The Pink Parade

Well, I suppose I should not be surprised that the topic to get me back on the blogging bandwagon would be the upcoming Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Already the newspaper, television and store shelves look like a baby shower gone haywire. Pink is everywhere!

On one hand, I’m thrilled to see that the cornerstone of cause marketing is still going strong despite the economic downturn. On the other hand, the dilution of the message and the saturation of the marketplace make me worry.

If it seems that every product (from boxing gloves to vacuum cleaners) has a pink tie-in, how do you know what really matters? One thing you can do is to read the fine print. For example, many products claim that a “portion of the proceeds” benefit cancer research. What is a portion? It can be as little as a few pennies per product or all of the profit from that product. Is there a preset gift relationship in place? Look to see if a specific organization is mentioned to the promotion. If not, who knows where the money goes?

It has, in many ways, become too easy for businesses to add their float to this particular parade. The point of marketing partnerships is to enhance both brands and to build distinction in the marketplace and in the minds of consumers. Perhaps a few more unique partnerships with realistic product ties would benefit these businesses more? The pie should be big enough for lots of causes to have a piece. In the meantime, on with the parade!