Facebookers: What's the punchline to the gag I keep seeing

[OmahaBlueDog]

I've had several women friends publish status items like "I like it in the car"; "I like it by the front door"; "I like it on the kitchen counter". I've seen enough hints in the responses to know it's not going to be sex -- it will turn out to be something like candy or air fresheners. When anyone asks them what it's about, they get coy in a really annoying manner.

What is this really about? Is this a Mary Kay or Avon thing?

[some guy]

1. HuffPo says "purse" = "it"

[OmahaBlueDog]

3. Thanks!

[clyrc]

2. It's this year's breast cancer awareness status update

it's a little silly and probably not very effective, but I did it, anyway. They question is, where do you put your purse when you first get home? So, I like it on the shoe rack.

[OmahaBlueDog]

4. Thanks - it is a great cause, but an odd way to promote it.

[Chan790]

5. See, I think it's brilliant.

I took a course on social media last year because I used to work in non-profits and I want to go back to it. I left as a development coordinator (events, appeals, life-planning, etc.) and since I've been gone, the sector has gone heavy heavy grantwriting. (I do not write grants applications, I know how. It's a waste of my skill-set, I'm best communicating with people, not sitting at my computer for 8 hours writing something that probably won't get read.) so I'm looking to go back in something more communications/PR oriented. Anyways, that's enough background.

As a social media campaign, it's brilliant. You spent time thinking about it, wondering what the heck it meant, you found yourself compelled to ask even...you've made an intellectual investment into it. You'll probably think about it a little bit, what an awful disease it is, perhaps of a friend or family member who had breast cancer. You might not remember the campaign itself in a week or a month, but the next time someone asks you to donate to breast cancer related causes or write a LTTE or your congress-critter; you're more likely to do it because you'll probably remember thinking about it and thus you're less likely to dismiss that request as "not really my cause that I support." To that end, it's done exactly what it was meant to.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

7. add in the irritation factor and it becomes brilliant

:D

[OmahaBlueDog]

14. See..I just think "God that's annoying" - it's how one is wired, I suppose

I know others respond exactly as you say.

[realisticphish]

6. Yeah, "breast cancer awareness"

Frankly, I think it is absolutely stupid. Breast cancer is a serious issue, and one which should be in the public consciousness. But this is a really dumb way to "promote" it, for lack of a better term. At least the bra color thing last year was related to breasts in general.

[mikeytherat]

8. Sort of like the "Save the Ta-Tas" bumperstickers

Funny, I never saw my mom's condition as "Ta-Ta" cancer.

mikey_the_rat

[OmahaBlueDog]

15. Same idea. Those don't bother me - I think it's clever. It really offends others, though!

I suppose that's why you have multiple approaches to how you market the requests for help.

[huskerlaw]

10. Of course it's a serious issue.

The status itself isn't the message. The conversation that happens when someone says "what does your status mean" is. Do you think THAT is absolutely stupid?

[realisticphish]

11. knowing about cancer isn't the problem

maybe I'm naive, but I really don't think that public awareness is the problem in terms of curing breast cancer. Everyone is aware of breast cancer. It's just very complicated and very expensive to do anything about it.

So all this does is make people feel like they're doing something, when they'd be doing a lot more by donating 10 bucks to the American Cancer Society, or organizations like that. And I'm sure many of the people who post these statuses do. I just think it's a waste of time to post a lame, "that's what she said" level joke on your Facebook status and call it activism.

You're more than welcome to do so. I don't mind jokes about serious issues, if it serves a purpose. I just don't think this does.

[OmahaBlueDog]

16. Again, I think it's how you respond to the concept.

Look, I bought my wife a pink "clean for the cure" Oreck vaccum cleaner, and she's bought me several pink kitchen aid "cook for the cure" kitchen accessories. I'm sure there are people who think that's an idiotic way to give to charity. It's whatever works, I suppose. That sais, promotional campaigns of the type on FB just annoy the @%&$ out of me. I hate suspense, and I don't want to take the time to figure out what topic everyone is guessing at.

[LibDemAlways]

9. My daughter had a facebook friend ask her what it meant, and she

explained. It is sort of a silly way to promote something very serious, but it does help create awareness.

[bigwillq]

12. I thought it was about sex

LOL :rofl:

[dawg]

13. Last year, they posted ....

their shoe size, followed by the word "inches" and then a :(

[MiddleFingerMom]

17. Not having seen the ads, nor a clue as to the context of the question...

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...my first thought for a punchline was "chocolate".
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...but getting the explanation first brought to mind the
possible implication of "anywhere, anytime" if I gathered
correctly that it's a campaign about breast self-exams.
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If so -- it obviously isn't getting THAT message across.
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:shrug:
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