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Pink ribbon untied
By Elliot Ferguson The Whig-Standard
Updated 1 hour ago
Most people have faced the decision at one time or another: the choice between two products — one marked with a pink ribbon.
Many consumers opt for the ribboned product, thinking a portion of the cost will be directed to breast cancer research.
It's been a wildly successful marketing campaign for hundreds of products and has raised millions of dollars.
But where does that money go?
"No one really knows and that is a problem," said Dr. Samantha King of the Queen's University school of kinesiology and health studies. "I've been working on it for over a decade and I don't even know."
King's 2006 book, Pink Ribbons Inc., examined the pink ribbon marketing campaign. The book has been turned into a $1.2-million National Film Board movie documentary set to premiere Sunday night at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The book and movie look critically at the commercialization of the pink ribbon campaign and ask why society is approaching the fight against cancer through shopping.
"I thought at some level it was a fad that would just fade away, but it didn't. It just kept growing and growing and growing," she said.
While the amount of money raised by pink ribbon campaigns and events increases, research into the fight against cancer advances slowly.
The book and documentary show breast cancer-related mortality rates have not changed significantly in 60 years, and women diagnosed with breast cancer face the same treatment options they did 40 years ago.
According to Canadian Cancer Society statistics, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women — not including non-melanoma skin cancer — and accounts for about 15% of all cancers.
About 23,400 women and 190 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. In the same year, 5,100 women and 55 men will die from the disease.
About one in nine women is expected to develop breast cancer during their lifetime and one in 29 will die from it.
The documentary is scheduled to show three times during the Toronto festival, on Sept. 11, 13 and 18.
King said she is excited about the premiere.
The movie includes interviews with most of the major players in the pink ribbon marketing campaigns, including cancer advocates and representatives of corporations such as Avon and Ford.
She said she hopes the movie will make people think about where their donations go and how companies use the pink ribbon in marketing.
"It's very hard to imagine a sudden end to pink ribbon marketing," King said. "All we can do is change the conversation and get the public to ask different questions."
[email protected]
By Elliot Ferguson The Whig-Standard
Updated 1 hour ago
Most people have faced the decision at one time or another: the choice between two products — one marked with a pink ribbon.
Many consumers opt for the ribboned product, thinking a portion of the cost will be directed to breast cancer research.
It's been a wildly successful marketing campaign for hundreds of products and has raised millions of dollars.
But where does that money go?
"No one really knows and that is a problem," said Dr. Samantha King of the Queen's University school of kinesiology and health studies. "I've been working on it for over a decade and I don't even know."
King's 2006 book, Pink Ribbons Inc., examined the pink ribbon marketing campaign. The book has been turned into a $1.2-million National Film Board movie documentary set to premiere Sunday night at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The book and movie look critically at the commercialization of the pink ribbon campaign and ask why society is approaching the fight against cancer through shopping.
"I thought at some level it was a fad that would just fade away, but it didn't. It just kept growing and growing and growing," she said.
While the amount of money raised by pink ribbon campaigns and events increases, research into the fight against cancer advances slowly.
The book and documentary show breast cancer-related mortality rates have not changed significantly in 60 years, and women diagnosed with breast cancer face the same treatment options they did 40 years ago.
According to Canadian Cancer Society statistics, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women — not including non-melanoma skin cancer — and accounts for about 15% of all cancers.
About 23,400 women and 190 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. In the same year, 5,100 women and 55 men will die from the disease.
About one in nine women is expected to develop breast cancer during their lifetime and one in 29 will die from it.
The documentary is scheduled to show three times during the Toronto festival, on Sept. 11, 13 and 18.
King said she is excited about the premiere.
The movie includes interviews with most of the major players in the pink ribbon marketing campaigns, including cancer advocates and representatives of corporations such as Avon and Ford.
She said she hopes the movie will make people think about where their donations go and how companies use the pink ribbon in marketing.
"It's very hard to imagine a sudden end to pink ribbon marketing," King said. "All we can do is change the conversation and get the public to ask different questions."
[email protected]
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