Breast Cancer Ireland
Background and brief
Breast Cancer Ireland commissioned Persuasion Republic to develop a landmark campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer and to educate people on knowing the signs and symptoms of this awful disease.
Our task involved developing the campaign brand and core messaging, and to produce assets for the above and below the line applications including photography, 6 videos, advertising content, outdoor and digital. The campaign was also supported by strong PR and public affairs activities.
The campaign was targeted at women of all ages and their influencers, as well as men (yes, men can also get breast cancer).
Strategy
We knew right away that this unique campaign execution required a very sensitive strategic and creative approach. So a number of key self-imposed guidelines shaped our approach. It had to be a survivor-led campaign. This was about their courage and commitment to share something extraordinarily intimate and traumatic – all for the greater good. That meant our creative egos had to be put back in their cages.
Therefore our core task became to reflect their bravery and sensitivity and their demand to be seen and heard. Given the modest scale of the campaign, it had to punch above its weight. We also had to ensure that the core brand and message of the campaign had cut-through – and that people would understand and heed their message to learn the symptoms and take action by checking themselves regularly.
Creative challenge and approach
When you’re making public health awareness messages like breast cancer awareness, there are no higher stakes than life or death. The survivors had lived through, and survived, that thin line. So, the campaign was loaded with sensitivity.
Given the very exposing central visuals of the campaign, even a slightly misjudged tone or message would undermine the amazing action of the survivors.
The challenge visually – photography, design and video – was to avoid falling into several traps such as making it too medicalised, or too sexualised, or too sensational. Instead we needed to craft powerful imagery and design that was at once aesthetic but crucially, also authentic and true. That reflected the courage, dignity and honesty of the ambassadors.
The campaign’s messaging needed to sensitively broadcast these amazing people’s stories through compelling and first-hand copywriting and storytelling.
The campaign
The final campaign mirrored the provocative brief. Through a series of moving videos, five brave women and one man were filmed and photographed showing the dramatic surgical impacts and scars which resulted from their treatment.
In a series of beautifully-shot black and white portrait films, they shared their stories with immense honesty, humour and courage. Their striking and inspiring images were repeated across a wide range of digital and OOH applications.
Outcome
The trust that our wonderful client BCI placed in our ability to deliver effective and memorable advocacy, enabled us to build the most powerful and successful campaign possible. BCI has commissioned pre and post research in order to benchmark the success of the campaign. This is still in the field but early signs are extremely positive. And the media coverage – national and local – has been extensive, hugely supportive and has amplified the key messages.
The evidence tells us time and time again that with health awareness, when key audiences are properly reminded and they’re shown the high stakes, they take action. But when people are reminded by the most authentic and articulate and emotive story tellers possible – survivors – and when they literally visually and verbally front up – the message is supercharged. It’s utterly convincing. It simply can’t be unseen, unheard, unfelt.
The reaction of the participant
But perhaps one of the most important outcomes is the pride and profound sense of ownership that the participants feel towards the campaign.
In this campaign these survivors achieved something wondrous – they repurposed their experiences and scars to become weapons of mass instruction. They are already survivors. Now they are lifesavers. And we’re delighted to have been asked to tell their stories and elevate their life-saving messaging.
If you like know more about how we can help you bring your advocacy or awareness work to life please contact us.
We are here to help.
