Merchandising a Cause

I noticed last year that the Gap promotion that was supposed to be so noble, the (RED) line of shirts, hats etc., went super fast to the ultra bargain bins. Not surprising, since it was oh so stylishly unctuous when it was first introduced. So inspi(RED) because it was crossing corporate lines--and I have no idea what it was supposed to support. I don't think most of the people buying the products did either. I have no idea why they went with a product line that could get ti(RED) so easily.

I just looked at the Gap's site. There are still (RED) products, but without the annoying parenthesis on them. Ah, it is for a nebulous AIDS organization. Well, that is a good cause. We all need to feel we are doing something, even nebulously.

I am all for showing support for causes dear to the heart, such as research for cancer, AIDS, animal welfare, the environment--but when a cause gets used as nothing more than a veiled reason to shill merchandise, that turns me off completely.

A particularly annoying example of this is the "pinkitization" of breast cancer awareness. It is out of control. Please, merchandisers are selling everything from antennae toppers to towels to gum with the pink ribbon symbol, or just plain pink anything. Companies make their labels pink, thinking it will make them a quicker buck and if they feel like it, they can toss a few coins to research for the tax write off. There is pink OVERLOAD and it is revolting in so many ways. Pink labels on Campbell's chicken noodle soup is the latest worst offender--I can't stay away from it fast enough -- the soup may be fine, but I can't help but imagine it having a bubblegum aftertaste. Making people send in the labels for the money to be donated is a sure way to make sure that not too much of their merchandising dollar actually goes to the research they are supposed to support.

Ty, the beanie baby company, sells pink bears and donates some of the proceeds to cancer research. They also gave out pink teddy bears to women who had been just diagnosed with breast cancer. I suppose it is meant to make them feel better, but to me it just seems like a really condescending thing to do. How many women look at these things thinking, WTF, am I a child now? What am I supposed to do with this cancer bear? Is this my new friend when my friends are too busy buying pink shit to be with me? Maybe give it to my kid and say, "I went to the hospital, and all you get is a pink reminder that your mommy is sick, so take it out on it, not me."

I guess I get really revolted with the whole Breast Cancer Pink Bandwagon because 1. who knows how much of the money is really going where it should unless tied to a reputable organization, and 2. when it comes right down to it, I HATE the color pink and I always have! Being the sort of person who has a pair of breasts, I hope I never get breast cancer, I really do-- partly because I am afraid of being that sick, but also because I really, really, really viscerally loathe pink! Being surrounded by people thinking they are supporting me by wearing a pink hat and shirt and shorts and buying pink doilies and googaws for me would be a special kind of hell.


What it all comes down to is this--once again, our society is geared to making buying something seem like actually doing something. Sending money to worthy causes and getting the word out is laudable, but if you don't need a bit of swag, send all the money to the cause, and keep their costs down. Be smart about what swag you do buy--get it only from organizations that really are committed to their cause, and have been audited and shown that the money is indeed going to where it should.