{"id":22678,"date":"2016-10-10T09:05:59","date_gmt":"2016-10-10T14:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.crowdspring.com\/?p=22678"},"modified":"2022-05-06T18:25:19","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T23:25:19","slug":"why-brands-should-ditch-pinktober","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crowdspring.com\/blog\/why-brands-should-ditch-pinktober\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Brands Should Ditch Pinktober"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Image Source: PinkYourLifeUp.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It’s October, which many associate with things like Halloween and the true beginning of fall. Unfortunately,\u00a0for (too) many marketers, the colors this month will not be autumnal tones, but a gaudy pink. That’s right: it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month once more, and brands, once more, are getting it all wrong.<\/p>\n

On the surface, this is a worthy cause. Breast cancer impacts one in eight women. It’s estimated that there have been more than 246,000 new cases in 2016 alone. It’s a painful, traumatizing, and sometimes lethal diagnosis, and the search for a cure is so incredibly important.<\/p>\n

But National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an example of a drive for a cause that’s gone awry. Despite stated good intentions, the execution of the efforts is less than inspiring.<\/p>\n

As Triple Pundit reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n

It [is]\u00a0an important fundraising time for Susan G. Komen Foundation \u2014 which, despite what the name of its annual \u201cRace for the Cure\u201d implies, only spends 20 percent of its funds on research and 37 percent on \u201ceducation.\u201d All totaled, the organization spends more money on administration than it does on treatment. In recent years, Komen garnered plenty of criticism for its excessive executive pay and its penchant to put politics ahead of purpose on issues involving Planned Parenthood and stem cell research.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Komen is notorious for transforming the pink ribbon into a monetizing machine that has enriched corporations while making plenty of women resentful that their very personal and often lonely pain is leveraged to garner companies\u2019 positive press. Despite the annual outcry, companies continue to collect publicity, and revenues, on a bevy of cause marketing promotions that range from airline miles promotions to credit cards.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In other words, it’s often an initiative that does more to make contributors feel good and companies profit than it does for actual research and women suffering though the diagnosis.<\/p>\n

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