'Don't be a Cancer Chancer'; How a colloquial message of hope empowered a population to save their own lives (2009)
Best Media
Campaign: 'Don't be a Cancer Chancer'; How a colloquial message of hope empowered a population to save their own lives
Brand: 'Don't be a Cancer Chancer
Client: Manchester Versus Cancer Alliance in partnership with Ashton Leigh & Wigan PCT
Entrant: McCann Erickson Communications House (Manchester)
Principal Author: Sarah Booth - McCann Erickson Communications House (Manchester)
Contributing Author: Emily-Jane Brown - McCann Erickson Communications House (Manchester)
Credited Companies: Unravel Research - Others, The Christie - Client, Ashton Leigh & Wigan Primary Care Trust - Client, Universal McCann - Media Agency
Every year 500 people in Greater Manchester could be saved from cancer death if their symptoms were presented earlier. This paper shows how a small budget social marketing campaign saved lives in Greater Manchester with a positive message about cancer. The creative strategy was to create hope instead of fear and alter the way that this population reacted to the early signs of breast, lung and bowel cancer. With four impactful yet empathetic visuals in newspapers, bus tickets, pharmacy bags, on public toilet rolls and drink coasters the campaign was able to reach and engage with a specific, socially disadvantaged audience. It achieved prompted awareness of over 50 per cent a 69 per cent increase in awareness of the symptoms of cancer and 26 more cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2008.
Judge's Comments:
The judges were impressed by how traditional media was used really creatively to speak to an audience about the difficult and scary topic of how you recognise cancer symptoms, and how you should react to them.
-Jennelle Tilling, Vice President of Marketing UK & Ireland, KFC, Yum!Restaurants International