The month of October is known as Breast Cancer Awareness month. We have all seen the pink ribbons, products with a new pink color and even NFL uniforms changed to draw attention and donations for this great cause.

Just as corporate America hijacked green living to benefit their marketing and bottom lines, they are now using "pink" to pad their pockets without benefiting or financially giving back to breast cancer organizations. It is one thing to use people’s love for the environment to make a buck, but to con the consumer into thinking that purchasing certain products will benefit breast cancer and breast cancer research is just ludicrous.

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of examples of companies hijacking "pink" to benefit them this month. It should be said that many companies are doing the right thing and donating back to breast cancer funds, but this blog is about those companies that are praying on consumer's emotional impulses when buying.

One such company that is "fooling" consumers is Swiffer Sweeper, made by Proctor and Gamble. Daily Finance reported that Swiffer is using a pink ribbon on their packaging to promote the sales of their floor cleaning products. So how much of the consumers purchase goes to help fight breast cancer? The answer, 2 cents. But wait, this only gets donated if you use a special coupon that was sent out in a newspaper circulation at the end of September. So, in the majority of cases nothing gets donated when a consumer buys a Swiffer with a pink ribbon on it. At best, 2 cents is donated when someone uses the coupon.

If I was a woman I would be outraged by Swiffer's attempt to manipulate and exploit the consumer. As a consumer, advocate for breast cancer organizations, and a person with cancer survivors in my immediate family, I find this type of consumer exploitation beyond reprehensible. Since the majority of Swiffer's customers are women, I am hoping this message gets out loud and clear. The best way to send a message to Proctor and Gamble is to ignore their products, or at least the Swiffer floor cleaning products.

When shopping for "pink" products make sure to look at the label. Does it say they are donating to cancer research or to a particular organization? Do you have to send in UPC labels, lids, coupons etc in order for there to be a donation? In several cases you will find out that the label says "bringing awareness" which usually means that the company isn’t giving back to cancer organizations and is just using the label to help sell products.

I applaud the companies truly making efforts to support Breast Cancer Awareness. To the companies using a pink ribbon to trick consumers, I say shame on you!