New Branding and Microsite Refresh Komen Cause

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has rebranded itself to celebrate its 25 year anniversary, and its new image includes online identity and outreach. The Foundation will take a new name, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and tagline, “We’re on a mission.”

“We’re taking the gloves off; breast cancer should be history,” said Komen’s director of brand marketing, Chris Orzechowski.

The campaign kicks off today. Online the komen.org site will be redesigned, and a separate microsite at 25komen.org offers video testimonials. Messaging on the e-mail newsletter Komen Link will also change to match the new branding, and ads will run across select sites on the Internet. Some of the ads were bought while others were donated.

Komen was founded on a promise from one sister to another to keep others from suffering, and the theme is carried through to the 25Komen.org site which features 25 promises.

“[It offers] ways you can keep your involvement with the cause,” said Orzechowski. The list includes activities and goals like scheduling a mammogram, sharing ideas with others, participating in a race for the cure, or joining a corporate-sponsored program. “If you support and believe in our cause, we’d like to make opportunities for you to get involved where you work and play,” she continued.

The site includes a viral component allowing visitors to invite others into a promise circle. A candle is lit on the site for each person who joins a circle. “Visitors can check back to see how bright the page gets,” Orzechowski said. “That way people are able to see with their own eyes the impact on how this affects their lives.”

Visitors can also buy a set of two promise rings for a small donation. The rings are a variation on the yellow rubber bracelets made popular by Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation.

Corporations looking to get involved can register for Komen’s Brand Central tool. It’s an area of the site behind a password registration where affiliates and connected corporations can obtain and manage Komen assets for their needs.