October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and that means a whole lot of pink. đź©· To spread awareness of the disease, many people will feature pink ribbons on their clothes. Various organizations will also use them in their marketing materials.
What’s your status?
In past years, supporters have also taken to social media to spread awareness of the disease. One year, women were encouraged to post a vague status on their Facebook page. Women were tasked to choose a color that was the same as the bra that they were wearing. The status simply read: NAME, COLOR (i.e., “Melissa, black”, “Rebecca, red”). The goal of this was to confuse the men. The idea was to hopefully incite conversations in the comments, and ultimately raise awareness of breast cancer.
Most would say this was a positive, and the campaign was a success. In the years to follow, similar forms of this meme occurred every October to continue to raise awareness.
This campaign was likely effective because people like to full like they are a part of something. This is especially true when getting involved takes minimal effort, and even more so when it’s for a good cause. Compile all of these truths together, and it’s clear to see why this campaign went viral, and why so many people wanted to participate themselves year after year.
So what?
Despite the fact that this campaign and similar campaigns often go viral, that really doesn’t mean much.
Why is that?
Well, unfortunately, breast cancer is not a disease that lacks awareness. Breast Cancer awareness month has done a fantastic job at doing just that, spreading awareness.
That said, campaigns of this nature lack mobility, or rather a call to action that makes a difference. Ultimately, spreading awareness is good, but a call to action is needed to help us achieve our goal as a society: a cure.
Driving users to donation spots would make campaigns like this or similar campaigns more effective at making a difference.
For instance, users who post this status could follow up a few hours later in the comments with a link to donate towards breast cancer research. This would make the campaign more effective in actually making a difference.
Is breast cancer awareness month a bad thing?
Short answer: no of course not!
All of this said, awareness campaigns aren’t a bad thing! Breast cancer awareness month does more then just spread awareness. There is so much good that comes out of simply talking about the disease. Whether that’s driving more donations, or simply being there in solidarity with those affected.
Moving forward, there are a number of diseases and types of cancer that are very underrepresented. I’m sure that there a dozens of healthcare issues that deserve awareness campaigns of their own.
How can I help?
So after reading this, you’re probably thinking:
I want to do my part…where can I get started?
Well, I got you! If you’re interested in donating towards breast cancer research, you can donate directly to the cause via the American Cancer Society’s website.
John Yacano | Growth Marketing Professional 