Cause marketing tied to breast cancer is under scrutiny this month (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) as a watchdog group urges consumers to “Think before you pink.”
Grassroots advocacy group Breast Cancer Action, San Francisco, criticizes promotions that make small donations to breast cancer groups as a purchase incentive. “Breast cancer today is big business. More and more companies are using breast cancer as a marketing ploy to sell products and promote their brand while donating very little to the cause,” said executive director Barbara Brenner. The group ran an ad in “The New York Times” criticizing specific campaigns, including Eureka’s “Clean for a Cure” (purchase of a $170 vacuum cleaner prompts $1 donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation); Avon’s “Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer” (purchase of a limited-edition $4 lipstick includes $1 for the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade funding breast cancer organizations and research institutions); and Yoplait’s “Save Lids to Save Lives” (donation of 10 cents for each yogurt lid mailed Sept. 1 through year end; “a woman would have to eat three containers of Yoplait every day throughout the four-month campaign to raise $36 by its close date,” per Breast Cancer Action). The group suggests consumers question how much of their purchases go to organizations, or donate directly to groups they support.
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