You mean the #pinkwashing drill bits WEREN'T a hoax?

Look, we've all been burned by internet hoaxes. So when something seems too ridiculous to be true, we can only assume it's someone's idea of a joke.

That's what I assumed when I saw this #doingourbit pinkwashing campaign trending. It's a about a drilling services company that is distributing pink drill bits to customers to "raise awareness" about breast cancer.

From EcoWatch:

Susan G. Komen, the largest breast cancer organization in America with more than 100,000 volunteers and partnerships in more than 50 countries, has teamed up with Baker Hughes, one of the world’s largest oilfield service companies with employees in more than 80 countries. Susan G. Komen hands out pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness, and Baker Hughes fracks. So, there you have it: a pink, fracking, drill head.

The post goes on to talk about how fracking causes cancer. Here's some more info on that.

I was still skeptical, so I went to the Baker-Hughes site. Here's their press release:

Last October, during National Breast Cancer Awareness month, Baker Hughes distributed 500 pink drill bits to customers as part of its "Doing Our Bit for the Cure" campaign. This year, the company will paint and distribute a total of 1,000 pink drill bits worldwide. The pink bits serve as a reminder of the importance of supporting research, treatment, screening, and education to help find the cures for this disease, which claims a life every 60 seconds.

And here's their page at Komen.

And here is an actual quote from an industry magazine:

“Our hope is from the water cooler to the rig site to the coffee shop to everywhere, someone gets this information to their spouses, their girlfriends, their daughters so we can create awareness and end this disease forever,” said Bill Debo, director of operations for U.S. land drill bits at Baker Hughes.

Still rubbing my eyes in disbelief, I have Tweeted at both parties asking for confirmation. But in this case, it seems that the truth of pinkwashing is stranger than fiction.

Pink Stink: Susan G. Komen for the Cure gets political

Update: Jezebel reports (Feb 3) that Komen has reinstated funding to Planned Parenthood.

 Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the most powerful brand in the world involved in fundraising for breast cancer prevention and research, has had its share of problems.

There was "Buckets for The Cure" — remember that?

Putting their brand, indiscriminately, on any retail item (regardless of whether it was healthy or not) gave rise to the pinkwashing backlash. Not only was the appropriateness of the various cobrandings questioned by many, but also the efficacy of the fundraising and their aggressive trademark practices.

The last straw, for me, was when they launched their own line of perfume which Breast Cancer Action claimed contains cancer-causing compounds.

Increasingly, this organization seems to operate like any big brand, with a ruthless desire to grow its influence, generate revenue, and eliminate competition. Is that really what cause marketing is supposed to be about?

Their response:

"Research doesn’t come cheap. We need to raise money, and we’re not apologetic about it,” [spokesperson Leslie] Aun said. Komen, founded in 1982, has contributed $685 million to breast cancer research and $1.3 billion to community programs that help with mammograms, transportation and other needs, Aun said. Komen would love not to have to do marketing, but that simply is not realistic, she said. 

“We don’t think there’s enough pink. We’re able to make those investments in research because of programs like that.”

But much of Komen's credibility as a serious champion of women's health collapsed this week when it was learned that they decided to stop funding breast screening for low-income women through Planned Parenthood.

The politics are ugly. The anti-abortion lobby in the United States has been trying to shut down planned parenthood for the past couple of years, convincing governments to defund its health operations because they include the provision of abortions (in addition to birth control and many other community health services).

According to the Washington Post, two women can be credited with Komen going political and joining the ranks of the American pro-life movement. Komen's Vice President for Policy for the past year, Karen Handel, is a politician who made a run at the Governorship of Georgia on an anti-abortion ticket. And then there's Americans United for Life President Charmaine Yoest, who is responsible for Planned Parenthood being investigated by the Energy and Commerce Committee — giving Komen the excuse to defund.

Oh, and what's this?

"Immediately after hearing the news of the Komen Foundation’s decision to withdraw its funding from Planned Parenthood, breast cancer survivor Dr. Charmaine Yoest registered 'Team Life' and pledged to rejoin the Global Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. on June 2, 2012. 

'The Komen Foundation’s decision to disassociate itself from the scandal-ridden abortion provider should be applauded and encouraged by pro-life women across the country,' said Dr. Yoest."

This decision by Komen to firmly entrench itself in the politics of reproductive choice will be a fateful one. It will certainly lead to more support by those who side with the decision. But what about the millions of "mainstream" supporters — including many women's health groups — who were happily buying pink and doing fundraising as an apolitical feel-good move? Do they really want to have to choose sides?

