Will Avon's New Cause Campaign Hit The Mark?

When big brands get behind causes, it is amazing what they can do.  The Lance Armstrong Foundation's LiveStrong wristband campaign raised $6mm for cancer research ($5 mm from sales, $1mm from Nike donation) and, according to the LAF website, the wristbands are worn by more than 55mm people worldwide in support of cancer survivors.  The American Heart Association's Go Red campaign raised awareness about heart disease in women (typically assumed to be a man's disease, which causes very different symptoms in women) and resulted in $60mm raised and a 55% increase in awareness and, most importantly, inspired 430,000 people to get a check-up.  Susan G. Komen's breast cancer movement is perhaps the most famous, inspiring a range of brands - from BMW to Campbell's to Lee Jeans - to paint their marketing campaigns pink in a (mostly) good way every October, raising huge awareness and funds.  

So, I was excited to read in Women's Wear Daily today that Mark, an Avon brand targeted to the Gen Y set, has developed a cause campaign to help prevent dating abuse and partner violence.  Reality show star and campaign spokesperson Lauren Conrad has designed a special "Have a Heart" necklace, retailing for $22, to raise funds.  The kind of disappointing disconnect is that Ms. Conrad's comment regarding the collaboration makes her seem either woefully unaware of the seriousness of the cause or just unaware that her collaboration is related to the cause at all.  As reported in WWD:

Conrad said, "It's a great collaboration since it empowers women to do what they want and encouraging them to go out there and be their own person."

For whatever reason, Lauren Conrad has become a celebrity in her own right with a huge amount of influence with young girls and teens.  Hopefully by the time the campaign launches in September, her talking points will be back on track because violence against women and girls is a worldwide problem that has reached epidemic proportions as evidenced by yesterday's announcement from the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that he will soon appoint a Messenger of Peace tasked entirely with advocacy for ending violence against women in response to "an increasing and alarming number of women and girls are falling victim to sexual violence in conflict."

One of the benefits, and responsibility, of celebrity is the opportunity to use your influence to bring attention to important causes.  Ms. Conrad and Mark have the opportunity to engage a hard-to-reach group with an important and timely message and I'm hopeful they will make an impact that goes far beyond a pretty necklace.