Cancer campaign: A lot to be said for keeping things simple

Clever marketing is one thing, but it shouldn’t offend the very people it is intending to support, writes Karen Funnell

So the Irish Cancer Society wants us to “get” cancer and has launched a “deliberately provocative” campaign that has certainly ruffled a few feathers.

The ads — on newspapers, TV and social media — show four different people — a middle-aged man and woman, a young surfer and a young woman in a relationship — all stating: “I want to get cancer”. So far, so controversial.

The TV ads are only 10 seconds long and give no context at all. And while few would deny that they are provocative, they’ve also been described as confusing and offensive to people who have survived, succumbed to, or continue to fight the disease.

There’s a lot to be said for the power of marketing. As a journalist, part of me thinks the play on the word ‘get’ is quite clever and the shock value of the campaign certainly starts an uncomfortable conversation about a disease that affects almost every family in Ireland. And we do need to talk about it. One of my early memories after diagnosis was how difficult it was to tell others and how some people regarded it as a death sentence.

Of course, the Irish Cancer Society doesn’t want us to be diagnosed — quite the opposite, it’s fighting to eradicate the disease and it does a good job with limited resources. If you agree with the idea that no publicity is bad publicity then I suppose you could say the campaign has worked. To an extent.

Find out why the Irish Cancer Society wants you to Get Cancer in 2017.#IWantToGetCancer pic.twitter.com/68Nhx7V6fi

— Irish Cancer Society (@IrishCancerSoc) January 4, 2017

Cancer is no longer a death sentence but I don’t think anyone would argue with the fact that we have a long way to go. There are over 150,000 cancer survivors in Ireland, and that number is rising all the time. Six out of 10 patients will survive to five years and beyond, double the survival rate of 40 years ago. But cancer continues to kill; lung cancer survival rates are only 13%. Anything that raises awareness, publicity and, ultimately, money — even if it upsets and shocks us — has to be seen as a positive.

On the other hand, as one of those 150,000 survivors, the ads did leave me a little cold. Yes, we need to get cancer as in we need to understand and attack the killer disease — and the society needs to use whatever tools it has at its disposal to raise funds and awareness in an increasingly competitive market for charities — but it’s hard not to find the whole thing a tad insensitive and gimmicky. Because I did get cancer and I certainly didn’t want it.

A similar campaign ran in 2014 in the UK with adverts showing people suffering from pancreatic cancer saying “I wish I had testicular cancer” among other types — highlighting the plight of people diagnosed with a disease that gave them “no hope”. Again, it was clever but it also left a bitter taste in many mouths.

The Irish Cancer Society says it launched its latest campaign to highlight the fact that by 2020, one in two of us will be getting diagnosed in our lifetime and while it admits the ads are startling and upsetting, they need to be to get the point across.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Irish Cancer Society head of communications Gráinne O’Rourke said; “Some people have been startled and upset — but hearing your doctor say the words ‘you have cancer’ is far more upsetting.

“‘I Want to Get Cancer’ is designed to be provocative, it has to be to save lives. For too long we have spoken about cancer in hushed tones and with a sense of fear and avoidance. Some people even think that cancer is inevitable. We want to change that.”

The Irish Cancer Society says by investing in cancer research, we can prevent the rise in numbers of diagnosis. It faces a mammoth task and by its own admission it cannot do it alone. It needs our help.

Four out of 10 cancers can be prevented, we can lose weight, stop smoking, get more active. It needs us to get ourselves checked, alter our lifestyles and basically kick ass. I get it. We all get it. So, 10 out of 10 for making an impact with the latest campaign — and I wholeheartedly support the message — but just be mindful of the gimmicks.

Clever marketing is one thing, but it shouldn’t offend the very people it is intending to support. And, as many of us were left baffled, maybe don’t try to be too clever. There’s a lot to be said for keeping things simple.