Breast Cancer Marketing Tie-ins Are Cheesin Me Off

**gnome** · October-08-12, 02:43 PM

Buy a Pizza and Hungry Howie's will send some pennies to Breast Cancer research.

Rice Krispies, kroger lunch meat, tools from Home Depot...

the list is endless.

Companies are under the impression that wrapping themselves in Pink is a worthwhile to spend their marketing dollars. I get that. I like when a company puts their profits towards a cause that that touched almost everyone.

If they took their cause seriously they would not condition their donation on buying their products.

just say: We are donating $XXX.XXX to Breast Cancer Research in October regardless if you buy our product or not.

I'm getting pinked out because I'm not feeling the efforts are genuine, but rather just marketing campaigns to push their stuff.

**rb336** · October-08-12, 04:40 PM

I agree whole-heartedly. I think the one that first got on my nerves was the "we'll send $X for every pink yogurt cap you send us!" bullshit

**Gannon** · October-08-12, 05:07 PM

My honey lost it when she saw pink pumpkins at Kroger.

**gazhekwe** · October-08-12, 05:34 PM

I guess this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They are really doing it up brown. I wish they would just spend the money on research and find a cure that doesn't half kill the patient. An interesting article in the Free Press yesterday about men's breast cancer. Apparently it is more common than we would have suspected, given the usual publicity.

**wolverine** · October-08-12, 10:18 PM

My neighborhood put pink lights on all the trees and all the buildings are lit up pink. I appreciate the cause but someone is definitely working overtime on the marketing. The trees are about 40-50 feet and wrapped well so I'm sure it cost the association quite a bit to light up all the city blocks

**Gannon** · October-08-12, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by wolverine

My neighborhood put pink lights on all the trees and all the buildings are lit up pink. I appreciate the cause but someone is definitely working overtime on the marketing. The trees are about 40-50 feet and wrapped well so I'm sure it cost the association quite a bit to light up all the city blocks

It might be easier to invite that T-Mobile motorcyclist chick to town, all those lights behind her turn to pink.

**Pam** · October-09-12, 06:30 AM

I've been sick of this for a long time too. Who isn't "aware" of cancer in all forms at this point? Totally pointless and tacky to use it as a marketing gimmick.

Here's a book on the subject:

http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Ribbon-Bl...k+ribbon+blues

**poobert** · October-09-12, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by gnome

Buy a Pizza and Hungry Howie's will send some pennies to Breast Cancer research.

Rice Krispies, kroger lunch meat

I think those are pretty ironic, considering I wouldn't be surprised if we discovered years from now that some of the crap that is used to make/engineer those products cause cancer.

**Downtown Lady** · October-10-12, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

I think those are pretty ironic, considering I wouldn't be surprised if we discovered years from now that some of the crap that is used to make/engineer those products cause cancer.

Yes. And most likely there's also a deodorant or two this month that has turned pink, but deodorant may be one of the main culprits. The aluminum in deodorant has been linked to breast cancer, and breast cancer may be more prevalent among women as they shave their underarms and then apply the deodorant [[microscopic abrasions from the shaving make it easier for the aluminum to be absorbed).

If any deodorant has turned pink this month, please just save the marketing efforts and remove the aluminum instead.

[[For those interested, there are aluminum-free deodorants available.)

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...st-cancer.aspx

**Wheels** · October-10-12, 06:01 PM

We had pizza from Hungry Howie's in the pink box yesterday.
It did taste better.

**Pam** · October-10-12, 06:08 PM

http://www.thecalifornian.com/articl...text%7COpinion

A Washington State University professor recently identified more than 40 plant-based compounds that help slow the progression of cancer. His findings, which are published in the journal Cancer and Metastasis Reviews, support the claim that people who eat a plant-based diet are less likely to get cancer.

**Gistok** · October-10-12, 06:59 PM

My mother passed away from Cancer 2 years ago [[not breast)... so I'm sensitive to the cause... but even I am getting tired of the mass marketing of this...

But someone mentioned T-Mobile... that's the only "pink" that I don't mind...
Gnome, this should "soothe the savage beast" a little....

http://youtu.be/vcmfCXwAFs4

No one takes advertising to an art form as well as T-Mobile...

**rb336** · October-10-12, 07:39 PM

I'm tired of the whole ribbon thing. I keep expecting to see some schmuck get up to a podium in a nice suit, ribbons of every color festooning the left side military-style

**Gannon** · October-10-12, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by rb336

I'm tired of the whole ribbon thing. I keep expecting to see some schmuck get up to a podium in a nice suit, ribbons of every color festooning the left side military-style

That'll be Rmoney's last gaffe...he'll think he's being cool, but they'll end up looking like a rainbow...which will be the last flip-flop his die-hard supporters can handle, alienating them all.

**Goose** · October-11-12, 07:06 AM

its gone from awareness to annoying... the NFL players covered in pink, pink foods, I have even seen pink garbage dumpsters.......

they've taken a good cause and are pushing it to a point where people are turning away from it...

but at least I can revert to my yellow "livestrong" bracelet and can trust the promoter behind it.....

**Ray1936** · October-11-12, 10:41 AM

I'm also tired of pink socks and other accessories by NFL teams. Enough, already.

**gnome** · October-11-12, 12:04 PM

The symbols folks wear are one thing. I don't object to someone sporting a ribbon or whatnot; but don't make me buy your _____ just so you will then send a couple of pennies to ____.

We will make a donation to ____ for every ____ sold in October. F.U. pal. If you were really concerned you wouldn't wait for me to underwrite your philanthropy. Forgive me but I'll send my money directly, and I will not buy your cereal, your water bottles, your chewing gum, your anything.

end o rant
---
btw, nice vid gistok.

**jackie5275** · October-11-12, 12:24 PM

I'm glad you started this thread gnome. Pam thanks for the link about that book. I, too, have been overwhelmed by the pinkness as if breast cancer was the only cancer out there. Not that I'm attempting to bash anyone who's been touched by it, but you don't see a bunch of red ribbons, dresses, etc to the same extreme during February which is Women's Heart Health/Disease Awareness Month. Heart disease kills 5 times as many women as breast cancer each year. But because, IMO, the breast is a sexual part of the body, it gets more attention.

BTW this is my cite for that above statistic Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2010 Update: A Report from the American Heart Assocaition Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcomittee.

**TKshreve** · October-11-12, 02:55 PM

So everybody here seems to agree they hate the idea that a company would "cloak" its true intentions within an honorable, charitable and timely tradition.

I see the point, but I have to ask...........

Has anyone bothered to check if contributions are up ever since companies have turned October into a marketing vehicle? Granted I strongly believe that those companies sales have probably been bolstered...... but let's delve a little deeper into what everyone is crying about.

End results. Net effect. Do these hollow campaigns in fact raise contributions for Breast Cancer research. If they do, I'd say you're part of the minority.

**Papasito** · October-11-12, 02:56 PM

Most of these charities are a self funding scam, loading "administrators" with fat paychecks and giving very little to women going broke and beyond broke fighting for their lives with little to no financial help.

The best thing you can do for women with breast cancer is go to a breast cancer treatment center and hand a woman money as she's leaving the clinic.

Or volunteer to cook meals, do laundry, or menial tasks for someone on chemo. It doesn't sound like much, but doing something simple like bringing a meal, doing someone's laundry or cleaning house for someone who is on chemotherapy is HUGE because these things are near impossible when you're hanging onto everything you can put your hands on just to keep standing and using all of your strength just to get to the bathroom and back to your bed.