Thursday, November 6, 2014

To many people around the world, November is the month of the mustache. An enormous campaign for prostate cancer awareness, Movember is movement that has been rockin’ ‘staches for the cause. And for the past eleven years, this movement has affected the business world by creating partnerships and rolling out promotions side-by-side with the Movember Foundation for fun and donations. Here are five reasons why your business should ride with Movember this month:

It’s Attractive.

One could argue that mustaches are an unattractive fad, but when it comes to Movember that’s simply not the case. Movember has been championed by athletes, musicians, and actors from numerous countries, and some powerful brands have boarded the bandwagon as well. TOMS and Gilette have their own campaigns supporting mustache growth for cancer awareness. And Foster’s beer has continuously celebrated the fact that Movember began in a pub in Melbourne. Even their logos sport stylized mustaches touting the attractive qualities of the rugged male.

It’s Funny.

Movember jolts the funny bone to raise awareness for a cause. There are myriads of people who get involved in it, taking chucklesome pics and videos of their awesome handlebars and pushbrooms. The Movember Foundation has hilarious resources for maintaining a good mustache, and a Mustache Hall of Fame with a style guide on how to grow it. They even have a contest each year called the International Men of Movember, in which one individual is inaugurated with the greatest ‘stache. The foundation itself promotes levity, but they certainly don’t want to make light of the issues they support. Movember simply makes it fun to raise money and awareness.

It’s Universal.

Movember is the first campaign for men’s health awareness that has truly gone global. Prostate cancer is a serious illness, and it’s important for men to be up on their own diagnosis. Women have been brought into action as “Mo Sistas,” advocates for the movement who serve as advocates for the Movember foundation. On the face of it, Movember has simply struck a chord with humanity, and its appeal has spread like wildfire since 2003.

It’s Resourceful.

Movember has benefitted from technology like no other movement has. The developing social media community has promoted online fundraising, and has been a boon for the Movember Foundation’s efforts. Also, they have a mobile app that allows individuals to donate, take pictures of their growing mustaches, and it compares their fundraising efforts with those of other nations (creating a bit of healthy competition). Once an individual registers on their website, they have access to additional resources: thank you posters, personalized donation cards, certificates of participation, tips for fundraising, Facebook timeline covers, “Shave the Date” event resources, mustache logos and icons, and a Movember rule book, as well. Participants can truly embrace the camaraderie, and smart businesses don’t want to miss out on the fun.

It’s a Good Cause.

Every 2.2 minutes, a new case of prostate cancer is diagnosed. Movember helps to raise awareness and collect donations for the cure, all under the guise of a growing mustache. Since 2003, the Movember Foundation had raised over $550 million dollars. In a partnership with Livestrong and the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the movement has been broadened to include testicular cancer awareness as well. Millions of people have registered as “Mo Bros” on the Movember website – and pledged to grow mustaches – raising money and awareness for these causes.

Business owners can join in the fun for a good cause. Visit us.movember.com for more information and resources to ride with Movember.