Winner: Edelman—American Lung Association's LUNG FORCE
With few corporate sponsors and an aging donor base that often gave $25 or less, the American Lung Association had to reinvigorate its organization or risk losing staff, eroding revenue and potential obsolescence, despite demonstrated social need.
After completing an operational effectiveness assessment, the Lung Association determined that, to set the tone and pace for the future, it needed to create a signature cause initiative. The Lung Association partnered with Edelman to design and launch this game-changing initiative that would strengthen the brand through new consumer awareness, perception and engagement as well as attract the right strategic partners to diversify and increase revenue streams.
With a joint interest in Americans’ lung health, CVS Health and the Lung Association came together in 2014 to create and launch LUNG FORCE. The partners’ first action was to conduct the inaugural LUNG FORCE Women’s Lung Health Barometer, a study of women’s perceptions of lung cancer, to understand the foe they were facing. The results were shocking: despite the fact that lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer of women, only 1% of women had it on their radar.
In terms of impact from this effort, the partners expanded Freedom From Smoking in-person programming into 74 communities, held 17 LUNG FORCE Expos and launched tools, including a lung cancer screening quiz and Lung Cancer Action Guide, which allows lung cancer patients to navigate resources based on where they are in their lung cancer journey.
They also established the “LUNG FORCE Research Innovation Project: Lung Cancer in Women Awards”—the Lung Association’s first research program dedicated exclusively to lung cancer in women.
Honorable Mentions:
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - KidSmartz
• Samsung Electronics Canada - Samsung Canada's The Look At Me Project
• U.S. Green Building Council - Green Apple Day of Service 2015