Breast Cancer Awareness: A Cause Marketing Platform Second To None…

Sunday was Mothe.s Day, and around Major League baseball the pink bats rose across the diamonds as a symbol of awareness and a call to action in the fight against Breast Cancer. The pink ribbons, bats, jerseys and balls in support of Breast Cancer Awareness have symbolically gripped sports more effectively than perhaps any other charity over time. But wh.? It is a question that privately many charities, especially those that raise money for deadly diseases that affect males, ask. Other than the great emotional ties that we all have to the women of our lives, why do all the pink ribbons and bats resonate so well and raise so much money so effectivel.? Is it just the emotional ti.? Is it that the color pink, not normally associated with the macho world of sports, makes such a cut through the clutter that it stands out above all other events and program.? Is it because breast cancer has been so public and so pervasive that it is the charity we choose to support, both publicly and privatel.

Truth be told, I have seen the effects of way too many forms of cancer. My mom is a uterine cancer survivor; my father in law beat skin and prostate cancer only to be overcome by cancer of the esophagus. I have had aunts and uncles lose battles to colon cancer. I have way too many friends and colleagues who have battled breast and now prostate cancer, so I do understand the damage that is done and the holes this tragic disease does in any form. So it is more with wonder than with a cynical eye that I looked at the branding platform that breast cancer has created so effectively.

Here is a great case in point as to why the platform is so effective. Yes, Sunday was Mothe.s Day, so MLB naturally embraced the cause and raised thousands of dollars. However at the same time in New York a full media campaign was started for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and its event.in October. The ads for New York events are on the subway and a call to action was launched on a series of radio stations. Wh.? Because like any event with both emotional and financial ties, you have to strike while the issue is top of mind, and then come back to the call to action as the event day approaches. The ability to link to a high profile platform such as baseball and Mothe.s Day, no matter how subtle, makes the recall ability for an even. even five months away that much stronger. It also shows a clear link between events today and events in the future, as opposed to seeing them as stand alone. Most charity events go through a similar cycl.reminder as event ends, thank you short period after with save the date for the following year, two months out start the call to action again. It is usually pretty strong depending on the medium and the location. However the pink symbols of breast cancer links all their events together and serves as a constant reminder to even the casual supporter that their work is significant and never-ending. In short, it is case-related, multilevel brand building at its best, both in the clear messages of major events an. in the subtle messages of the connections made over time. Will people rush to sign up for an October walk because of a message in Ma.? Maybe. Will they remember when they see the pink bats or pink jerseys or pink balls that the charity is also tied to other event.? Much more likely. The more likely, the better chance to raise funds from all areas, the better chance to raise funds the more effective the charity is in its battle.

Does that mean that other charities are not as thoughtfu. No. What it does mean is that all those involved in the fight against breast cancer have done a great job in unifying a platform that is very visual and is compelling, and by doing that have built a very impressive year-round awareness agenda that is to be admired by any brand.