Thursday, October 7, 2010
I like it on the Rubbish Tip - Breast Cancer Awareness
We all need to become more aware about Breast Cancer. So lets use SEX as our marketing tool. It is sure to work. Women will have a chuckle as they update their facebook status:
* I like it on the staircase
* I like it on the kitchen table (supposedly refering to their handbags)
Is this good marketing or a pathetic use at using sex to sell an idea?
We very quickly become confused. Lets break it down. We use marketing technique 'A' to sell the idea 'B'. If 'A' is effective then 'B' will catch on as an idea. Now if 'B' is extremely important, and life altering, does it then matter what the substance of 'A' is? I mean if 'B' is so very important, surely it is irrelevant what the content of 'A' is? Or are they ethically mutually exclusive, and so if 'A' is wrong in and of itself, then it is irrelevant regarding the importance of 'B'.
I argue strongly here, that the Breast Cancer Awareness marketing techniques used (that is, 'A') is related to the sexualisation of women, and is moraly wrong. I am saying that this marketing technique is wrong in and of itself; and while the idea of breast cancer awareness is very important, using sex to drive home the idea is just the brain child of a lazy marketing department and it continues to pervade our culture with lustful sex and the sexualisation of women.
Please don't use the argument - "well there are more important things to worry about than this". Sure. But there always is. We could talk about a blog regarding someone with foot pain - but is this irrelevant because someone in Sri Lanka has elephantitis? We could talk about how to stop a migraine - but should we stop talking about this because there is someone who is on life-support needing brain surgery? The sexualisation of women is wrong, and this marketing technique taken on face value, is cheap and pathetic.
Ohh, I just thought of a new Prostate Cancer awareness idea - Every man drop their dacks, tack a picture of their private parts and upload it to facebook... Ohh, sorry, did I go too far that time? Or am I just creatively using sex to get my idea across?
Labels:
breast cancer,
breast cancer awareness,
marketing,
sexualisation,
women
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular ALL TIME Posts
-
Join my facebook page at: PeteBrookshaw 10 Reasons Why People Don't Go To Church Times have changed. Back in the early 19...
-
This may well be my most provocative blog yet. Sometimes things are just painful. If you don't like pain, please turn away now. And thi...
-
What are the differences and similarities between leadership and management? Is there a difference? Can you be a great manager and at the s...
PeterBrookshaw.Com
This is disgusting, and now that I've read this article, I've decided I no longer wish, for my family to be affiliated with this church. I will also encourage my friends and colleagues to nolonger donate anything, affiliated with The Salvation Army, and to put there money and goods towards a worthy cause.
ReplyDeleteMy sister forwarded this onto me last night, and I too am quite shocked at both the strong anti-feminist comments and the totall disreguard of the thoughts, compassion and love, being sent out to breast cancer patients and there families. I'm in a very strong mind to write in to the newspapers to help others see, the barbaric thoughts behind the shield. I will nolonger be donateing from my weekly salary, what saddens me is how much money has allready been sent to this shovanistic, elitest and dangerous church. Sincerely M. Clarke
ReplyDeleteThe people who are turning against The Salvos for this article are not really reading it with open eyes. Did you know this is an argument against a FACEBOOK supposed breast cancer awareness campaign? What the blog is implying (in my humble opinion) is the question of why we use innuendo and sexualisation to promote awareness of cancer? On FB you are to put on your status where you like to leave your handbag but write.... I like it on the couch, or I like it on the table.. or some such thing. It implies one thing and means another. How does that promote breast cancer awareness??
ReplyDeleteCancer is horrible and so many people have been affected in some way by it. It is a touchy subject because it is so personal. Please, don't think that this is a chauvanistic or elitist view but an argument against the way someone on facebook has decided to promote breast cancer awareness. Has it done that? NO, it has caused sadness, grief and anger.
(first 2 posts) I don't think that you guys are really donating money to this church as you said; you're just frustrated and don't get it!
ReplyDeleteD
Wow. How anyone could think that The Salvation Army is anything but transparent in its approach and desire to care for people, tranform lives, make disciples, and reform society is beyond me... and yes, I work for them, so I know the good, the bad, and the ugly of the organisation.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to say that as the word spreads about the 'I like it on...' campaign, it ceases to be the innuendo we all freak out about. Once I found out what it was all about, I stopped chuckling into my sleeve, and paid some attention (although I must admit, I still chuckle when someone writes it up, especially when it's someone you wouldn't expect it from...)
