In 2011 when I was undergoing cancer treatment I wrote about pinkwashing – the practice of associating a product with breast cancer charities, usually by making a pink version.
I was driven in part by my frustration that while everywhere I looked corporations were supporting breast cancer charities, almost nothing was being done for any other cancer, including the lymphoma with which I had been diagnosed. I had a dog in the fight.
Pride month wrapped up a couple weeks ago. Everywhere I looked on social media, I saw rainbows on corporate logos. This leads me to ask the question – is Pride becoming the new pinkwashing?
As a cis hetero person, I don’t have a personal dog in this fight, though I thoroughly support LGBTQ+ rights. My marketing brain wonders how many of these companies with the rainbow-hued logos put their money where their corporate mouth is and support causes important to the LGBTQ+ community?
In my post about pinkwashing, I published four guidelines for cause-related marketing:
- Where can my company make a difference?
- What causes would our customers value?
- What causes would our employees value?
- What causes really need help?
I missed one back then.
- Are we supporting the cause in a meaningful, preferably financial, way?
If you’re not doing that, it’s arguable to me that you’re appropriating a cause to help you sell more stuff.