October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month! This is a campaign that happens every year and aims to spread awareness of breast cancer to everyone, everywhere. The campaign lasts for a month and has been dubbed “Pinktober” due to the inundation of all things pink. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month began in 1985 by the American Cancer Society and by pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca, a manufacturer of breast cancer drugs.
The purpose is to remind women of all ages that breast cancer isn’t something to be taken lightly; it’s something that we need to be actively educated about, especially at a young age. Most campaigns that occur during National Breast Cancer Awareness month place an emphasis on creating an EDC, or Early Detection Plan. Detecting breast cancer symptoms early and getting regular checkups are vital. Breast Cancer Awareness Month aims to raise awareness for the necessity of a breast cancer cure and money to support this cause.
Increased awareness helps create increase in mammograms, breast cancer cases detected and the number of biopsies. Earliest detection can prevent death in 90% of cases! Marketing efforts have significantly reduced the stigma associated with the disease. It is a common misconception that the entire campaign against breast cancer is to find a cure; the campaign aims to raise awareness in order to eventually decrease the overall fatality rate caused by the disease.
Bike races, foot races, and walkathons are just some of the many activities that go down during “Pinktober” and all proceeds usually go to a specific breast cancer-related organization or charity. Many companies have “pink day.” During this time, the employees wear the color pink to show support for breast cancer patients and survivors.
Cosmetic company Estée Lauder launched their Global Landmark Illumination Initiative in 2000 that highlights world landmarks in pink; Niagara Falls goes pink.
Jesus goes pink, the crowd goes wild!
Corporate sponsorships and involvement in the “breast cancer business” oftentimes tends to distort the purpose of Breast Cancer Awareness month, and many survivors actually end up feeling isolated during this time. Many sponsors have been criticized for placing the emphasis on consumerism to support “the cure,” and less on emotional support.
“Pinkwashing” is the word being used to describe products that are breast cancer-themed, but that also increases pollution and actually encourages the development of cancers. Parabens, alcohol and pesticides are common ingredients among these products that are known to be carcinogenic, or cancer-causing. These marketing campaigns seem to exploit consumers’ fears of cancer, and some serve as little more than support for the detrimental machines that create the campaigns in the first place.
Breast cancer isn’t just a disease, it’s also a brand to these corporations. Breast cancer culture, or pink ribbon culture, is the cultural growth of breast cancer advocacy, the social movement that backs it and the overarching women’s health movement at large. Cause-related marketing is at play here in the form of bracelets, t-shirts, pins and jewelry among hundreds of other things. Most of these companies are promising to donate some of the money to “the cause,” though companies tend to spend a greater deal more on advertising their pink products than they donate to organizations that support actual patients or research. American multinational conglomerate 3M is a company that has spent $500,000 on advertising pink ribbons on their Post-it notes. They received twice the amount of profits thank they expected, yet only $300,000 ended up being donated.
Stephen Colbert recently criticized well-known breast cancer awareness advocacy sponsor Susan G. Komen for the Cure for using $1 million in donor funds to sue other breast cancer charities that used their marketing catch phrase “for the cure.” Susan Komen had a fundraiser in 2010 which pledged to donate 50 cents for each pink bucket of fried chicken that KFC sold. This campaign was criticized for promoting extremely unhealthy eating habits that can lead to obesity in exchange for a donation. Though it made over $4 million, some still view the “team-up” as totally irresponsible and misguided.
Susan Komen’s 2010 fundraiser which pledged to donate 50 cents for each pink bucket of fried chicken that KFC sold.
It’s easy to lose sight of the purpose of Awareness Month and especially easy to be confused about who to and not to donate to. Better Business Bureau (BBB.org) has some useful guidelines to keep in mind when thinking about donating!
?Don’t contribute cash – donate a check or money order to the organization.
?Be wary of campaigns that are highly emotionally triggering and don’t offer much information on the actual charity.
?Be wary of charities that are reluctant to answer questions about their operations and finances. Ask how much of your donation will be used for the activity mentioned and how much will go to other costs.
? Inspect the breast cancer-related product that you’re purchasing for clear reports of how much of sales will go where, and if it doesn’t, check their website. Firms that use charity tie-ins to market their products should be transparent to consumers.
?Check BBB.org for an entire list of charities that meet their Standards for Accountability, this can determine if the charity is worthy of your support!