The best companies, in my opinion, are committed to their customers and the causes they, and their customers support. "Commitment" to me is synonymous with being transparent, or impeccable with your words. When a company isn't transparent and clear in their communication, I become suspicious of the single initiative and the company in general.

The conversation, here and in the Globe, illuminates the issues on all sides and elevates our awareness. Thanks for taking a strong position, Joe.

Definitely check it out. I seem to remember they have a pretty good Youtube video that illustrates their point.

I know cause marketing is excellent way to allow companies and consumers to work together for the benefit of another party. However, when the market becomes saturated with reminders about the cause, I think it's hit the point where "action marketing" needs to kick in. We're past the point where simple awareness will do anything for this cause; there has to be a way to take it to a new level. How can companies like New Balance take it further? They have raised a great deal of money for Komen…what's the next logical step in the evolution of cause marketing? I'm hoping to see companies begin to think beyond awareness and start thinking about actions for their causes.

I think the message from the story has been lost, both in this conversation and how the story itself digressed. The "complainers" as you called it are breast cancer patients and survivors, not just some random people. They have lost the connection with the pink ribbons as the meaning for them has been lost. If everything is pink, then how does it stand out?

There are more than likely people who will by something because of its tie to the charity. There are also some people who will buy something because of the color. You brought up Red – I bought a red iPod Nano because of the color, not the cause – I couldn't stand the other pastel colors. Ok, it helped a cause, but that was not my intention. Also with Red, and I brought this up before, did Starbucks need to make red aprons for its baristas to wear for a short period of time, where buttons would have probably have been as effective, not to mention cheaper?

I think there's a balance here. Some people would probably prefer to simply write a check rather than to buy something they don't want. There is a place for old-fashioned donations as well, as unimpressive as it may be perceived.

mp/m

It also brings up a good point. If companies only made donations from their checkbooks, giving would be pretty unimpressive. It’s just not in the bottom-line of most companies, especially consumer goods and services companies.

The real opportunity for nonprofits is when companies give them access to their customers in the form of a percentage of sale or point of sale program. Think about it. Would Product Red had raised $130+ million if they had relied on corporate checkbooks? No way! Also, could Chili’s Restaurants write a $9 million dollar check to replace what they raised asking their customers to support St. Jude last year? Again, no way.

While cause-related marketing is certainly good for companies, it’s also the best way for companies to support nonprofits. Think access to shoppers not money, because that’s where the real money is.