Kroger Scales Back 'Sharing Courage'

Kroger has abandoned the "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" scale event that made its annual cause campaign one of the retailer's biggest marketing programs and the industry leader for the occasion.Founded in 2006 as "Giving Hope a Hand" but renamed "Sharing Courage" in 2014, Kroger's campaign traditionally enlisted dozens of brands each year to back its pledge to donate $3 million to breast cancer research. Those brands often provided custom displays and pink packaging and were identified with price labels, extensive circular features and digital activity. For 2016, Kroger only worked with Kellogg Co.'s Special K and longtime top Breast Cancer Awareness Month partner General Mills' Yoplait.A bulk-purchase incentive running from Oct. 7 to Nov. 8 offered shoppers who bought three or five Special K SKUs a resistance band or yoga mat, respectively. Shoppers received a code at checkout, which they redeemed on a promotional page operated by Brisbane, CA-based You Technology that offered digital coupons and linked to the stories of Kroger employees who have survived breast cancer that are hosted on the campaign website (sharingcourage.com). Shelf talkers in stores (via News America Marketing's SmartSource program) and multiple emails sent to members of the Kellogg Family Rewards loyalty program plugged the incentive.Meanwhile, Yoplait and Kroger pledged to donate $10 (up to $25,000) to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge – a network of facilities that provide housing for cancer patients who must travel for treatment – for every Facebook user that shared an Oct. 15 update hosting a promotional video. (See below.)Kroger still donated $3 million to the cause, soliciting donations for the American Cancer Society or Susan G. Komen in stores by selling pink ribbons for $1, $5 or $10, collecting spare change at checkout and encouraging shoppers to give to the cause by rounding up their purchases to the next dollar. Stanchion signs, counter cards and conveyor belt clings plugged the fundraising activity, though none of the displays employed the Sharing Courage message. Themed national displays from Hana Bay Flowers and Trudeau Corp. also received prominent placement.Circular flaps running Oct. 6 and 13 touted Kroger's donation and directed shoppers to sharingcourage.com, which hosts videos from cancer survivors, a map showing walks benefiting Susan G. Komen or the American Cancer Society, and healthy living tips. The marketing campaign also included radio spots, run-of-press ads in newspapers such as the Cincinnati Enquirer and Lexington Herald-Leader, and display and video ads on websites such as coolmath-games.com and chacha.com.Retail activity around pink marketing overall has been on the decline for years.

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