To understand why some people are up in arms about this deal, read nonprofit marketing communications expert Nancy Schwartz's outstanding analysis on her Getting Attention blog.

 

As Nancy points out, Komen has been terse in its public statements on the controversy.  To help us all better understand the situation, I asked Komen's leadership to explain why they'd approved a partnership almost guaranteed to draw criticism.  

 

Margo Lucero, the group's director of global corporate relations, penned this response.   She argues that the program's contributions in terms of consumer awareness and funding of Komen's mission made it the right thing for her group to do.   (In its first three weeks, the campaign has raised more than $3 million.)

 

In my conversations with cause marketers, I've yet to find anyone strongly supportive of Komen's decision to move forward with this deal.    Responses range from strongly advocating that they should have "just said no" to wishing they had restricted the contribution link to sales of the chain's grilled chicken line.

 

So far, the story has not received substantial coverage from major media.   Time will tell if the controversy remains a discussion primarily among the "causenoscenti" or whether it will go mainstream and cause Komen any significant harm.  

 

It's curious that this effort has generated so much criticism while other fast food programs have not.    (Recently, for example, Arby's launched a point-of-sale effort with Big Brothers Big Sisters that conceivably could have attracted the ire of childhood obesity activists.   Carl's Jr. and Hardee's just completed a campaign that raised $1 million for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.)  

 

I'd venture the Buckets brouhaha has more to do with 1) Komen's high visibility (it has a huge number of corporate and consumer supporters and one very vehement detractor: Breast Cancer Action); 2) the program's catchy name and 3) the amount of media KFC put behind it than anything unprecedented about the program.

 

Certainly, we'll be keeping a close eye on the Komen/KFC alliance.   It's certain to be a major topic of conversation when we kick off the CMF conference on June 2.

 

Pro, con or undecided, I hope you'll join us in Chicago to debate our industry's issues and explore how we can be more successful at doing well by doing good in the year ahead.