critical questions:
1. How much money from your purchase actually goes to the cause?
2. What is the maximum amount that will be donated?
3. How much money was spent marketing the product?
4. How are the funds being raised?
5. To what breast cancer organization does the money go, and what types of programs does it support?
6. What is the company doing to assure that its products are not contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?
I just wrote about this the other day, but did not have such specific examples of how the companies could be contributing to breast cancer. Thanks for sharing this info!
i've often wondered about the "a portion will be donated to charity/research" gimmick, especially in the case of breast cancer. This reminds me of reading the Ontario Green party platform and their mention of fighting the real war on cancer, that is by preventing the causes rather than devoting so much to cures. i am happy to finally see other people are interested suspicious of and interested in this issue.
Fascinating. I always thought just giving your money directly to the cause was best, and I guess I was right. Of course, the second question is, how much of the funds going to the cause are for overhead and how much is actually going toward research or to the people who need it. Giving to charity has gotten complicated and it's a sad thing. Still, something is better than nothing.
Cheers!
I just wrote a story about the Israel Cancer Research Fund. The fund gives %100 percent of its proceeds to cancer research in Israel - the place where some of the major cancer therapies used today have been developed. I recommend this fund if you are thinking about donating. Israeli researchers have a knack for doing a lot with little overhead in research.
I took part in the Avon Walk For Breast Cancer 2007. Avon gave out LOADS of goodies which were unnecessarily wasteful. (Thank you anyway).
The one "gift" they gave was a small bottle of deodorant containing the aluminums believed to be associated w/breast cancer. (rolling eyes).
This is such a great point. Large charities, such as the Gates foundation, invest their money is industries that cause the situations the charity fights to overcome. It's usually a lack of foresight. The financial investor's job is to grow the money. The PR person is responsible for promotions. Etcetera. These people don't necessarily understand the issue, just their job. It's basically poor management. I get thick packets of junk mail from politicains that want to help the environment. Hello...?
We need to research the charities we support as much as the products we buy. Who ever thought spending (and giving) money would be so complicated?
I am ecstatic that you posted this, TreeHugger!!! When I first heard about it, I figured it would be a fringe issue that most people would be afraid to spread the word about, especially since it involves the dairy industry. Thank you!
You know, I've been thinking about blogging about this topic myself, but thought it might be interpreted as blasphemous to criticize breast cancer awareness. You've done a good job here of capturing, what I think, is the real issue: Why does everything in the United States have to come down to consumption?? At first it was just about raising awareness, and there were runs and walks, and the like. Now it's become awareness through consumption. So
not only do these products have the potential to ironically produce carcinogens as pointed out above, but they are also contributing to global warming -- think of all the production, waste, and eventual disposal of all of these items. It's mind boggling. The ubiquity of this campaign -- while the original intentions obviously good -- has turned it into yet another contributor to GHG.
Thanks for posting this. I never heard of the Breast Cancer Action organization before, but I'm impressed by their website. My sorority (Delta Gamma Pi) has both breast cancer and environmentalism as official causes. I had no idea that car companies had "drive for the cure" campaigns! It's also good to be enlightened on just how much money goes back into actual breast cancer research. It's a shame that companies are using a potentially fatal illness as a means to boast profits.
Thanks for posting this. I never heard of the Breast Cancer Action organization before, but I'm impressed by their website. My sorority (Delta Gamma Pi) has both breast cancer and environmentalism as official causes. I had no idea that car companies had "drive for the cure" campaigns! It's also good to be enlightened on just how much money goes back into actual breast cancer research. It's a shame that companies are using a potentially fatal illness as a means to boast profits.
Breast cancer patients may be ignored by Pink Ribbon Festival in Japan.I have some dobts about Asahi Newspaper.Because Pink Ribbon Festival is sponsored by Asahi Newspaper.I will have to think about the ideal way of the charity.Thanks for sharing this infomation.