[GCFL-discuss] Fwd: Pink & White M&M's

[gcfl-discuss at gcfl.net]

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/charity/pinkm&ms.asp

Eagle

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Claim:   Part of the proceeds from bags of pink and white M&Ms go to fund
breast cancer research.

Status:   Was true, but the promotion has ended.

Examples:   [Collected on the Internet, 2003]


The makers of M&M candies has teamed up with the Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation to raise funds through the sale of their new "pink &
white" M&M candies. For each 8-ounce bag of the special candies sold, the
makers of M&M (Masterfoods) will donate 50 cents to the foundation. The next
time you want a treat, please pick up a bag (now sold in stores
nationwide) - you will be donating to a great cause and satisfying your
sweet tooth.

Please pass on to all your family and friends. - Thank you.


Origins:   Recent
years have brought an awareness of how widespread is breast cancer, a
disease which the American Cancer Society estimates will be diagnosed in
211,300 new cases and cause 40,000 deaths in 2003 alone, making this an
illness that is everyone's business.

We're happy to report this is one of the rare e-mail exhortations that was
truthful. Sales of 8-ounce bags of pink and white M&Ms resulted in
Masterfoods donating 50 cents per bag to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation, a charitable organization that funds cancer research, education,
and screening. The foundation is very good at what is does and has raised
$450 million in the past 21 years and $139 million in 2002 alone.

The promotion ended in December 2003.

However, it was not true every time someone bought a bag of the pink and
white confections 50 cents went to the Foundation, because there was a limit
to the corporate benevolence Masterfoods was willing to expend on this
promotion. The candy maker capped its potential donation at $650,000, which
meant once 1.3 million bags of the pink and white candies were vended the
campaign is over.

This sort of promotion is known as cause-related marketing - the
manufacturer chooses a worthy cause, then ties a particular product to a
donation scheme dependent upon sales. Through this promotion, the
manufacturer gains far greater publicity for its act of generosity than if
it had merely cut a check and handed it over to a charity, the product picks
up positive associations in the minds of consumers that last well beyond the
campaign, shoppers are moved to select the designated product over that of a
competitor's or to purchase more than they otherwise would have, and
consumer guilt over "sinful" products (like candy) is counterbalanced by the
impression such purchases contribute to the greater good.

Cause-related marketing is experiencing a sharp upswing, so expect to see
more tie-ins between products and charities on your next few shopping
expeditions.

Barbara "cause and market effect" Mikkelson