Pushups or Pitfalls? Victoria's Secret & Cause Marketing

Yes, cause-related marketing is all the rage. Yes, it can drive sales. Yes, it can be great for your brand when done correctly. But what about the risks of undergoing a cause-related campaign? Let's talk about bras.

Some Victoria's Secret franchisees have dabbled in cause marketing in relation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, though the brand itself has never actually launched a huge campaign in support of the cause. While this could potentially be a huge opportunity for the women's clothing company, it has also been a point of concern, believe it or not.

While it's not easy to own a color in the marketing world, Susan G. Komen has a formidable grasp on pink in terms of consumer mindshare. Why? Cause marketing. Anyone and everyone from the insipid to the savvy has latched on to supporting breast cancer awareness to meet their selfless or selfish ends. Imagine launching a product line called "Pink" in the face of this and not aligning yourself to the cause as well. Sound like an oversight? It wasn't. And for two reasons:

Victoria's Secret products are non-necessities. When you align a luxury product with a cause, the question begs to be asked, "Why not buy a lesser brand and just donate the markup directly to the cause?" Yes, yes, it can be a motivator for the consumer to splurge and feel less cognitive dissonance, but it's exactly this discrepancy that's the problem. It's disingenuous and consumers aren't idiots; it's harmful to the brand.

Apart from avoiding the risk of appearing insincere, Victoria's Secret also uses carcinogenic chemicals in the production of their undergarments. In fact, they were recently criticized and sued for the presence of formaldehyde in certain lines of bras they sell. For most, skin contact with formaldehyde isn't much of a problem, but some people experience severe allergic reactions to exposure with the chemical. Because of the nature of the brand, the product, and cause-related promotion in the marketplace, many people and some news sources assumed that Victoria's Secret was a huge proponent of breast cancer awareness, and the makings of a major scandal ensued back in '08. Whether by immediate crisis response by PR or by stonewalling the media until they realized there was no story, the brand averted negative national press.

What I'm saying is, with huge cause-related campaigns, not only do businesses have to be wary of blindly jumping on board, they have to be careful about non-participation and what that means for their brand. What happens when a national campaign for liver disease awareness explodes and their logo is purple? You work for Crown Royal, what would you do?