‘Pink Glove’ video sensation raises awareness, hits legal snag

When the ‘pink-glove dance’ went viral, misinformation and potential legal action eclipsed the elation

When your promotional video goes viral, that’s great news, right? Well, not always.

If there is attendant misinformation or copyright issues—or both—then what you have is a PR wildfire.

Case in point: When the staff at Medline posted a YouTube video of staffers at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center dancing for breast cancer awareness to singer Jay Sean’s song, “Down,” they thought they’d be lucky to get 1,000 views.

A year and nearly 12 million views later, the health care supply company has a genuine phenomenon on its hands with the Pink Glove Dance. Medline itself has visited more than a dozen other cities to film follow-up videos with health care professionals and cancer survivors.