WearYellow, but not from Ebay
I’m a big believer in the wearyellow campaign from the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Nike. I stumbled across the wristbands and the campaign about two weeks before Lance won his record-breaking tour. I bought a wrist band immediately to help support the good work of the foundation. I don’t wear it, perhaps defeating part of the purpose of creating greater awareness for the foundation, but I still felt good supporting the cause.
Last week I decided to start sharing the wrist bands. I wanted pick one up for my young daughter, and thought while I was there – I got mine at Foot Locker – I’d get a bunch more to give to friends and family. Well, I totally spaced and didn’t realize how silly I was to imagine any would be left after Lance’s Tour victory. Well, at least awareness wasn’t a problem. I decided to check the website, and figured I’d buy a few 10-packs. Since I forgot I site address, I did a quick google search. The search gave me the site, but it also gave me a google text ad for ebay. Needless to say the site is sold-out and backordered, but the really disturbing part is that people are selling these, at a premium on ebay! This is one of worst parts of ebay. What is wrong with these people that they would seek to profit from a charity. Is the Foundation seeing any of this money! Of course not. I was so distressed that I wrote to both ebay and the Foundation. If anyone is actually reading this blog, I ask you to write to ebay and help put a stop to this.
As a marketer, I am at once sickened and enthralled by this. Sickened by the greed that would subvert a very good cause and enthralled by this grassroots marketing success of the Foundation. Yes, it is a sports star on the heels of a record breaking victory. But the success is such that it has already spawned a black market in something of very questionable collectability. The site clearly states that more will be available shortly, and yet people are selling and, I assume, buying these. It speaks volumes to the Foundation’s marketing. Good job guys, now get some more wrist bands on the market so the money can go where it belongs.
Last week I decided to start sharing the wrist bands. I wanted pick one up for my young daughter, and thought while I was there – I got mine at Foot Locker – I’d get a bunch more to give to friends and family. Well, I totally spaced and didn’t realize how silly I was to imagine any would be left after Lance’s Tour victory. Well, at least awareness wasn’t a problem. I decided to check the website, and figured I’d buy a few 10-packs. Since I forgot I site address, I did a quick google search. The search gave me the site, but it also gave me a google text ad for ebay. Needless to say the site is sold-out and backordered, but the really disturbing part is that people are selling these, at a premium on ebay! This is one of worst parts of ebay. What is wrong with these people that they would seek to profit from a charity. Is the Foundation seeing any of this money! Of course not. I was so distressed that I wrote to both ebay and the Foundation. If anyone is actually reading this blog, I ask you to write to ebay and help put a stop to this.
As a marketer, I am at once sickened and enthralled by this. Sickened by the greed that would subvert a very good cause and enthralled by this grassroots marketing success of the Foundation. Yes, it is a sports star on the heels of a record breaking victory. But the success is such that it has already spawned a black market in something of very questionable collectability. The site clearly states that more will be available shortly, and yet people are selling and, I assume, buying these. It speaks volumes to the Foundation’s marketing. Good job guys, now get some more wrist bands on the market so the money can go where it belongs.
posted by CB at 5:09 PM
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