Komen Foundation Responds to Questions Raised About Cause-Related Marketing Programs for Breast Cancer As you may know, Breast Cancer Action, a national advocacy organization, recently launched a consumer awareness campaign called "Think Before You Pink," in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The campaign claims that many companies are using the breast cancer cause as a "marketing ploy to sell products and promote their brand while donating very little to the cause." The campaign has received attention from several media outlets, including USA Today (10/14/02) and CNN American Morning with Paula Zahn (10/15/02), among others. The coverage has put some of our corporate sponsors in the spotlight, including Eureka, Yoplait and American Express. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation stands firmly behind the fundraising efforts of its corporate sponsors, despite recent media coverage that calls into question corporate cause-related marketing for breast cancer. The Komen Foundation is very selective about which partnerships it enters into and works carefully with corporate partners and other organizations to determine and establish program elements that support the mission of the Foundation. These cause-related programs address a variety of objectives including fundraising, building awareness, educating consumers, encouraging activism, and cultivating volunteers. We work with our partners to ensure that information regarding the program is clearly communicated to the consumer so they have an understanding of the program and can decide whether or not to participate. We strive to develop diversified programs that provide many options for consumers to support the fight against breast cancer in a way that is comfortable and meaningful to them. The fundraising efforts of the Komen Foundation's corporate partners have resulted in millions of dollars in revenue for the Komen Foundation each year. While it is important to look at how the money is raised, we believe it is equally important to look at how the money raised is spent. The monies received from cause-related marketing programs have a direct impact on the Foundation's mission, which is to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment. To learn more about the Komen Foundation and how the funds raised support the fight against breast cancer, please see our most recent annual report. (Link to annual report:) http://www.komen.org/sgk/SGK_00_AR.pdf Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.