For my first Pinktober product review I want to feature a campaign that struck me as so wrong on so many levels that I couldn’t figure out whether to laugh or cry. I first saw it on Facebook posted by a breast cancer advocate. Then I saw it in my local drugstore. I’m not even sure where to start with this one, but here goes……

(The ………… stands for “insert your own poop joke here”)

Donation: $100,000 no matter how many products they sell. Your purchase will not increase or decrease the donation. It might however ………………………

How many are being sold? I was unable to find out how many boxes they are producing but did find a figure for dulcolax 2013 overall revenue of 150.3 million. That’s a lot of laxatives! ………………………..

Which charity is receiving the donation? Susan G. Komen …………………….
Is the pink product comparible to the regular version in price and/or quantitiy? Some versions contain less product than the regular version. One store had a bonus box that contained more. Prices varied by store. Sometimes more for pink, sometimes less. ……………………..

How does the pink version differ from the regular product? The pink box is marketed to women. Evidently that is the norm as the generic version comes in pink also with no reference to breast cancer. The active ingredients are the same as the regular version but the inactive ingredients are different because the pink box contains pink pills……………………

Is this product a good fit for a breast cancer campaign? I don’t think so. One of the many side effects of cancer treatment is constipation and/or diarrhea. It was bad enough going down the digestive health aisle without having to wade through this kind of cause marketing………………

Pink won’t cure cancer and I can’t imagine it will make the laxatives any more effective. I think the only benefit of this campaign is the sheer number of poop jokes it will generate and I hope that is not their intention as breast cancer is no joke. I’m choosing laughter over tears and trying to picture the field day they would have on late night talk shows with this one. If you care to join me feel free to post your suggestions in the comments.  Kind of a MAD LIBS for Pinktober. Bonus points for an over all ad campaign slogan.