Every year Pink Ribbon Blues gets numerous PR pitches, most of which come from companies and organizations looking to profit from the breast cancer industry. I thought you might like to see some of them.
Read the pitch. Read the Retort.
And if you’re so moved, contact these folks yourself.
This PR pitch comes from Mike at Pornhub (mike@phubcommunications.com).
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Hey, how’s it going?
Wanted to give you the heads up on the return of Pornhub’s “Save the Boobs” campaign, brought to the masses by Pornhub Cares. It officially kicked off today, October 1st, to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Check out the official landing page here (SFW): http://www.pornhub.com/cares/save-the-boobs
The campaign, which will conceptually mirror its previous iteration, is seeking clicks and video views from Pornhub users around the globe on the site’s ‘Big Tits’ and ‘Small Tits’ categories. Just like the last go-round, the company is pledging to donate 1 cent for every 30 video views in each category to raise funds for breast cancer research throughout the month. At the conclusion of the campaign, all proceeds will donated to a yet unnamed charity partner.
I included the official press release below, let me know if you need anything additional!
Mike
— PRESS RELEASE–
Pornhub Cares Kicks Off New ‘Save the Boobs’ Campaign to Support Breast Cancer Awareness
Adult Site Announces Return of Breast Cancer Fundraising Initiative to Donate 1 Cent for Every 30 Videos Viewed
New York, NY (October 1, 2015) – Today, Pornhub, the premier online destination for adult entertainment, officially announced the return of their Save the Boobs campaign under their new Pornhub Cares philanthropic division. The campaign, which will conceptually mirror its previous iteration, is seeking clicks and video views from users around the globe in their ‘Big Tits’ and ‘Small Tits’ categories to raise funds for breast cancer research. Pornhub will be donating – to a yet unnamed charity – 1 cent for every 30 views in the aforementioned categories.
For this go-round, Pornhub has commissioned adult actress, and former Penthouse Pet of the Month, Dani Daniels to act as the face of the campaign, as well as an educator to those who visit the campaign’s landing page. There, viewers are encouraged to watch an instructional video where Daniels carefully explains the correct steps to administer a breast self exam as a preventative measure for detecting a potential breast cancer diagnosis.
“We’re very excited to be bringing back the ‘Save the Boobs’ campaign, especially given the success it saw during its previous iterations,” said Corey Price, Vice President, Pornhub. “Our efforts yielded a sizeable donation that our recipient charities were able to genuinely use for a good cause. Supporting breast cancer research is something that we care deeply about, and we know our users feel the same way. With their help we can continue our fight against breast cancer in a fun, but positive way.”
To contribute to the cause, simply visit the landing page on the Pornhub Cares page and follow the prompts, or head to the ‘categories’ tab on Pornhub.com’s home page and browse videos from “Small Tits” or “Big Tits” groupings. The ‘Save the Boobs’ page will keep track of the total unique visits for the month, and can be viewed in real time on the aforementioned landing page.
For more information, please visit the ‘Save the Boobs’ page on Pornhub Cares at www.pornhub.com/cares/save-the-boobs
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About Pornhub:
Founded in 2007, Pornhub is the leading free, ad-supported adult video streaming website, offering viewers the opportunity to upload and share their own videos. With over 3 million videos and over 60 million visitors a day, Pornhub truly is the best adult site in the world. Pornhub has built the largest dedicated membership base in the adult community, with over 4 million engaged and loyal members, offering viewers a fun and sophisticated social experience directly in site, complete with messaging, photos, achievement badges and much more.
This email was sent by GHA Technology, located at 288 BLVD, Suite 201, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604 (USA).
RETORT
Well, Mike. Here’s something “additional” that might help you!
When the pink ribbon was created in 1992 it quickly became an icon for breast cancer awareness and advocacy. As the focal point of a burgeoning health social movement, the pink ribbon promoted solidarity and visibility of the Cause even as the pretty, pink, and non-threatening symbol evoked traditional gendered qualities such as nurturance, emotional connection, and feminine appearance. Public interest in the Cause gave way to commercialization and an excessive array of feminine product placements—anything from jewelry, clothing and cosmetics to figurines, toilet paper, and pink appliances. Primarily functioning as a logo for the breast cancer brand, the pink ribbon helped to transform breast cancer activism into pink ribbon consumption.
Trending perfectly with a culture that commodifies almost everything, from the most intimate aspects of social life to the war on breast cancer itself, breast cancer advertising and a new genre of trendy awareness campaigns use sexual appeals as a way to get attention and raise money. Some even claim to be educational, vital in the pursuit of a breast cancer cure, and instrumental in helping to save lives.
Sexy breast cancer campaigns are an extension of the broader context that already sexually objectifies women. They just do it in the name of awareness and fundraising.
Sexual Objectification of Women
One of the most common devices in advertising is the use of gender stereotypes that attribute specific traits to women as a group. Women are portrayed in a limited number of social roles (e.g., underrepresented in working roles but persistently visible as mothers and housewives), in decorative as opposed to functional roles, as lacking authority, as dependent upon others (especially men), as alluring and flawlessly beautiful, as the object of a societal gaze that judges women based on appearance alone, as sex objects, and as consumers of sex as the primary means to achieve happiness.
What’s more, the sexual objectification of women and pornification across media and other entertainment outlets have increased substantially over time, a trend that corresponds with the rise of the internet, excessive advertising, and the use of shock value to break through the noise.
There are six sexually objectifying techniques commonly used in breast cancer awareness campaigns to get attention, raise money, and lure people to the Cause.
- Use women’s bodies as literal objects (canvases, ribbons)
- Hone in on the breasts (chest-level videos, animatronic boobs)
- Use objects in place of breasts (cupcakes, bowling balls)
- Objectify breasts with language (jugs, racks, funbags)
- Depict breasts as things to be touched or groped
- Show women as objects of the male gaze
There are numerous other examples of these sexually objectifying techniques in the marketing materials of fundraisers, charities, and public service campaigns. They use sex and women’s bodies (or parts of them) to sell products and ideas. Sexual objectification is the means to an end. But since advertising is an applied form of persuasion, the ends are not likely to include active thinking about breast cancer. What’s more, sexualizing breast cancer trivializes the disease. No cancer is pretty, pink, or sexy.
Keep your breast cancer awareness pennies, Mike! The ends do not justify the means.
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For more on sexy breast cancer campaigns:
- Sexy Breast Cancer Campaigns DO Demean Women. So What? By Gayle Sulik, Psychology Today
- Do Sexy Breast Cancer Campaigns Demean Women?, by Gayle Sulik, Psychology Today
