Oct 16, 2009 11:56 pm US/Eastern
Companies Criticized For Going Pink To Make A Buck
Some Even Admit They Market Products Based On Consumers' Connection To Breast Cancer Awareness
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
October is breast cancer awareness month. And this year -- with the 25th anniversary -- we're seeing more products bearing the pink ribbon than ever before.
But are companies taking advantage of this cause to boost their sales? Some consumer advocates are urging shoppers to think before buying pink.
Walk into any store this month and you'll be hit with piles of pink products.
"We're seeing everything from pink vegetable peelers to pink tennis shoes," said Nicole Ridgway, senior editor at dailyfinance.com.
Shoppers say if it's an item they need why not choose the brand that donates a portion of the proceeds to a good cause.
"If I saw that, I'd buy it," said Victor Williams of the Upper East Side.
"It's a very good thing to do," added Patty Ling of Chatham, N.J.
In fact, a recent survey found 79 percent of consumers are more likely to switch to a brand that donates to charity. But are some manufactures taking advantage of this research to boost their bottom lines?
"Most companies we spoke with readily admit, yes, we know that customers will come and buy these products because they are aligned with a cause," Ridgway said.
Ridgway did some investigating.
"We found the Swiffer, that only two cents of the purchase price goes towards a breast cancer awareness and prevention program, and only if you use a special coupon," Ridgway said.
But you would have no way of knowing that from looking at the label, Ridgway added. She sites Hershey's special pink Bliss chocolate, which is capping it's donation at $300,000, and Herr's pretzel ribbons, which read the fine print and you'll see is capping its donation at $15,000.
"So once they hit that $15,000 they are not going to donate anymore money. It still a nice, significant amount of money but when the shoppers are buying these pretzels just because it's aligned with a pink ribbon on the package then it's a little bit deceiving," Ridgway said.
"The consumer has the choice to say I agree with the mission of that organization or I don't agree," Franklin said.
But Robbie Finke Franklin, director of marketing for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, said whether its 2 cents or $2 million every little bit counts and not just for the money these pink products raise but the awareness as well.
"The consumer has the choice to say I agree with the mission of that organization or I don't agree," Franklin said.
Still, she says, consumers need to read the labels.
"Make sure it clearly states how much they are donating and to what charity it's going and if it doesn't say that you want to think twice," Franklin said.
In a statement the makers of Swiffer told CBS 2 HD their program could generate a donation in excess of $250,000 this year. Hershey said over the last five years the company has donated $1.5 million raised by this campaign to the charity of its choice.
Herr's did not return our calls for comment.
To find out more about buying pink, please click
here,
here and
here.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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