It’s good to see mainstream media asking some questions about the big business approach of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. This Fairfax article (Sydney Morning Herald and The Sunday Age) asks questions but does not dig deep enough. In a previous post I documented the deal done by the NBCF with Woolworths for the distribution of their Pink Ribbon magazine.
If you believe the spin put out by the NBCF, the deal helps them reach more people. I’d say that is nonsense. Instead of Pink Ribbon being prominently displayed to a broad cross-section of the community, a new style Pink Ribbon is to be distributed as a -tip-=on, a free stuck on giveaway, with Women’s Weekly. Pink Ribbon readers want to buy the magazine. I know from what they say at our counter that they are frustrated that they have to go to Woolworths (Safeway).
The NBCF has decided that they would rather be on a supermarket shelf than on the shelves of a magazine specialist, that they would rather cozy with big business than small business.
It would be good to see Fairfax follow-up their story with more on the NBCF and their corporate deals. They should research whether these corporate deals lead to a disconnect with the community as I suspect is the case. Take Pink Ribbon – you are more likely to have had a conversation with a newsagency employee about the issue than would happed at a supermarket checkout. Isn’t awareness part of the NBCF mission? Based on the Pink Ribbon actions I am guessing not.
In the meantime, more newsagents are refusing to participate in other NBCF fund raising activities.
As the article by Fairfax suggests, cancer fund raising ought to be about the bigger picture rather than a body part.