Pink?

**theworm**[$] · #1 10-20-2006, 10:29 AM

How many of you are wearing something pink today for breast cancer awareness?

I've got on a bright pink blouse, and pink sandals, and a pink rubber breast cancer bracelet, and a Lynnzop-original breastcancer bracelet, and a pink necklace and pink all under.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #2 10-20-2006, 10:36 AM

[politically incorrect]

I am breast-cancer-awareness saturated. All month I have been visually inundated with pink ribbons in store windows, used to shill products; in magazines, with endless articles about how breast cancer should be every woman's Number One Fear (when actually heart disease affects more women, but why quibble); and attached to fundraising invitations, where I suspect the cost of running the fundraiser eats up a large portion of the money they're raising. No, I am not wearing pink and I don't see anyone wearing pink in my office, and I'm not at all upset about it.

(Don't get me wrong, I know it's serious and we all need to watch for it and continue to fund projects to eradicate it and all that, but it's really starting to tilt into overkill IMHO.)

[/politically incorrect]

**theworm**[$] · #3 10-20-2006, 10:56 AM

I agree that pink ribbon breakfast cereal is a bit over the top.
Truth is, I'm probably wearing pink 4 days of the week anyway. I just love pink! And I'm the only person I've seen so far today wearing any.

**hadassahchana**[$] · #4 10-20-2006, 01:26 PM

Happy accident, but I finally figured out why everyone keeps coming up to me and saying,"Wow, you are even wearing pink boots!"

Like there is another colour or something?

And MJ, does that mean you aren't having Campbell's chicken noodle soup in the pink can for lunch today?

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #5 10-20-2006, 01:39 PM

That's right. And I skipped the Pink Ribbon Bagel today too.

**hadassahchana**[$] · #6 10-20-2006, 01:41 PM

Bagel???

Ok, now that's unnatural and a crime against nature. you don't go messing with bagels.

**theworm**[$] · #7 10-20-2006, 02:11 PM

Oh my! Is it really pink?

**lynnzop**[$] · #8 10-20-2006, 02:54 PM

Ribbon on my bracelet that I wore to work today is all. I don't think I OWN anything pink.

**hadassahchana**[$] · #9 10-20-2006, 06:22 PM

Lynn, it's not too late to change. Come on over to the Pink Side!

mtbat · #10 10-20-2006, 09:33 PM

I have a pink ribbon pinned to my purse. And pink strawberries on my bra

Honestly I did forget.

magenta321 · #11 10-21-2006, 06:56 AM

Was it women wear pink day or something? I honestly had no idea, but I did have a pink shirt on with my grey suit. I just like pink and grey together.

I'm not sick of the breast cancer awareness things. I do like it when I buy a product -- like M&Ms and they automatically donate to breast cancer charities. I do not like it when I buy a product, like Sun Chips and they use the pink ribbon logo on their product, and promise to give money to charity... but you buying the product is not enough... you have to register it online. They put in extra steps which mean less of the money will actually go to charity. Why isn't buying their product enough?

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #12 10-21-2006, 10:00 AM

Read the labels of the products that donate automatically - often there's a limit of how much they'll give in a given year written in the fine print. Generally, if M&M's decides they're going to give up to $100,000, they're going to give $100,000 whether or not you buy that particular package of M&M's - and they'll keep putting the "we support breast cancer research" label on the bags even after the number of bags are sold that equals the $100,000. So they're making a donation (and getting a tax deduction) and marketing all in one fell swoop.

magenta321 · #13 10-21-2006, 11:48 AM

It does say that, and I was aware of it. I still think it's honest as compared to the "we will donate if you jump through hoops, but we'll put the pink ribbon on our products so we look like we care" approach. Both approaches have limits on how much money they will donate (they'd be foolish not to).

I do have a better image of M&Ms now, honestly. I do think it has made me buy more, even of the M&Ms that don't have the pink ribbon on the packaging -- like the dark chocolate M&Ms. It's a great marketing gimmick, and it makes me feel as though M&Ms cares about something I care about. And if they see myself and Wormie's boss buying more products corresponding to the times when they are donating money to charities, they will continue these marketing campaigns. The charities win, the companies win, and I don't see how I've really lost anything.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #14 10-21-2006, 11:53 AM

As long as you realize you're being manipulated, and not buying something you wouldn't already buy, or not paying more for something just because it has the pink ribbon on it.

magenta321 · #15 10-21-2006, 12:14 PM

Oh, I'm being manipulated, but I realize it. We're all manipulated all the time by advertising, however. Not just the stuff with the pink ribbons on it.

For example, there is a jewelry store directly over the one I work for in the mall. We often have the same merchendise from the same vendors. Their retail price is always 2x greater than ours. The moment a customer walks in the door, they say "we'll give you fifty percent off." The customer now thinks that they're getting a great deal (but they're really paying our full retail price). Then they'll give them an additional 10% off. Wow, what a bargain!

If they came into my store, they would have started with our retail price, and gotten 20% off. They'd have saved money.

They could go into the store across the hall from us, where the price on the item is the price you pay. They don't jack up prices just to discount them.

To me, each store is manipulating the customer, except the one across the hall. But do you know if their no haggle prices are any lower than ours or even the same as ours?

Does the customer in the first store realize how much they're being manipulated? Or do they just think "wow I got 50 plus 10 percent off!" Actually... it's worse than that... people think 50% +10% = 60% which it does not.

Any where you look at sales or marketing, it's a matter of manipulating the customer. Once you accept that, you have to decide which manufactorer or retailer is going to go the extra mile for you in terms of product, service, quality, etc.

nicholmere · #16 10-21-2006, 05:14 PM

I was eating pink M&Ms and wearing a new pink bra. I guess they are things I would buy normally. Although I do prefer red M&Ms

mtbat · #17 10-21-2006, 11:19 PM

I like blue M&M's

and green ones

and yellow ones

and red ones

and... well any M&M that has chocolate and peanuts in it

**theworm**[$] · #18 10-23-2006, 09:57 AM

I love pink, and I love Pink M&Ms.

I agree - nobody should go buy some pink ribbon product if they wouldn't normally buy it, but if I'm going to buy M&Ms (or whatever) anyway - I would buy the pink before the regular. I needed a pair of keds, so when I could buy a pink ribbon pair (just one ribbon - not tons of tacky ones) I chose them over the regular.

But I can never have too much pink.