May 2, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Paul Jones, the author of Cause-Related Marketing, wonders if the proliferation of ribbons to denote charity causes has gotten out of hand.
He says he started asking questions when he noticed in an advertisement that the March of Dimes uses a pink and blue ribbon as a symbol.
“Could ribbons be overused to the point where there’s a ribbon backlash?” he asks.
Mr. Jones, a communications and marketing consultant at Alden Keene & Associates, highlights some of the uses of ribbons around the world—red for AIDS awareness, pink for the fight against breast cancer, purple for the fight against cystic fibrosis, white for the campaign to end violence against women, and so on.
Some colors denote more than one cause, he says, noting that purple ribbons also are used as a protest against horse slaughter, as a sign of Pagan solidarity, and in memory of the musician John Lennon.
“Here’s a suggested rule of thumb if your cause or nonprofit is thinking about utilizing a colored ribbon: If you’re one of the first five to adopt the color, well bully for you and your cause. Run hard with it,” he writes.
“But if you’re the last ribbon to the party…say, number six or beyond…then it’s time to go back to the drawing board and develop some other iconic image and color that can denote the unique passion, mission, and thrust of your nonprofit.”
Do you think ribbons are an effective symbol for a cause? Click on the comments link just below this posting to share your thoughts.
