Sears Announces Its Extensive Support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Program Includes Partnership with Lifetime Television on Exclusive Sale Of Network's 'Women Rock!' CD Featuring Sheryl Crow and Destiny's Child
Statistics show that one out of nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. As a retailer whose principal customers are women with families, Sears, Roebuck and Co. (NYSE: S) has stepped up its support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, donating more than $1 million toward this cause.
In partnership with several major companies, including a unique partnership with Lifetime Television's campaign to "Stop Breast Cancer for Life," Sears has developed multi-tiered donation and fundraising initiatives designed to promote increased breast health awareness and early detection among its customers. Proceeds will benefit three major charities: the National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO), the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
"Through these unique partnerships, we not only will contribute money to breast cancer organizations that are important to our customers, but we also will help to educate women about breast cancer and early detection," said John Lebbad, Sears director of Event Marketing and Sales Promotion. "With breast cancer impacting millions of women and their families, Sears is fully committed in the fight against this disease."
Sears and Lifetime Television
Sears has joined forces with Lifetime Television, the #1 rated basic cable network in primetime, in the seventh consecutive year of the network's campaign, "Stop Breast Cancer for Life," to raise awareness of breast cancer and promote early detection of the disease. Lifetime's award-winning initiative includes extensive on-air, online and community outreach efforts during October, featuring the second annual "Women Rock! Girls & Guitars" star-studded benefit concert to air on Lifetime on Friday, October 26, from 9- 11 p.m. (ET/PT).
As part of this exclusive partnership, Sears customers can purchase an exclusive "Women Rock! Girls & Guitars" CD for $4.99, with every $25 purchase made at nationwide Sears stores in participating departments. The CD features tracks by top female recording artists who performed at the 2000 "Women Rock!" concert, including Sheryl Crow and Wynonna. For every CD sold, Sears will donate $1 to the fight against breast cancer, with proceeds split between NABCO and NBCC. The CD also contains a game piece for a chance to win a trip to next year's "Women Rock" concert in Los Angeles.
Additionally, nine other brands sold at Sears are supporting the Sears and Lifetime initiative: Nike, Dearforms, Norton McNaughton, Sag Harbor, Reebok, White Diamonds, Hanes Her Way, Playtex, and The Healing Garden by COTY.
Also during October, Lifetime and Sears will remind women about the three critical ways of early detection of breast cancer -- doctor exams, self exams and mammograms -- through postcards distributed in all Sears shopping bags. Other marketing support for the "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" initiative includes 30-second early detection spots on Lifetime Television, print advertisements in Marie Claire and The New Yorker magazines, mentions in Sears national newspaper advertising inserts throughout October, and point-of-sale displays in Sears 860 full-line department stores.
Sears and the WNBA
Sears also has teamed up with the WNBA to support the fight against breast cancer through the Sears WNBA Breast Health Awareness program, a partnership through which Sears will donate a minimum of $1 million over three years to NABCO. This year's "Shoot for Breast Health" initiative tipped off in April, and includes as its centerpiece a specially created pink and white WNBA signature basketball symbolizing Sears and the WNBA's mission to increase breast health awareness.
Included in this year's initiative is a Sears donation of $1,000 for every celebrity photographed with the special pink and white WNBA ball. Those photographed include Brian McKnight, Billy Crystal, Star Jones, Kim Delaney and Spike Lee. For each WNBA team's designated Breast Health Awareness night, Sears donated $.50 for every fan in attendance, and in all 16 markets, also made a $5,000 donation in the name of a local hero with strong involvement in breast cancer organizations. And throughout the season, Los Angeles Sparks superstar and Sears WNBA program spokesperson Lisa Leslie has given a public face to this multifaceted campaign.
Sears and KitchenAid
In a deal with KitchenAid, under the "Cook for the Cure" initiative, the brand will make a donation to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for select KitchenAid appliances sold at Sears between September 30 and November 3, 2001. Depending on the item's purchase price, KitchenAid will contribute between $50 and $200 to the Foundation.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than $40 billion. The company serves families in the U.S. through Sears stores nationwide, including approximately 860 full-line stores. Sears also offers a wide variety of merchandise and services through its Web site, http://www.sears.com/ .
SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Contact: Marie Alexander, +1-847-286-5060, malex05@sears.com , or
Maureen Jenkins, +1-847-286-9017, mjenk07@sears.com , both of Sears, Roebuck
and Co.
Website: http://www.sears.com/