2014 Silver Best Design or Art Direction

Client Breast Cancer Care

How did the campaign make a difference? Too many women still face breast cancer, and the huge impact of the disease on their body image, without the support they need. Breast Cancer Care aimed to reach over 500,000 women in the UK who live with breast cancer, focusing on the issue of body image after breast cancer surgery. The campaign itself needed to be inspiring and uplifting for women managing the psychological and physical effect of breast cancer treatment – and encourage them to access the expert support Breast Cancer Care offers.

The campaign reached millions of women through extensive free coverage in print and on national television and went viral online achieving over 49 million OTS. As a result, thousands of women have contacted Breast Cancer Care since the campaign, and are now receiving the support they need.

Strategy The campaign had to combine impact with sensitivity to the feelings of women living with breast cancer. With a minimal media budget, Breast Cancer Care looked to generate as much free media space and publicity as possible.to reach 500,000 women across the UK.

The campaign ran during Breast Cancer Awareness month – so whilst the subject matter was relevant and topical, it also needed to find a way to cut through the ‘pink fog’ of other activity.

The strategy was to focus on real women with inspiring stories to tell and give the audience real pause for thought. Featuring three very brave women who agreed to be photographed naked from the waist up, ‘scars and all’, the campaign showed that each remained beautiful despite a surgery that is perceived to be disfiguring.

Creativity Along with beautiful photographic portraits of each woman, the campaign used their own words, written on their skin in handwriting, to create three powerful images that were used as the basis of a press campaign and seeded online through Facebook.

A ‘making of’ video was also produced, giving the women a further chance to tell their stories. Everyone who saw the video or the press images online was asked to ‘share’ in order to help Breast Cancer Care’s message and reach every woman living with breast cancer in the UK.

And they did. The campaign became a rallying cry for women with breast cancer – a message of support from everyone who shared the images and a challenge to society’s perceptions of female beauty.

Results As hoped, the print ads were given free media space, used in editorial articles, appeared in retail displays and women’s changing rooms in the high street and featured on Daytime TV.

The feedback from women living with breast cancer was profound: “Your ad hit me like a train – it is fabulous. It sums me up perfectly. Thank you for understanding where we are coming from and being there for the thousands of women who will survive this!”. And it helped those who fear cancer, too: “It has reduced the fear considerably, as well as raising my admiration for all the survivors, especially those taking part so bravely in the campaign. Thank you.”

The charity managed to reach a far wider audience than the media budget allowed for. The campaign reached millions of women in the UK and beyond via sharing of both the video and press executions – with over 100,000 video views and a staggering 49 million OTS.