Pink Ribbons Mean Healthy Sales [1]
Submitted by Diane Farsetta [2] on
This October is the 26th annual Breast Cancer Awareness month, an event "conceived by the pharmaceutical company Zeneca, now AstraZeneca [3] ... to promote mammography as the most effective weapon in fighting breast cancer." The increasing number of pink ribbon / breast cancer cause-related marketing [4] campaigns has the advocacy group Breast Cancer Action referring to October as "breast cancer industry month." Companies -- like Ty, which is offering "SpongeBob PinkPants" this October -- point out that they raise money for breast cancer research. "In 2005 alone, cause-related marketing generated more than $30 million for research and community programs for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation," reports Josephine Marcotty. Pink marketing also helps companies' bottom lines. Advertising Age reports that [5] "by turning its iconic red-and-white soup cans pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Campbell Soup Co. has doubled sales of its top varieties to its biggest grocery customer. ... [Campbell spokesman John] Faulkner said he would 'love to see the program expanded greatly next year.'"