Pink ribbons are for everyone; screening programs are NOT
I bet you know what a pink ribbon stands for. It’s become such a widespread part of our lives as consumers. Wearing one can make you feel like you’re a part of something significant, something bigger than yourself. After all, cancer is something that touches everyone, whether we know a friend or family member who has been affected or know someone who does. The simple act of wearing this ribbon can make you feel like you’re making a difference and spreading awareness. The trouble is, those who wear the ribbon or buy into “pinkvertising” often don’t realize they are not actually doing anything tangible to support or aid the cause. They may actually be hindering it.
October is dedicated to breast cancer awareness, and during an entire month of the year, we see the pink ribbon everywhere. On men and women, bulletin boards and even buildings, including the Burj Khalifa. It’s incredible how prolific this symbol has become.
During this past October, a personal encounter triggered a very real response within me. I was catching up with a group of friends, and happened to notice that one of the friends, a young woman in her twenties, was wearing a pink ribbon. When I asked her the reason for her adornment, her response took me aback. Firstly, her company, an FMCG (fast moving consumable goods) giant, was running a breast cancer awareness campaign. And secondly, she was wearing a pink ribbon to encourage her female friends to get screened. They were all twenty-something year olds. After my conversation with the young lady I started noticing many status updates and text messages all pushing you to “get yourself screened”.
In such a fast-moving digital age, are all the newly created breast cancer awareness ads creating a more health-aware population? Or are they inciting an unnecessary call for alarm among women of different age groups, using marketing strategies to play with consumer emotions?
At first glance, text messages and status updates like the kind mentioned above might seem positive and forward-thinking. But the reality might surprise you. In fact, messaging like this is misleading to women and the general population.
How it all began
The infamous pink ribbon made its first appearance two decades ago. It was first worn by Nancy G Brinker in memory of her sister Susan G Komen, and the Komen Foundation was born. Then in the early 90s, the ribbon had its first public appearance during a breast cancer awareness race. That act inspired many to publicly display the ribbon with the noble goal of spreading awareness among women.
Ever since the Komen Foundation used the pink ribbon as its icon, and although it no longer has its patent, the pink ribbon has collected millions of dollars from corporations that have embraced the symbol to contribute to the cause. However, controversy surrounds the funding, with some who use the money to raise awareness rather than to support research or to find a cure.
The iconic pink ribbon went on to become the heart of cause-based-marketing for many corporations, widely used until now, especially in the B2C sector. Sticking a pink ribbon on everything gained traction in marketing, and as Gladwell defines a tipping point, the pink ribbon brought about “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point”, thus quickly misinforming the mainstream.
Pinkwashing in a digital age
Amy Lubitow and Mia Davis published an intriguing article titled “Pastel Injustice: The Corporate Use of Pinkwashing for Profit”. They define Pinkwashing as the co-optation of breast cancer symbolism by corporate actors who stand to profit from the use of breast cancer awareness imagery, including pink ribbons or simply the pastel pink which has become synonymous with breast cancer ‘‘awareness,’’ ‘‘the search for a cure,’’ or the ‘‘fight against breast cancer’’ in the United States.
There has been an effort to divert Pinkwashing misconceptions in the past couple of years. A campaign titled “think before you pink” highlights six fundamental distractions of pink ribbon labeled goods:
1. Pink ribbon products spread empty awareness
2. Pink ribbon promotions spread misinformation
3. Corporations exploit concern about breast cancer for profit
4. Some pink ribbon products are linked to causing breast cancer
5. Pink ribbon promotions often degrade women by objectifying and sexualizing women’s breasts and bodies
6. Pink ribbon culture obscures the harsh reality
So how do we prevent Pinkwashing and breast cancer awareness from being nothing but a cause for profit in a fast-moving digital age? How do we make it more honest and rewarding to women and to the wider public?
The KPIs (key performance indicators) of these campaigns are typically to (1) meet a specific number of sales (2) promote a new or struggling product (3) or to capture a market segment outside their audience base. For example: NFL pink publicity is a calculated effort to attract more women to football. While these KPIs should consider (1) targeting the right age group of women (2) guiding traffic to the right screening clinics (none commercial, aka not private and within geographical proximity) and (3) number of women getting screened because of these mass consumer campaigns.
