Breast Cancer Awareness Month

While it is still October, I would like to take a short break from my McDonald's series, which I still plan to continue with, to talk a little bit about PINK PINK PINK. Anything that can be made pink this month, is. As you likely know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As the daughter and granddaughter of breast cancer survivors, I always used to appreciate the attention brought to this cause. Recently though, I'm questioning how genuine all of the pink attention is. Sometimes it seems like everything being made pink is a publicity move by companies trying to have a good face. Companies are using the campaign as a way to increase the sales of their products by advertising their support for finding a cure for breast cancer. My question: is it bad for companies to use breast cancer awareness to increase their sales? If the end result is more money for finding a cure, then how bad is it to use some positive advertising? 


I think it is alright for companies to make money from their campaign for breast cancer awareness.  It takes a lot of money to find a cure for cancer and money is always hard to come by.  Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers that affects women in America, so it's a cause close to many.  If it weren't for the increases in products sold during October companies would not give as much money to cancer research. 


Approximately one in eight women will get breast cancer during their lives, so Americans are more likely to buy something to support breast cancer awareness because it it very likely that either they or someone they know will get breast cancer.  Also, the pink campaign encourages individuals to purchase pink products, so people who might not normally give money to the cause are now making a contribution. 


It would be great if everyone gave money out of the goodness of their hearts, to finding a cure, but in these tight economic times it's hard to raise money from individuals. Pink has been my favorite color for 16 years now, and I don't at all mind seeing a little more of it around when I go the mall or the local grocery store. 

Curious where the money is actually going? Check out this article on buying pink.