But seriously, to suggest that the person posting it was blissfully unaware how it would come across, and to assume that the banter of the campaign is not part of the appeal is erroneous; naive at best. If we really wanted to just spread the word about breast cancer, why would we create a campaign that suggests women write where they like to put their handbag down? We'd just come out and say, 'I support breast cancer research, and I encourage you to do so as well.'
Now, as for whether or not this is offensive is subjective. I certainly haven't been offended by anyone's suggestion of where they like to ('keep their handbag'). The women I know who have posted have not to my knowledge compained that someone took it out of context, and if that is the concern, perhaps more thought into the wording of a post is what is called for. End of argument. If people don't participate in things that they don't agree with such as this being a sexualisation or objectification of women, then don't support it. The amount of people supporting it speaks volumes about it's appeal; like it or not, it works, and the word about breast cancer is being spread. But if we wish to affect real change, then companies need to suffer in the only place they pay attention; their bottom line (as in their wallets, not their bottom... you get it - and hopefully don't think that I am sexualising and objectifying corporate executives :-) ).
I am VERY curious to the first two posters about how this had tainted their view on The Salvation Army? Please explain more where your disgust and shock comes from, and how specifically an anti feminist, lack of concern for sufferers of breast cancer and their carers and families has been portrayed. I am not suggesting that you don't have these feelings, but I am curious about how you have derived the things you say you have derived from this debate. It seems a jump of convenience to me, and I am curious to know if I am missing a step in this process.
Hi my best friend showed me this link last night, after some people were posting it amounst others facebook status's and making them feel asthough it was disgracefull to participate in the "i like" game. I don't think its appropriate for a organisation who creates a image, of care for all people to slander and insult a harmless compaign to promote breast cancer awareness. If perhaps you don't like the way people are promoting there awareness, support and love, for pateints of breast cancer, then thats fine. I don't understand the need to try to make those people look like harlets, and feel ashamed of themselves for making a subtle satement of compassion to those they care about. What my friend was most appauled by was that it appears the church is in support of the current way to promote breast cancer awareness. To claim that a woman is disgraceing herself, and the female population by simply posting on her facebook page that she "likes it on the kitchen bench," is ludacris. Yes sex is a marketing tool, yes its not the prettiest, is it necessary no, does it work yes. Is this game offensive, no more so than anything else on facebook. There isn't anything in the world that is appreciated by all, but to bring down the good work of others, for a worthy cause, is quite disapointing. Claire Harket
ReplyDeleteI'm responding again,as requested. I suppose I should have been clearer in my statement, this is one of many disapointing things I've heard of lately regaurding this organisation, and I tried to brush them off as just rumours and foolish gossip. However to see such shocking statements displayed on a page from within the Salvation Army is harder to ignore. M.C
ReplyDeleteWith the "I like it" business, in my opinion it does put young girls out there at risk of being tormented, and viewed in a different light. these are really the girls I am worried for, they can be so innocently naive about some things that it becomes dangerous. The power of sex and sexual inuendo is extremely strong. especially to teenage boys who can be in the grips of alcohol/drugs and remember seeing an "innocent" remark on a girls page. "so you like IT on the coffee table do you?" doesn't it just run a shiver down your spine?? now i know not everyone who has posted/read these statements is in such kinds of danger. but it only takes one incident to turn it bad. and It just baffles me how this is actually doing anything positive for breast cancer?? we may all be talking/arguing about this "I like it" thing but has it raised funds? are more and more women going to get their breasts checked? i just can't really see the compassionate and loving side of this farce. i have a friend who is battleing breast cancer and she isn't to impressed. her response was "why don't you just say what you F*%#ing mean! its disrespectfull"
ReplyDeletewhile there are people out there who whole heartedly believe that they are doing something good for breast cancer awareness, there are also others doing it just for the cheekiness of it. i have seen it on some of my friends pages, girls being harrassed and girls leading guys on in a flirtatious manner. is this how we want our daughters to act??? suggestively saying to a guy "tell me where you like it"
In my honest opinion if you want to show love and compassion for a breast cancer sufferer/survivor or for the memory of a loved one, don't do it by buying into a cheap gimmick. cheap is worthless in the end.
If Men started secretly posting where they put their keys (prostate awareness) eg " i put it in the front door" " i put it in the back door" I would have the same reaction. Cancer is CANCER not SEX!
This is NOT a Salvation Army page. It is a page of someone in the Salvation Army who DOES NOT Speak for the whole Movement.
ReplyDeleteThis is HIS personal opinion.
And in My Humble opinion... HE should be more careful and sensitive about how he speaks to and about people and issuse.
Pete... you need to be more careful.