Pink Loses Its Punch, as Fewer Race for the Cure

The 2011 Komen Race for the Cure (KRFTC) attracted 40,000 participants in Washington, D.C. Only 25,000 have registered for this year’s event, which is now less than a week away.

Local Komen chapters across the U.S.—including Tuscon, Seattle, Hartford, Columbus, Richmond and Atlanta—are facing (or have already experienced) similar plunges. 

Most news stories have blamed the declines—and corresponding drops in donor pledges—to Komen’s controversial decision to pull funding from Planned Parenthood. (A decision it reversed only days later.) 

That may be true, but there’s more to it. Komen used to be a common cause that brought together people of divergent beliefs. The group’s ardent supporters have been racing for “togetherness” as much as they have for “the cure.” As former KRFTC participant Jenn McKee eloquently wrote last week in The Detroit News:

“Yes, Komen will always work to fight breast cancer, regardless of whether or not it provides grants to Planned Parenthood. I understand that. But from now on, for those who disagree with Komen’s current (or future) policy, this basic goal won’t really matter; the organization has now permanently politicized itself as yet another divisive, Red State/Blue State issue in our lives.”

McKee’s closing is particularly on point: “The number of things that bring us together, rather than pull us apart, is growing smaller by the day.”  That’s both an opportunity and a warning for all organizations—charitable and otherwise. 

Communications Is Often No Match for Human Behavior

We all know that we should eat healthier and exercise. Then why is there a growing obesity problem in America? 

Doctors know the importance of good hygiene. Yet many still don’t wash their hands properly, contributing to an estimated 98,000 deaths from hospital-acquired infections in the U.S. alone each year. 

Millions have been spent on campaigns to resolve both problems. “All we need to do is educate people,” the reasoning goes. But human behavior is far more powerful.

J.C. Penny appears to be learning that the hard way. Same-store sales at the retail giant were down 18.9 percent during the first quarter since the company announced its “Fair and Square” pricing strategy, disavowing traditional sales and couponing. 

The problem? Coupons are a “drug,” JCP’s CEO Ron Johnson (ex-Apple, ex-Target) explained to analysts. “We’ve got to wean them off this and educate our consumers,” added the retailer’s COO.

Good luck with that guys. But “sales rapture” is a potent addiction. And human behavior is resistant to a cure.

J.C. Penny’s efforts to replace that shopper’s high with better service, merchandise and store environments may take years. It’s doubtful that consumers and investors will be that patient. 

Got Your Six—Now What?

Perhaps you saw Tom Hanks wear a “6” lapel pin at the Oscars. Ryan Seacrest did the same on “American Idol.” So are Alec Baldwin, Brian Williams and a gaggle of other celebrities in this new video. 

It’s all part of “Got Your 6,” a well-coordinated campaign that aims to:

“Create a new conversation in America, one where veterans and military families are perceived as both leaders and civic assets.”

I support everything about “Got Your 6”—a military expression for “Got Your Back”—and the group’s efforts to help returning vets and their families.

But like so many campaigns of its kind, “Got Your Six” drives me to its website, and then fails to close the sale. 

What, exactly, do you want me to do beyond “change the conversation”? 

There’s an answer, but it is hidden on the group’s website. And it requires a lot more “clicks” (and effort) than most visitors will take. 

Non-profit organizations need to stop obsessing about “awareness” and get focused on “action.” You got me curious; you even got me to your website. Tell me what you want me to do. 

Online retailers have perfected “Buy It Now.” What’s your organization’s “Do It Now” button? 

Prediction: Burger King Will Rebrand as BK

If you visit Burger King’s website, you won’t find a masked king, a subservient chicken or any of the other advertising icons created last decade by Crispin, Porter + Bogusky. 

In fact, there isn’t even a whiff of a single hamburger among the six images that rotate on the chain’s home page. Same for new celebrity ads, featuring Salma Hayek, David Beckham and others. 

Critics have panned the new family-friendly “exciting things are happening” repositioning. But same-store sales are actually up for the first time in more than two years at Burger King, rising 4.2 percent in North America during the first quarter. 

I would never have predicted that. Transforming the home of the Whopper into another Panera-wanna-be sounds more like desperation than a strategy to me. 

But I will predict this: With an IPO rumored for this summer, Burger King will officially change its name to BK. (Or at least it should.) 

Just makes sense, doesn’t it? 

Common Good Starts by Finding Common Ground

Many corporations share a common delusion: “If people only knew about all the good things we do, they’d think more positively about us.”

That’s why we see ads that feature smiling employees planting trees, cleaning up playgrounds, and painting wall murals with disadvantaged kids. (Bonus points for a rainbow.)

The problem, of course, is that we’ve all seen those images a thousand times, from companies good and bad, so we filter it as “corporate propaganda” or shrug with an indifferent “so what.” 

Exxon Mobil, which has fallen prey to same clichés, has taken a different tack with this new ad (click here or on the play button above) that promotes its support of the National Science and Math Initiative. 

I don’t know enough about Exxon Mobil’s effort to tell you whether it is sincere or meaningful. But I’d give the energy giant an A+ for understanding a fundamental communications lesson:

Until you find common ground with an audience, you have no chance to work for common good. 

The common ground here? Anxiousness that the U.S. is falling behind in math and science, and that our school systems are inadequately equipped to fill the void. The common good: Better schools, better students, better scientists, and a more competitive economy. 

That’s an entirely different frame than “Exxon Mobil cares.” 

Dear XOM execs: Use this program to establish a real dialogue with people, rather than as another platform for pumping corporate platitudes. Then don’t ask for credit; let us do the talking. 

Update on Mon, May 7, 2012 at 12:36PM by Frank J. Oswald

DIFFERENT AD, DIFFERENT TAKEAWAY. Compare the well-executed Exxon Mobil ad above to XOM’s feel-good “celebrating teachers” ad that falls into familiar traps: from the stock music and corny classroom imagery to its faux-folksy payoff (“thank you, Mr. Davies”). The story may be real, but it doesn’t feel real. Big difference.