It is apparent that consumers prefer buying goods with a cause, where a chunk of the profits will go to charity, however consumer goods corporations still need to practice responsible marketing. Imagine if these ads highlighted a well-tailored and clearly designed awareness message, while leveraging digital platforms to better serve the message and drive traffic to screening clinics through a QRC (quick response code).
The truth about health awareness
The true goal of breast screening and any screening program is to increase public awareness and more importantly, it is a preventative measure of healthcare where it helps in reducing disease mortality rates, associated cost burdens and improves quality of living in the countries that have established national screening programs at the primary care level.
Health awareness has generally fast-tracked globally in the past few years due to the vast access to information through digital platforms. It is expected that more than 75% of patients will use digital services in the future across all age groups, says McKinsey & Company. The percentage of women getting annual mammograms and physical breast exams has dramatically increased over the last two decades.
It is heartwarming to see the level of awareness among women nowadays, including in the Middle East. I remember the first national screening program in Saudi Arabia that kick-started in Riyadh on March, 2012. The program has been up and running since then with more than 35,000 women screened to date, and is currently expanding beyond the capital of Saudi. The challenge was not in having to architect and orchestrate the program under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health. The challenge was in having to spread awareness despite a cultural taboo. How can we reach women that are of 40 years of age or older, with preliminary or no knowledge of digital platforms in a digital age? How do we convince them and their spouses that getting screened is not an indication of being faulty or incomplete? Women needed reassurance, they needed moral support. The campaign was carefully designed to best reach the targeted audience, women aged 40 and above, with an ad that featured a 20-something year old daughter with her arms wrapped around the mother. The idea was to use the digitally savvy youth that make up more than 50% of the population in Saudi to spread the message to older women within their circle. The campaign was a success.
In fact, because of the massive efforts to spread awareness among Saudi women, the largest and most recent human pink ribbon consisting of 8,264 participants was achieved in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December 2015, breaking a Guinness World Record.
The numbers speak for themselves; awareness is growing. But it’s important to remember that is must be backed by the right message and calls to action. It’s critical to present the facts, and to raise awareness in a responsible way.
Pink Ribbons are for everyone; screening programs are not
The bottom line is, in most circumstances women do not need to get screened if they’re below 40, unless they are at high-risk. Thankfully, there are tools available that are designed to help you estimate your risk level of developing invasive breast cancer, such as The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool. Some risk factors are fixed, meaning they cannot be changed or controlled — things like age, carrying BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, strong family history, among others. On the flipside, some factors are controllable, like choosing a healthy lifestyle by not smoking, drinking or being overweight. As more findings come to light, there are also newly merging risk factors, such as vitamin D deficiency and exposure to artificial light at night.
A well-designed screening clinic or program will not accept a woman below the targeted age (40 years) without running through the eligibility criteria. Ideally the clinic would run through a script of Q&As to gather insights about the level of risk the patient is faced with. First-degree female relatives with breast, ovarian or both cancers will increase the risk, among other factors like having already had cancer. A first-degree female relative refers to a mother or sister (mother’s side). Your family physician or radiologist will be able to run the assessment metric and advise you on the best type of screening as well as other options to set your mind at ease. These can range from imaging modalities like mammograms, to an ultrasound screening for dense breasts and MR for cases with benign lesions.
Inquire about your eligibility to screen. If you do not fit the criteria, you will be exposing your body to a dose of radiation that you do not need. Plus, your images might not be readable or conclusive, since dense breasts are common for women of a younger age. Think about it, would it be logical for all women to require an annual screening? Would it be possible for all women to be at risk? We’re flooding screening clinics, and it’s unnecessary.
In a nutshell
So, while it’s wonderful to see young women advocate for awareness and put the power of marketing towards a good cause, it’s more important to provide accurate information with thought through solutions. We must all be aware of the dangers of introducing incomplete information to a generation of digital natives that are more and more trusting of what they see and hear online. We need to think about how we are going to guide the population in an effective, safe and ethical manner.
Our bodies are our cocoons. It’s always a good idea to be aware and pay attention to anything that seems out of the ordinary. Do a self-exam. But do not become a victim of the pinkwashing that permeates the digital world. Always be sure to investigate any given course of action to ensure that it is the most suitable one for you.
Call to Action:
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