May
4
2010

Cause Marketing Can Help A Disaster Or Turn Into One

Kudos to P&G’s Dawn brand for donating thousands of bottles of their soap to the horrific oil slick that was once the verdant Alabama and Louisiana coastal regions. Long before the BP oil well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, Dawn had pledged itself to be “Everyday Wildlife Champions”—so the company’s capitalization on this environmental disaster is a logical fit. This case appears to be cause marketing at its best: the product is highly relevant to helping the cause it’s supporting. You see, according to bird specialists Dawn is the preferred solution for washing off crude oil from animals since it cuts through the grease without hurting their skin.

(Watch the Dawn commercial here)

On the other hand, I about fell out of my La-Z-Boy when I saw KFC’s Buckets For The Cure spot shown below. I believe this campaign embodies cause marketing at its worst: the product is potentially hazardous to the cause it’s supporting. Many angry individuals and organizations, including watchdog group Breast Cancer Action, are now accusing KFC of “pinkwashing” because their high-fat, high-sodium, high-calorie grub can be dangerous to one’s health. Critics point to a recent study by the American Society of Breast Surgeons that found obesity raises a woman’s risk for breast cancer. In addition, KFC chicken contains hydrogenated soy oil (trans fat), high fructose corn syrup (linked to diabetes), MSG (linked to cancer), sodium nitrite (linked to pancreatic cancer), Red #40 and Yellow #5 (chemical colorings). Turns out Pink isn’t on the ingredient list at all.

Shame on you, KFC and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

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(Watch the KFC Buckets For The Cure commercial here)

So what do you think?

Cause Marketing Can Help A Disaster Or Turn Into One

  • http://blogs.dix-eaton.com/beyond-social/ Christina Klenotic

    I thought the same thing when I saw the KFC commercial. And, I love the term “pinkwashing.”

  • http://pointtopoint.com Mark Goren

    I couldn’t agree more. It’s incomprehensible to align a deep fried, high fat, high sodium product with a “cure” cause. Although Susan G. Komen has done some outstanding work, it has to make you wonder who’s at the tiller when it comes to aligning cause to corporate brands. What’s next, a Marlboro walk for the cure?

  • http://buildamovement.com Gary Bostwick

    Mark, the KFC/Komen partnership is why the general public hates, despises and distrusts our industry. It’s one thing to exaggerate a product benefit in an advertisement in order to make a point. It’s another to lack a single ounce of integrity with your marketing. I’m deeply disturbed by this campaign. Right up there with Taco Bell’s “Drive-Thru Diet” campaign. I also believe it’s our responsibility in this business to publicly declare our abhorrence and intolerance for outright misleading of the consumer public.

  • Anna

    I don’t find the KFC initiative offensive at all. KFC chicken does not cause breast cancer. It’s not like Marlboro funding lung cancer research. Their food may not be perfect, but it certainly isn’t toxic and it does not fly in the face of what the Susan G. Komen Foundation is trying to accomplish. I give KFC credit for being a corporate philanthropist and bringing greater attention to a disease that needs all our support. I doubt any breast cancer sufferers are offended by this. They want a cure. And KFC’s funding will get them a little bit closer to that.