Since 1985, October has become universally observed as Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). With the mission of spreading awareness through education, fundraising and events centered on solidarity and hope, the pink breast cancer ribbon inspired what Pink October is today.
As an international phenomenon, Pink October is regarded by consumers and brands alike as a purposeful occasion to support research, organizations and the +2 million women and men in the fight towards a cure. Alongside other seasonal occasions focused on a cause (e.g. Pride Month), Pink October is a meaningful occasion to participate in.
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As other industries have established a presence in Pink October, Symrise is here to guide your brands in establishing exciting, charitable and thoughtfully crafted food and beverage limited time offers (LTOs). In partnership with meaningful foundations and organizations, restaurants, bars and brands alike have participated with Pink October themed food and drinks. Here are some past and current examples to help inspire what Pink October can mean for your brands:
BEVERAGE | Ocean Spray’s Harvested Pink Cranberry Juice created from the world’s first ever pink cranberry harvest. With each purchase, the brand donates 5% of their sales to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Starbucks Indonesia released a limited-edition line of pink drinks in partnership with non-profit organization Lovepink Indonesia. Promoted with the campaign hashtag #PINKVOICE, the pink drinks were created to start a conversation and spread awareness for breast cancer. The handcrafted drinks included Pink Macchiato, Raspberry Latte, Pink Blossom Frappuccino and Pink Yogurt Frappuccino—with 10% of each purchase donated to Lovepink.
SAVORY | Cape Cod Potato Chips is partnering with Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with their new Pink October LTO. With every purchase of Cape Cod’s Pink Himalayan Salt & Red Wine Potato Chips the brand will donate 5% of their proceeds to the Susan Smith Center. The flavor is a fun and pink inspired play on the salt and vinegar classic that consumers know and love.
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Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, a Las Vegas based fast-casual chain, donated $1 for every social media post of the ‘Bobbie’ (their signature oven-roasted turkey sub) to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
SWEET | Last October, TAO (in Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, and New York City) offered a white and dark chocolate mousse filled pink fortune cookie dessert. As a part of the TAO Group’s Tao Cares program, each pink dessert purchased contributed a 10% donation to the American Cancer Society.
Jelly Belly released a naturally flavored Fruit Punch Sport Performance Enhancing Jelly Bean. Not only are the beans a great way to boost energy with carbs, electrolytes and vitamins B and C, but the brand donated proceeds from their sales to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
When asked for their attitudes towards healthy eating, 88% of Canadian women stated “What I eat impacts my physical wellbeing” and 70% stated “What I eat impacts my emotional wellbeing” (Mintel 2016). Beyond charitable contributions, Pink October themed food and beverage LTOs can also elevate holistic and functional ingredients focused on bettering women’s health.
Pink October themed food and beverage offerings are a powerful way to develop an authentic connection with your audience. As a component of our Seasonality and LTO Initiative, we’ve identified Pink October as a key opportunity for your brands to release exclusive offerings to generate excitement and anticipation for years to come.
The biggest takeaway is that seasonality is all about novelty, flavor, functional benefit, association, excitement, and priming. It is also a reflection of our world — weather, time of year, ingredients, locales, cultures, etc. Seasonality can be a good product development tool with the right balance of market curation and experimentation. At the same time, it can be expensive and hard to pull off without a healthy balance of change and stability. To learn more about our Seasonality and LTO initiative and framework, reach out to our team!
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