Bra Beating a Message

It took a while for a lot of us to catch on to what the whole one-color thing was on Twitter and Facebook. Especially for us macho males.

Were people giving alternate colors for “Avatar” aliens? Were they describing their favorite Power Ranger?

In the end, the colors were far more important trivial. They were part of a homegrown, out-of-nowhere viral campaign to draw awareness to researching and preventing the scourge of breast cancer. And it was simply by announcing what color bra you were wearing.

Whether it was from the mind of one or from a collective mind, it was brilliant.

There has been some criticism of the campaign - from claims it puts ambiguity on a serious issue, to not leading the reader to action.

Perhaps the most concerning criticisms have come from breast cancer victims themselves, including an excellent piece from survivor Susan Niebur, who say the bra meme has done nothing more than dredge up the nightmare they experienced for the amusement of others.

I have all the sympathy in the world for Niebur and anyone who has gone through this ticking time-bomb. And she is correct that this one-word-color campaign may be a stark reminder for those who have had to suffer with it. But this campaign was targeted for those who don't know Susan's story. Those who think it can't be me or can't be someone they love.

As someone who's been a part of several viral marketing campaigns in the past, this was one of the most effective I've seen... And it went to a good cause instead of getting people to eat a burger, invest in a company or go to a resort.

Do you think we would have been talking about breast cancer today without it? Did you know Susan Niebur’s story until today?

I live every day with the fact my wife is in a demographic that has a high chance of getting breast cancer. Having seen others I've liked and loved go down with forms of cancer, I dread this possibility and hope she never has to suffer through it. That may end up being niece, but I do know she, and others, can prevent it.

If just one person sends a buck to the American Cancer Society, joins one of the many breast cancer walks around the nation or gets a mammogram that finds a tumor early after catching on to what those colors, then this is one virus worth spreading.