The backlash has already begun.

There is an interesting result of all the media frenzy, though. Gothamist reports that through online networking alone, Planned Parenthood was able to raise $650,000 (the number keeps going up) in private donations in just 24 hours. Last year, Komen's funding was $680,000.

With government funding for not-for-profits on the decline anyway, Planned Parenthood may want to look to social media fundraising as the way of the future.

UPDATE: Mashable reports that Komen has also pissed off the hacker community:

Ouch.

Pinkwashing season is here

It's October, and that means it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can expect to see lots of touching, provocative, heartfelt, and inappropriately sexy awareness and fundraising campaigns in the next four weeks.

And you will also see a lot of this:



What Miley is telling you is that you can raise a whole dollar for breast cancer research buying a pink Sharpie, autographing a piece of paper, scanning it and uploading it to their site.

Did I mention buying a pink Sharpie?

This is what is known as "pinkwashing". A play on "greenwashing", where companies take on superficial environmental programs and loudly tout it as corporate social responsibility, pinkwashing refers to companies that jump on the pink bandwagon without really doing much. (And in the worst cases, actually contribute to rising cancer rates.)

According to Think Before You Pink, there are some key questions to ask yourself before diving in to a private sector breast cancer initiative.

Let's see how Sharpie does:

1. How much money from your purchase actually goes toward breast cancer? Is the amount clearly stated on the package?

In this case, it is. It's a buck.

2. What is the maximum amount that will be donated?

$10,000 Not bad. But then again, Sharpie is ultimately owned by a company that did $1.5 Billion in sales last quarter.

3. How are the funds being raised?

Through purchase and user engagement. Since purchase is an honour system (I doubt they know if you used a Sharpie or another brand) this seems direct enough on their end.

4. To what breast cancer organization does the money go, and what types of programs does it support?

City of Hope, a U.S. National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. miley Cyrus is a spokesperson there, as well, which explains here (obviously fleeting) involvement in this campaign.

5. What is the company doing to assure that its products are not actually contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?

There seems to be a lot of urban legend online about getting cancer from Sharpies... but it appears to be just that: myth. The manufacturer, Sanford, makes liquid paper, which is pretty damn toxic, but apparently it has also been cleared of carcinogenic effects.

So, should you buy a pink Sharpie, write your name, scan it, upload it, and generate a dollar for breast cancer research and treatment? Sure. But you can also just send a cheque directly to City of Hope. You'll do more good that way.

What's next? Anti-diabetes poutine?

KFC has provoked cries of hypocrisy over its latest corporate social responsibility campaign, Buckets for the Cure.



The basic deal is that 50¢ from every special pink bucket will go to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an important charity in the fight against breast cancer. With a minimum $1,000,000 donation, and over $2,800,000 raised so far, this represents the single largest donation Komen will ever have received.

That's the good news. The campaign Facebook page gives the lunchbag letdown that corporately, KFC operators have already made a 50¢ donation for every pink bucket they bought, and that your purchases of pink chicken buckets make no difference. (Even though you are encouraged to donate directly.)

More disturbing is the menu at the top of the page:



That's right. The Double Down. Perhaps the greasiest breakthrough in fast food innovation since gravy pizza. But I've already blogged about that. Just in case you're wondering about how it's being marketed:



This rant, though, is more about pinkwashing. Borrowed from the popular term "greenwashing", which describes a misleading environmental stewardship campaign, pinkwashing is the health version. Specifically for breast cancer.

How pinkwashed is this campaign?

From the Komen site:

Many studies have linked body weight to breast cancer risk. However, weight affects risk for pre and postmenopausal women differently. Before menopause, being overweight appears to decrease a woman's risk of getting breast cancer. After menopause, however, being overweight increases the risk by 30 to 60 percent. This relationship can be explained mainly by the fact that fat tissue contains an enzyme called aromatase. This enzyme converts hormones called androgens (made mostly in the adrenal glands) to estrogens, and this extra estrogen can increase breast cancer risk. Learn more about estrogen and breast cancer risk.

Yoiks! Perhaps that chicken should come with an age restriction.

But cynicism aside, I realize how important a big contribution like this is in the fight against cancer. It's just unfortunate that it's coming in parallel with a move towards serving less and less healthy food. It has actually led to some pretty harsh criticism and satire aimed at Komen.

And speaking of health causes, our iheartmom.ca campaign for women's heart health is now in week 2. Please join Joannie Rochette and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute to raise money and awareness to fight heart disease — the #1 killer of women in North America.