Seeing pink
Whoever came up with the idea of associating the color pink with breast cancer awareness is a marketing genius. The world seems awash in pink this October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Whether you like pink or not, nearly everyone gets the connection when they see pink everything.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization first formed the pink link when it created a logo containing a pink ribbon in 1982. Eventually, everyone from Estee Lauder to KitchenAid decided to think pink. No doubt they see green when shoppers buy pink products knowing some portion of sales ó however small ó may help the cause.
How far we have come. Decades ago, cancer was discussed in hushed terms, and breast cancer was practically unmentionable. Now consumers see countless pink reminders about breast cancer and the need for early detection. You can’t get away from it. If the pink phenomenon is as successful at saving lives as it is at permeating the culture, death from breast cancer should become a thing of the past.