Brightly colored, gender neutral accessories are just what it takes to make an apathetic generation put up some dollars for a cause, and that’s what Flex Watches is doing.
Flex Watches is a San Diego based company that sells 10 different colors of watches and donates 10 percent of the proceeds to 10 different charities, which coordinate with the colors.
The idea of Flex Watches is to entice college-age students and younger demographics with trendy accessories that also support causes. One of the strongest examples, and possibly the launching point for the Flex Watch concept, was Lance Armstrong’s yellow Live Strong bracelets.
Quite a few other groups decided to cash in on the popularity sparked from the simple plastic bracelets, and pretty soon “I love boobies” bracelets were everywhere, which led to a whole other conversation about if it was OK for junior high and high school students to wear them.
Flex Watches is taking it a step further.
A different color of watch corresponds with each charity, and supporters can choose their favorite color or charity. While the watches target members of the younger generation, the company also has a program that caters specifically to people on college campuses. Campus Reps involves students who want to represent and promote the company to increase brand recognition. So far, it seems to be working.
But why does the “accessorize for charities” approach work so well?
Preaching about apathy in our society is like making a bad student write the same sentence repeatedly on a chalkboard — everyone involved will be bored and nothing is learned in the end. But the fact is the older our country gets, the more apathy becomes a trend — unless there’s a colorful accessory to go with the cause.
It’s not necessarily a bad idea. Money is generated, specific charities are helped and maybe more people are paying attention to current issues. Or maybe they’re not. Maybe they are just buying the bracelets or watches to be trendy because one or two people did buy them because they care about cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, water treatment or people affected by spinal cord injuries.
Instead of caring about the charities and foundations that will benefit, we think we’re cool because we have a nifty new watch. It makes sense. Our culture is so materialistic and driven to have a collection of pointless “stuff” that we just want something because everyone else has it too.
Or maybe this is a stretch and people genuinely care about the charities and not about finally finding the perfect green watch they have been wanting. Maybe it’s not a matter of materialism or apathy. Either way, the reason for purchasing a watch associated with a specific charity should be considered a little more than picking a favorite color.
If we choose a charity that resonates with us, maybe it means more than just being materialistic and shallow.
– See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/Jan/31/watch_which_charity.html#sthash.pYIVU7Gh.dpuf
Flex Watches is a San Diego based company that sells 10 different colors of watches and donates 10 percent of the proceeds to 10 different charities, which coordinate with the colors.
The idea of Flex Watches is to entice college-age students and younger demographics with trendy accessories that also support causes. One of the strongest examples, and possibly the launching point for the Flex Watch concept, was Lance Armstrong’s yellow Live Strong bracelets.
Quite a few other groups decided to cash in on the popularity sparked from the simple plastic bracelets, and pretty soon “I love boobies” bracelets were everywhere, which led to a whole other conversation about if it was OK for junior high and high school students to wear them.
Flex Watches is taking it a step further.
A different color of watch corresponds with each charity, and supporters can choose their favorite color or charity. While the watches target members of the younger generation, the company also has a program that caters specifically to people on college campuses. Campus Reps involves students who want to represent and promote the company to increase brand recognition. So far, it seems to be working.
But why does the “accessorize for charities” approach work so well?
Preaching about apathy in our society is like making a bad student write the same sentence repeatedly on a chalkboard — everyone involved will be bored and nothing is learned in the end. But the fact is the older our country gets, the more apathy becomes a trend — unless there’s a colorful accessory to go with the cause.
It’s not necessarily a bad idea. Money is generated, specific charities are helped and maybe more people are paying attention to current issues. Or maybe they’re not. Maybe they are just buying the bracelets or watches to be trendy because one or two people did buy them because they care about cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, water treatment or people affected by spinal cord injuries.
Instead of caring about the charities and foundations that will benefit, we think we’re cool because we have a nifty new watch. It makes sense. Our culture is so materialistic and driven to have a collection of pointless “stuff” that we just want something because everyone else has it too.
Or maybe this is a stretch and people genuinely care about the charities and not about finally finding the perfect green watch they have been wanting. Maybe it’s not a matter of materialism or apathy. Either way, the reason for purchasing a watch associated with a specific charity should be considered a little more than picking a favorite color.
If we choose a charity that resonates with us, maybe it means more than just being materialistic and shallow.
– See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/Jan/31/watch_which_charity.html#sthash.pYIVU7Gh.dpuf