I’m speechless over lipstick. 

 Actually, it’s the act of encouraging women to buy $65 lipstick as a way to express their support for fighting gender discrimination in the name of Justice Ginsburg and her accomplishments. Thank you, Hollywood. 

 The cause marketing campaign, a joint project of Participant Media and Focus Features, launched the campaign as a holiday shopping initiative before the Christmas day release of the film to encourage women to support the Women’s Rights Project of the ACLU by shopping for high end fashion, beauty and accessories. See here

 The hash tag, #AllRiseNow, encourages us to shop, share and be empowered by the portion of proceeds that will go to the ACLU from our luxury purchases. Yup, $65 lipstick, not to mention a $38 scrunchy (seriously?), and expensive designer clothing, beauty products, and other accessories for our ‘holiday purchases’ are how we are to rise to our feminist greatness. 

 The #allrisenow call to action on the site:

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg paved the way for equal rights. Now we must “All Rise” and continue the fight. Show your support for equality while giving back with the “All Rise” collections. They’re the perfect gifts for your favorite feminists!” 

We must. 

Though you may not speechless, I bet you could have imagined the campaign selling some of the great RGB pins that have been in vogue the last few years.  

I mean, do we think that this is what RBG had in mind for a campaign about her rise as a young feminist? Even as a co-founder of the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, the group responsible for systematic legal reform through the courts in the areas of women’s equality and economic rights, do we think RBG might have suggested luxury shopping as the way to learn about the principles that persuade courts to utilize both the Constitution and federal statutes to strike down legal barriers to full equality for women? With her recent documentary, I can more imagine gym memberships as a way to be strong, like her, into her 80s no less. The point is, a message from her colleagues at the Women’s Rights Project are more in order rather than the ones suggested on the website – become empowered! Dress like the young Ruth! Support these glamorous fashion and beauty brands, all while giving back to the ACLU! Lipstick for only $65! 

Forget that we are barely beyond the Kavanaugh hearings, that we are in the midst of #metoo or that the historical women’s March took place recent enough that we still have our pussy hats, signs and t-shirts hanging around. 

Despite the climate of the times, cause marketers at Participant and Focus decided we might be ready for a bit of glam shopping when it comes to raising our awareness about gender inequality and the young Justice Ginsburg. In fact, they decided the #allrisenow call to action would be to gift our feminist friends with luxury clothes that young Ruth might have worn as she worked her way, against all odds, like the glamorous Felicity Jones in the film, to the highest court in the land. 

Full disclosure – I am a social impact marketer by trade and have seen my fair share of cause marketing campaigns and worked on countless more. That said, I know when we are aiming short (in this case, for girls and women), when I see it. 

What makes for a good cause marketing campaign is a natural alignment between the company(s) and non-profit(s) or campaign(s), not dumbing down an issue but rather providing action steps as well as tools and knowledge about how the audience can get involved, especially without paying, 

A not-so-good campaign does the opposite – tacks on a small percentage of proceeds, offers a token Buy One/Give One model or simply asks us to shop, and we will give a portion (unclear) to the charity. The small halo effect designed for us to feel good about the brand and better about our shopping is short lived or worse, like this one, detracts from the potential impact of the message.  

Lipstick can be an effective tool for social change. Mac did it right in the 90s with VIVA GLAM, raising money and awareness to HIV/AIDS at a time when the pandemic was affecting the fashion community as well as the broader world. Then and today, 100% of the purchase price of any VIVA GLAM product goes toward the M·A·C AIDS Fund. Women and men seek it out for that reason alone. 

I’m not cynical by nature. In fact, I am quite optimistic about businesses getting into the business of social change. I often give companies that try to do good the benefit of the doubt. But here is where I get derailed: – When wealthy fashion and beauty brands align with Hollywood films and studios to plead for women’s dollars as the gateway to social action. It’s backwards thinking. 

That we ‘must rise’ through our purchase power in order to fight gender discrimination not only leaves me speechless, but somehow got lost on the marketing team putting this idea together. The day we don’t have campaigns and films equating our success with campaigns to ‘dress like young Ruth’, by wearing the perfect shade of red lipstick, heels, gloves, bag and hat, will be the day when we are making just a little bit more progress.