Wearing Rubber Wristbands Means More than Supporting a Cause

Lance Armstrong may have been disqualified forever from competing in the Tour de France and banned for eternity from cycling competitions by the American Anti-Doping Agency, but his effort to bring cancer awareness by employing the use of custom rubber wristbands might well be his claim to fame more than the cycling prowess that he exhibited in seven consecutive Tour de France races. Although wristbands have been around since the early 80s, they have assumed a different role in society in the 21st century. They now represent not only awareness but support of a plethora of causes, some of which have been around longer than the time it took for these wristbands to become popular.

“Live Free Smoke Free” is embossed on anti-lung cancer orange colored silicone rubber bracelets; “Think Positive” supports epilepsy and is in mauve; “Courage” is spelled in red for the fight against AIDS; green is, of course, used by “Don’t Cut the Tress” environmentalist organizations; blue is used by advocates of “Prevent Child Abuse”; and rainbow colors adorn the “No Saying” message of the Gay Pride movement loud and clear. They may be embossed, debossed or have a “glow in the dark” innovation. Ideas, products and brand are now advertised and marketed through the use of these rubber wristbands and are considered a non-traditional method of promotion.

Even media kits distributed during press conferences might contain these bracelets-with-a-message. Wearing them has become fashionable, to say the least. These all-too-important wristbands are especially popular during election campaigns, and off-campaign season, serve as fan base support for sports teams. Practically any logo or message can be printed on them. Marketing people and sales forces are more partial to segmented silicone rubber wristbands because of their visual drawing power (red, white and blue combination for a July 4 event or apple green and aquamarine blue for environmental lobbyists) and budget-friendly costs when bought in bulk.

Various color shades that come together “in fusion” are used by swirl rubber wristbands and, while they don’t usually have messages printed on them or represent any cause, are popular with teenagers as fashion accessories. They come in different sizes, too, these colored rubber wristbands, and continue to be worn by the man on the street, sports superstars, politicians, school children, celebrities and just about anybody who has $3.00, the usual cost of a single color, debossed, four-worded message. Used to raise funds for a cause or election campaign and ordered in bulk, these rubber bracelets will be very low cost. Although businesses order these wholesale to give away to prospective clients, the high price cash-out is not an issue because their promotional value generally returns the investment proportionately.

The burgeoning demand for these bracelets have created a niche market that crosses age groups, genders, lifestyles, economic status, educational attainment, cultures and religions. Black and white rubber bracelets have recently sprung in support of anti-racism, airlines have started giving them as freebies for frequent fliers, supporters of American troops currently serving overseas in the Middle East are wearing them in olive green and born again Christians have recently launched “I Am Second” silicone rubber wristbands to support missionaries. Yes, they mean big business for manufacturers and the profits might be all that they care about, but for those wearing these rubber wristbands, getting their messages across is priceless.