Last weeks I discussed with friends and allies about the cultural and regional differences in communication, and therefore in cause marketing, several times. It is a very interesting subject. Our Campaign of the Year competition shows how big those differences can be.
As a European I know the sentiment about Americans. Mostly ambivalent. But there’s one thing no one can beat them: storytelling. Americans are the best speakers in the world. Fluent, robust and convincing.
That is what I was thinking about seeing this video from Linda. She made a strong statement about the Susan G. Komen Foundation debacle from last week. Linda is a breast cancer victim and a Komen supporter.
The reason for this video is bizarre but it shows the strength of the story. I already got over 200,000 views on YouTube.
One of the biggest challenges for charities and NGOs is how to use storytelling in their communication strategy. Or a more ethical question: should they do? It is a subject we like to discus in various posts this year.
I first heard the term ”pinkwashing” in 2009. The CSR committee at Acart Communications, the social issues marketing agency where I work, was discussing what we could do for October. I suggested we wear pink bras over our clothing for fun, awareness and solidarity. Some in the agency objected. In the end, we went ahead, but the event was surprisingly polarizing. During our discussions, someone sent me an online article on pinkwashing.
Two years later, I am seeing many disconcerting trends in advertising, fundraising and promotion during “Pink October”. They’re the same ones that were around two years ago, but they just keep growing. That’s why I suggested we create a category for this year’s ads, ”Pinkverts”, so that we could focus on the trends, bad habits and best practices.
That’s the tagline or “The Scar Project”, personal work by New York and Sydney based fashion photographer David Jay, who takes uncompromising topless portraits of post-mastectomy breast cancer survivors to raise awareness of the real marks the disease leaves on women’s lives. Some of the women have had reconstructive surgery and some have not.
The images are beautiful and quite moving. Jay says of the experience, “For these young women, having their portrait taken seems to represent their personal victory over this terrifying disease. It helps them reclaim their femininity, their sexuality, identity and power after having been robbed of such an important part of it. Through these simple pictures, they seem to gain some acceptance of what has happened to them and the strength to move forward with pride.”
Keep-A-Breast Foundation, besides selling “I Love Boobies” merch, also involves a lot of artists in fundraising. One of their signature projects is breast casts in plaster, that are decorated by a variety of artists.
This one, for example, is a cast of Dominican actress Julissa Bermudez, decorated by American spraypaint artist Chor Boogie.
These one-of-a-kind pieces are now being auctioned off by Charity Buzz to raise money for the foundation’s breast cancer prevention awareness initiatives.
This nice case study from London shows a great use of donated media in Euston Station, where some 2.8 million people will be exposed to intermittent “pinked” info messages, like the weather, sports results and time:
“The screens are all linked and will be running live feeds showing the date, news, twitter feeds and the weather; detailing the little things that a lot of us check all the time.
Pink screens will flash up intermittently reminding consumers to check for signs of breast cancer alongside the many smaller things they check every day, featuring the strapline ‘You check a million and one things all the time. Make one of them your breasts.’ ”
A nice and culturally relevant message and a surprising place to see it. Plus, no naked women, no booby jokes, and no nonsense.
In a post titled “Sexy Breast Cancer Ads” women’s blog Jezebel featured this image advertising fashion brand Defy DC’s ”Saving Second Base” fundraiser:
The blog noted, “Well, here’s an event that inspires mixed emotions: on the one hand, Defy DC’s benefit will raise money for breast cancer research [100 percent of proceeds will be donated to the Susan G Koman foundation] and it’s being advertised with a photo of a woman of color. On the other hand, that woman is naked, and the event is called ‘Saving Second Base.’”
Jez links to the Defy blog, which shows this event ad:
Now, the ”hand bra” is a popular pose in this supersexed media age. But Defy DC did more than co-opt a meme. They went right out and stole the most famous hand bra image of all from a mainstream media giant. Recognize the photo? Answer after the break.
This silly (but mostly harmless) user-generated microblog uses a randomizer to share ridiculous euphemisms for breasts.
Similar to Mooncup’s social engagement that asked women to name their vulvas, this one also probably attracted more male submissions than female ones. At least it isn’t overtly advertising anything. But couldn’t it at least have prompted users to make some sort of cause donation?
There’s no fundraising or cause here. Just a way for Draya Michelle, of the reality show Basketball Wives: LA to pose provocatively for Reign Photography and get them both some press. (I assume they don’t care whether it’s positive or negative.)
“Skinnygirl Smoothers n’ Shapers and I’ve partnered with the Feel Your Boobies organization during the month of October to donate a percentage of the proceeds to help remind women that early detection is key.
I’m auctioning off the Alluring Body Suit (in champagne) that I wore during my 40th birthday last year on Bethenny Ever After!. In addition, you can select a piece of shapewear from the Skinnygirl Smoothers n’ Shapers website! Yes, ANYTHING!
I am donating 100% of the proceeds to the Feel Your Boobies organization and I will also match the highest bidder’s donation. I will also sign the body suit and enclose an autographed photo. Happy Bidding!”
Let me get this straight… she wants you to bid on her underwear? Her underwear that was worn on a hot, sweaty TV production set?
Reserve is $250, and as of this writing there have been zero bids.
[Update: The ebay listing says “New with tags: A brand-new, unused, and unworn item (including handmade items) in the original packaging (such as the original box or bag) and/or with the original tags attached” - that’s a relief]
caraballo-farman is the two person (husband and wife) team of Abou Farman and Leonor Caraballo. They have been working together in new media, video, installation and photography since 2001.
Leonor is a breast cancer survivor, and when she was diagnosed she says her first instinct, as an artist, was to understand what the unseen tumour really looked like. She and Abou set out to turn images of breast cancer tumors from the MRI’s of patients and friends into 3D printing and art. The result is on Facebook as Object Breast Cancer.
From the page: “OBJECT BREAST CANCER (OBC) is based on the conviction that artistic interventions can have important social and psychological effects. OBC believes that tumor visualization can serve as a powerful, direct and innovative way of confronting the aftermath of a disease that affects almost 300,000 women in the US every year. OBC intends its amulets to be empowering, to facilitate dialogue and bring attention to the importance of medical imaging and early detection. Aside from the OBC jewels, the project also includes sculptural and installation work.”
What could be uglier than a tumour? And yet the artists have created something beautiful from the terror within.
See some examples of the tumour sculptures from their opening two weeks ago at the Ramis Barquet Gallery in NYC after the break.
I recently had the privilege of being invited to speak and participate in the 2012 Design Ethos Conference/Do-ference at Savannah College of Art and Design. The creator of the conference, Scott Boylston, is a longtime friend in the relatively small socially conscious design community and I was delighted that…
Some things in life are easy. We know them, we think of them, we understand them. And then there are those phenomena we would rather not know about. All the bad things … murder, rape, child molestation. We try hard to look away, and most of the time we…
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Osocio is dedicated to social advertising and non-profit campaigns. It’s the place where marketing and activism collide. Formerly known as the Houtlust Blog, Osocio is the central online hub for advertisers, ad agencies, grassroots, activists, social entrepreneurs, and good Samaritans from around the globe.
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