What Do You Think About Pink?
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is just over a month away and I've already started to see this trending topic pushing through social commentary. As a business owner I contemplate how this month impacts our clients and product marketing in general. Should I rush out and create a PINK "themed" promotion to meet the expectations of business owners and consumers alike?
As a marketer I see an opportunity but as a person of faith and integrity I have to pause and think about what has become of the color PINK.
Business owners are all too eager to build a pink product, product wrap in pink and even go as far as to soften their website color palette with pink. However, at the end of the day it seems highly opportunistic. The end goal for these promotions in my opinion are to sell more widgets, not raise awareness.
Instead, why not skip the development, production, and resource investment in PINK themed promotions and just donate directly to the organizations that are truly helping build awareness and lending support. It doesn't seem right that a devastating disease is the hook for turning profit, no matter how pure the intent.
Am I way off base? What do you think?
Managing Editor/Co-owner at Tee Times Golf Guide Magazine, The Evolution Magazine, and Photos by Cromwell, Office Manager Nelson Brothers Construction
9 年I agree, just donate!
You're off base. Like you note in your first paragraph, this has almost become an "expectation" of businesses and consumers alike. We know that come October, we'll be blasted with pink. It's not necessarily a "hook", per se, but a sign of solidarity in the (overall) fight against breast cancer. Sure, the end goal of any piece of marketing is to sell your product, but you CAN use these opportunities to 1) raise awareness, 2) provide resources, 3) make a difference. It's more than changing the background color of your website or adding a little pink to your email campaign. Make it useful--without investing a ton of money into marketing efforts: 1) How is your company contributing to breast cancer awareness? Focus on pictures or stories that highlight how the disease has impacted your company close to home, local events you participate in/put on, etc. 2) Feature an "October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month" spotlight on your site. Here you could include links to how-to self exams, symptoms, local resources, more information on the disease. 3) Include a link to donate. 4) Invite your customers to share their story on how they have been impacted by the disease through social media efforts. 5) Provide a special offer in honor of the month. Donate a percentage of each sale to a breast cancer charity. These are just a few simple solutions on how you can leverage your customer fan base to help continue raising awareness & resources in the fight against breast cancer. It doesn't have to be about pimping the pink. It can be personal and profitable.
Textile Researcher at Garment Facts Label
9 年I have concerns with wearing bright pink apparel for promoting worthy cancer charities. Dyeing textiles is a messy business which uses toxic chemicals including substances classified as carcinogenic. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to wear plain shirts?
Sr. Marketing Manager, Digital Advertising
9 年It's undeniable that the primary goal of PINK promotions should be to raise money to combat breast cancer. I don't see why it shouldn't be a win-win, however. The vast majority of charitable corporate endeavors are covered by public relations efforts, and, in an era of expanding choice, enhancing positive perception is more important than ever. For businesses whose primary customer demographic is adult women, a PINK promotion may be the perfect tie-in with their product. To your point, however, I'm sometimes surprised when the dollar amount donated pales relative to the cost of resources that went into planning, executing and publicizing the promotion.