October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and along with that comes the ubiquitous pink ribbon. Numerous entities slap the symbol on products and claim charitable donations will go to breast cancer research. But how can you be sure such so-called “cause marketing” is legitimate? New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman talks about his effort to make these types of marketing campaigns more transparent.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation have joined with New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in a consumer protection effort. The Attorney General says he has developed a Five Best Practices for Cause Marketing to protect consumers and charities from marketing scams based on charitable efforts or groups.
Attorney General Schneiderman says he’s not trying to stop cause marketing and his Best Practices are meant to assure that such campaigns actually benefit charities.
Cause marketing often relies on emotional reactions, and New York’s Attorney General cautions that’s a time when consumers must be smart and wary of claims.
The Attorney General drafted the Five Best Practices for Cause Marketing following a year-long review of pink-ribbon and other campaigns that found consumers often do not understand the marketing claims.
