Unless you are color blind you’ve likely noticed that October was Breast Cancer Awareness month. And as we slowly drift downstream from the sea of pink you can look at the efforts related to the Breast Cancer cause in various ways, a few being – complete and total overload, mission confusion, dilution of a cause message and/or astronomical success. I like the glass half full approach to things and one thing that I am pretty confident can be said without much argument is that the awareness building component of cause alliance campaigns supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, American Cancer Society, The National Breast Cancer Foundation and more – are thriving. Both from the perspective of the nonprofit and the corporate partner.The beauty of a successful cause campaign is when you see it work in organic, authentic ways. When a true “mutually beneficial relationship” is evident – and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or cause marketing analyst – to see it. When a win-win and even a win-win-win is undeniable. An example of this is the NFL’s support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the American Cancer Society.
This is one of those partnerships that reminds me why I like what I do. Not only does it exhibit many of the classic measures of success of a cause marketing campaign – but it displays an important unmeasureable, likely unplanned, ‘feel good’ result as well – what I like to call (unofficially of course) the “trickledown effect.” And it is things like the trickledown effect that remind me, amidst all the talk of ROI, valuation, number of impressions and strategy building, why I have a passion for cause.
Not just wearing it – clamoring to wear it, all of them. Pink, that ‘girl color,’ is now cool in a sport that prides itself on being tough and ‘manly.’ The sport where even young boys are told to tough it out, deal with the pain, be mean and hit hard and always to “be a man.” The trickledown effect of the example set by the NFL players has made pink cool for non-professional football players and impressionable young boys. And it’s not just the color but the cause as well – every boy I asked knew that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.
So though they most likely do not realize it, these boys will now make an association between the color pink and breast cancer. These boys who will grow into men who may become donors now already have an affiliation for a cause. These boys who already are, and will continue to be, consumers are now more likely to recognize a product with a pink ribbon on it, and may choose to purchase that product over another. And, of great significance, these boys – who all have mothers – will one day grow into men who may have wives and some day, daughters and are now aware of breast cancer. And who knows, this boy may be the man who encourages his mother, wife or daughter to get the mammogram that finds breast cancer early enough to be caught and save her life.
This is the power of cause. This is why I have passion for what I do. Because yes, a good cause campaign is based on what is mutually beneficial to both partners, but it is things like this trickledown effect that reminds us all of how powerful and purposeful a successful cause strategy can be. That it truly does make a difference. And this is why so many corporations are adopting cause as an integral business strategy, it works and it feels like the right thing to do. It feels like the right thing to do because it IS the right thing to do.
According to the New Report: Trends Affecting Social Good – All entities are becoming more creative in establishing partnerships and a fundamental understanding that we can’t solve the big issues of today working in silos. Way to go NFL and our little leagues!
