According to the Charity Commission website there are 162,008 charities in England and Wales.

Just think about that from a marketing perspective and the enormity of the challenge to get noticed and to raise funds in a competitive set which is crowded with so many organisations, all worthy of support, many with similar goals.

However worthy their aims, the charity sector is unfair – some charities have significant budgets to gain the preference of consumers and businesses, but most have next to nothing but a smile and a plea for support.

This uneven playing field has direct consequences on the future of a charity; there is a direct correlation between a charity’s share of voice and the share of revenue they generate – simply the more they get themselves noticed, the more funds they raise.

Charities with significant funds make emotionally engaging advertisements, they commit significant investment in direct mail campaigns, they run events for the athletically minded and the more casual individual.

Some however use identity as a cornerstone for differentiation – just think of the WWF Panda…and the Breakthrough Breast Cancer pink ribbon.

And so I was stunned to read about a report by London Business School, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and international business school INSEAD that claims “that gender cues such as pink ribbons… are counterproductive and “activate a defensive reaction” in women that interferes with the objectives of breast cancer awareness campaigns.”

Quite apart from questioning why four eminent institutions believe it is a good use of their resources to tackle this specific subject, I can’t help feeling that they are simply misguided and they don’t understand the role of identity to build awareness, to engender a spirit of togetherness and belonging and to encourage participation (not just giving, but spreading the word about the importance of regular check-ups).

Thankfully, Breakthrough Breast Cancer recognises the value and power of their pink ribbon.

The head of brand and communication at the charity is quoted as saying that “while she cannot comment directly on the report, incorporating the colour pink into its branding helps the charity fund its work because of the strong associations with the cause.”

“The colour pink is now universally associated with breast cancer and breast cancer charities. The association [with the colour pink] can be powerful in encouraging people to donate, check their breasts and get involved in the fantastic work that many breast cancer charities, such as Breakthrough Breast Cancer, are doing.”

Given the impact the breast cancer charities have, I hope people will continue to wear pink ribbons with enormous pride and condemn the academic ‘science’ to the rubbish bin.