October: Halloween. Football. And pink ribbon merchandise.
Ever wonder how much of the revenue from those pink ribbon branded products in the stores actually makes it to breast cancer programs? I do. About a week ago, I started snapping pictures and reading the packaging of products I run across to see if I could tell how much money is being donated to which organizations. As you can imagine, I’ve collected quite a few pictures.
The first in my “pink watch” series of posts features some products you wouldn’t typically associate with breast cancer. Please let me know if you see any unusual pink products out there… I’d love to add them to my list!
| Product: |  |
Bounce “Limited Edition” Dryer Sheets |
| Company: | Bounce (a Proctor & Gamble company) | |
| Beneficiary: | National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. | |
| Donation : | No minimum guaranteed donation, no cap. | |
| Tied to Sales? | Yes. Tied to the redemption of special P&G brandSAVER coupons distributed through newspapers on 9/26 and 10/10. Only coupons redeemed starting 9/26 will be eligible for donations. | |
| Dates: | September 26, 2010 through coupon expiration dates. | |
| Back story: | This is the third year of P&G’s GIVE HOPE partnership with NBCF, which includes a web site My Pink Plan for women to build their own breast cancer early detection plan that includes monthly and annual reminders. They’ve got a press release at: http://www.pginvestor.com/ | |
| Did I buy? | No | |
| My $.02: | The only messaging on the product was “Early detection saves lives” – no program information at all. The term “Limited Edition” made me chuckle… do people collect Bounce boxes? | |
| Product: |  |
Pink ribbon automobile air freshener |
| Company: | Car-Freshner | |
| Beneficiary: | National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. and Susan G. Komen for the Cure | |
| Donation : | $100,000 since the inception of the production (about five years ago) | |
| Tied to Sales? | Tied directly to sales of the product | |
| Dates: | No end date | |
| Back story: | There wasn’t any information on the packaging, so I called Car-Freshner hoping to get the scoop. I left a message and was pleasantly surprised to get called back within an hour! They’re a family-owned company with a very personal connection to breast cancer. The representative I talked to said they’ve been “hit hard” by breast cancer – it’s impacted the family and their employees. | |
| Did I buy? | No | |
| My $.02: | I’m not a car freshener kind of gal, but I like the fact they’ve got an ongoing product with proceeds earmarked for donations. It would be helpful if they provided more information on their packaging. I had to make a phone call to find out where the money was going. | |
| Product: |  |
Pink Padlocks |
| Company: | Master Lock | |
| Beneficiary: | The Breast Cancer Research Foundation | |
| Donation : | $25,000 this year | |
| Tied to Sales? | No | |
| Dates: | No end date | |
| Back story: | Per Master Lock’s press release they’ve been doing this for years, but I couldn’t find them on the BCRF partner list (the only reference I could find was for their 2008 donation). They’ve got a press release at http://www.masterlock.com/pdfs/PR_BCRF_August_2010.pdf | |
| Did I buy? | No | |
| My $.02: | I like that they’re making a donation that isn’t contingent on sales, but I’d also be curious to find out how much revenue they’re generating from this line of products. I bet their customers don’t need an incentive to buy pink padlocks and bike locks… they’re cute. | |
| Product: |  |
Purina Cat Chow |
| Company: | Purina | |
| Beneficiary: | Susan G. Komen for the Cure | |
| Donation : | $300,000 guarantee, $450K maximum | |
| Tied to Sales? | No | |
| Dates: | August 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010 Cat Nap for the Cause expires October 31, 2010 | |
| Back story: | This partnership is part of Purina’s Connected for the Cause program. In addition to the guaranteed donation, individuals will have the opportunity through October 31, 2010 to visit www.facebook.com/PurinaCatChow and pledge to take a 20-minute “Cat Nap for the Cause”. For every pledge received, Purina Cat Chow will donate $2 to Komen – up to $150K. Those who follow Purina Cat Chow on Facebook will also have a chance to win prizes. | |
| Did I buy? | No, but I did pledge to take a nap. | |
| My $.02: | Quirky. Probably one of the most fun campaigns I’ve seen. | |
| Product: |  |
Quilted Northern toilet paper |
| Company: | Georgia-PacificQuilted Northern | |
| Beneficiary: | Susan G. Komen for the Cure | |
| Donation : | $100,000 yearly ($600K to-date) | |
| Tied to Sales? | No | |
| Dates: | Ongoing | |
| Back story: | Quilted Northern has been a partner of Komen’s for six years and has a presence at Race for the Cure events. | |
| Did I buy? | No. | |
| My $.02: | Everyone needs soft TP! | |
Links to major breast cancer organization partner programs:
- The Breast Cancer Research Foundation partner program details
- Susan G. Komen for the Cure partner program details
- National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. has a partner list, and some promotion detail
