Day 30: Facebook Ads

I'll admit it, I spend a TON of time on Facebook.  In fact, if you are reading this right now, you probably linked to it from my Facebook page.  With a bazillion users and growing every day, it is a powerful tool for marketing and marketing pink ribbon crap is no exception:

A small ad for deodorant popped up along the right-hand side of my Facebook page so of course, I had to click on it.  Naturally Fresh is running a breast cancer awareness campaign and is using Facebook to market it's deodorant.

The key selling feature is that you can use this deodorant while getting a mammogram and it will not obscure the results. 

If you've ever had a mammogram, you already know that you are not supposed to wear deodorant at all.  I think it has something to do with all the metals in standard deodorant (which have not been linked to breast cancer, despite the periodic e-mail chains to the contrary).  It isn't a huge hardship.  You get a mammogram once a year, so for a few hours until your appointment, you can't wear deodorant.  I try hard to avoid things like the gym, being in the heat, cooking and any other things that make me sweat until after my annual smooshing.  Then I put on some deodorant (but I still avoid the aforementioned actitvities).

I really can't see myself buying a deodorant that is useful for one day out of the year.  And, no offense to "natural" products, but my experience has been that when you shop like a hippie, you end up smelling like one, too.

I'm not going to go in to detail on all the other ones that I found, but a few snippets:

American Airlines "Fly For the Cure":  Wants you to "like" their page and pin a pink ribbon on the map where you live.  You can also go through a link on their page to donate directly to Komen.  AA is giving airline miles for your donations, so it is actually a pretty cool idea, in my opinion.  Plus, you are donating directly instead of via the corporation. 

Bank of America:  Been there, done that, see previous blog entry.

Good Cook's Hope:  It seems to me that there is a typo there, but I guess "cook's" could be posessive there, too.  Anyway, if you click on that ad it takes you to a Publix rebate form.  If you purchase a certain amount of P&G cookware, you get a rebate.  No indication of a donation, no indication of an organization that is funded, and even though "Good Cook" is a registered trademark, I can't seem to find the exact website for the organization.  This might be it, but I can't find any reference to breast cancer on their website.

I DID find out that they are based in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, which I just find totally hilarious to say.

Dress Barn's Pink Pledge:  Leave it to a place whose name makes you automatically associate yourself with a cow or horse before entering.  Dress Barn's "Pink Pledge" is basically just a place where you can go on and enter your contact information (for coupons and other information) and say you are going to take care of yourself.  I rank pledges to Dress Barn right up there with the Pledge of Allegience.  If I tell Dress Barn I'm going to do something, then surely me and the other 6,000 women who took the pledge will do it, too.  Oh, upload a photo?  Why sure.  Feel free to use my face in your marketing, Dress Barn.  You are what's right with corporate America what with us giving you our contact info in the name of a good cause and then promoting yourselves like you are actually doing something.

Woah.  Sorry 'bout that rant.  I think I'm mostly mad about the "barn" part.