Substance is there, some women just can’t connect with it
In the post, I had expressed my dismay at the sight of footballers wearing bright pink shorts and jerseys and stated firmly that the use of the color pink to market anything to women was certainly style over substance. In fact, it now has its own marketing term ‘pinkwash’.
Some of the posts below express the concern that I was maligning the color pink (which Marcus did acknowledge is the color preferred for female babies and little girls) and its role as a marketing tool to raise funds for worthy causes, in particular the Breast Cancer Foundation.
To expand on this, the NRL’s One Community initiative is working with the McGrath Foundation on the goal to make 10,000 people Breast Aware in season 2010. The women and men of the NRL behind this goal are to be acknowledged.
As a woman who has been personally touched by breast cancer, I fully support any initiative which raises funds to battle this insidious disease. But I also feel that this subject is a sensitive and personal one and that any marketing initiatives around it need to be treated tastefully.
I am also a baby boomer female managing a global media business and like many women with such responsibilities, I know that I have left my ‘little girl’ days behind me a long time ago. So realistically, I just do not connect with the color pink in a mature context and in fact, truly do feel offended (and left out) by seeing beefy blokes from a sporting code that does not have a deep history of supporting women, using it in such a global manner to connect with women.
I would call on the NRL to work to include women such as myself in their marketing initiatives. We have wide reaching and powerful networks that could enhance your fundraising efforts. All we ask is that you tone down the pink.
July 11th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
I’m sorry, you don’t connect with me at all. People so easily offended by a colour might be well served to develop a thicker skin. Why aren’t you offended by red with it’s clear association with communist China?
Taking a swipe at an excellent charitable organisation that has chosen to use pink as its theme is just mean spirited. And before you state that you haven’t directly, unfortunately, a brighter marketing flame has done terrific work with the McGrath Foundation and now most people in Australia will link the colour to their work.
Happy for you to have your own ideas, but please don’t deride those of others.
July 13th, 2010 at 10:45 am
Kelly, thanks for for feedback. I don’t expect to connect with everyone and for me the beauty of living in a democracy is having freedom speech and to decide what I like and don’t like, just like you.
If you do read my comments again you will see that I have acknowledged the work of the charities. I am a strong supporter of the Breast Cancer Foundation both through my business and personally.
It is the hijacking of a color which is gender specific (not politcial as you suggest with the color red) and used by any organisation dominated by men, still has me concerned.