“Pink” Brands Win the Favor (Not the Dollars) of Most Women [Survey]

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month, and, for the second year in a row, we measured the attitudes and purchase behaviors of female shoppers toward “pink” products. This article reveals the results of a 500-woman survey.

October is painted in pink, as companies, athletic teams, cities, and individuals across the country show their support for breast cancer awareness. As reported by The City Wire, last year Field Agent conducted a study on the power of pink, to determine whether pink brands hold sway with female shoppers.

We conducted a similar study this year with a larger sample of 500 women. Our objective was to understand both the attitudes and purchase behavior of female shoppers toward brands and stores that sponsor breast cancer awareness initiatives.

So, with the arrival of Pink October, here are 3 insights to help companies understand the influence of pink brands among women.    

1. The majority of women look with favor on the “pink” efforts of brands and stores.

We asked women to what extent they agree with the statement: “I have a more favorable opinion of products and/or stores that support breast cancer awareness.” As with last year, most women agreed with this statement—only by a noticeably wider margin. In all, 64% agreed with the statement above, compared to only 7% who disagreed. Last year 54% agreed and 8% disagreed (n = 250).

This overall favorable opinion toward pink brands and stores also jibes with qualitative responses from female respondents. We offered each woman the chance to express her opinion about brands and stores that support breast cancer awareness.

As our analysis revealed, 81% of remarks demonstrated approval for pink initiatives by companies. “I appreciate companies that support breast cancer awareness," said one 25-year-old woman from Orlando, FL. "It makes me feel good about purchasing their products." And for some, like this 29-year-old from Murfreesboro, TN, pink is a very personal matter: “My mother is a breast cancer survivor so I think more favorably of brands that support breast cancer awareness.”

We asked our sample of 500 women to take pictures of pink products in their homes. Here's what they currently own:

2. Yet most women say they’ve never purchased a pink brand over its competitor.

We also asked, “Have you ever purchased one brand over another because [it] supported breast cancer awareness?” Once again mirroring results from last year, the majority of women (65%) answered “no,” while 34% said “yes.” This is a higher negative response than last year, when 52% said “no” and 48% “yes.”    

So while women look on pink brands and stores favorably, only in a minority of cases does support of breast cancer awareness provide a competitive advantage among female shoppers.

3. Some women want a larger portion of pink proceeds to go to breast cancer research/treatment.

How can brands reach more women through pink products, cause marketing?

Our qualitative analysis of free form responses turned up approximately 33 comments (7%) in which women, in one way or another, asked companies to devote a larger amount of sales from pink products to breast cancer research and/or treatment. As one 36-year-old from Atlanta, GA dubiously asked, “I understand promoting breast cancer awareness, but how much of your sales are being donated to research?”

For an unguided, free form question, even just 33 comments could suggest a notable trend, especially when the comments are as precise as this one from a Mascoutah, IL woman: