When the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) launched its PR campaign in October 2001 the hook was a VNR -- discussing early screening and access to early screening
for breast cancer -- that was distributed to news outlets nationwide. But like most if not all PSAs during that period it took a backseat to wall-to-wall coverage of the September
11 attacks. Exposure for the NBCAM campaign was minimal.
"We lost that year to 9/11," says Kate McKenzie, program manager for PR and advocate relations for AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical firm whose foundation funds the NBCAM
campaigns. NBCAM is an organization of 17 nonprofits and government agencies and the driving force behind the annual breast cancer education campaign, which kicks off every
October.
To help make up for lost ground in 2001, the NBCAM in 2002 rolled out the "Bust the Barriers" PSA campaign that, more than a year later, is still gaining traction with the
organization's target audiences of African-American women and Latino women as well as the nation's newsrooms. (See sidebar). The budget for the campaign was $28,000.
After conducting numerous focus groups with the target audiences, the NBCAM created a new campaign that was music to its ears - literally. The centerpiece of the PSA campaign
was a "Survivin' Sisters" PSA featuring four breast cancer survivors rapping out their messages about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. The "rappers" in the PSA
are a diverse group of women in their 40s and 50s, the age bracket in which women are most at risk for getting breast cancer.
"Most promotions in previous years had been doom-and-gloom," McKenzie said. "But [breast cancer] doesn't have to be a death sentence anymore and what we can now do is get
people's attention in recognizing the importance of early detection.
"Breast cancer isn't a smiling disease. But we thought that by lightening the delivery people would pay more attention to the message," McKenzie added.
Asked if there was any concern that the rap message in the PSA might alienate some women, Susan Nathanson, national coordinator for NBCAM and a manager in the healthcare
practice at Burson-Marsteller, said there was just one negative call among hundreds of e-mails and telephone messages praising the PSA.
"When we tested this and asked, 'How will people take to this kind of approach?' everybody's response was that four breast cancer survivors rapping these messages would
overcome any negativity," Nathanson said. "It was so different to see women in their 40s and 50s rapping instead of teenagers."
This year's PSA campaign continues the lighthearted approach started by the "Survivin' Sisters" PSA. The campaign has both a broadcast and Web component, http://www.nbcam.org, and features a talking pink ribbon -- the symbol for breast cancer -- addressing the importance of early detection of
breast cancer. In the month and a half since it launched it's garnered six million media impressions. Said Nathanson: "I just got a call this morning from a station in
Minneapolis asking if they could run it throughout the whole year."
The 2002 'Bust the Barriers' Campaign: Creating a Successful PSA
The 2002 campaign centerpiece was "Survivin' Sisters," a TV PSA performed in a hip-hop rap style by a group of post-menopausal, multi-cultural women who have survived breast
cancer and credit early detection for saving their lives. Through this unexpected pairing of older women with breast cancer and rap music, the campaign sought to break through the
clutter of competing PSAs on TV news directors' desks and simultaneously reach the targeted audiences with a message to which they would respond. To supplement the placement of
the PSA, the campaign distributed a b-roll package of "The Making of Survivin' Sisters" and a press kit to entice stations to do an accompanying news story.
Challenges:
Audience: The goal was to reach an ethnically diverse and older audience of primarily women. Research showed that older women, African-American women and Latinas are at
higher risk for breast cancer and the mortality rate is higher in all three groups than younger and primarily white women. Even though targeting this particular group of women
made outreach more difficult, the data supported this effort.
Medium: Research data showed that TV was an ideal way to reach this audience, but the campaign did not have the budget for paid advertising during the times when consumers
typically tune in to TV. A PSA was the answer, yet there was a risk that it would only play during off-hours rather than prime viewing times.
Budget: A limited budget required the campaign to seek ways to cut costs and even solicit donations of time, materials and ideas during the making of the PSA, a steep
challenge given the tough economy.
Key factors that helped make the PSA successful:
One of the key elements of success was obtaining a clear understanding of the target market and perceptions among women about breast cancer, health screening and media habits.
The campaign carefully tested its messages, the use of humor, and the incongruity of our "actors" with patient advocates and healthcare providers in the field of breast cancer as
well as with people from the target markets who were breast cancer survivors. The unorthodox approach was previewed with colleagues and partners and the numerous organizations
that make up the Board of Sponsors of NBCAM. As a result, the PSA and related TV news coverage garnered unprecedented attention for the 18-year-old National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month organization. (See box) Not only did TV stations air the PSA during high-viewing periods, but NBCAM attracted the greatest media attention for its October campaign
in the organization's history.
Source: Burson-Marsteller/AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation
Busting Out
The "Bust the Barriers: Spotlight on National Breast Cancer Awareness" PSA has garnered tremendous results since it started airing in October 2002. The PSA - featuring four
breast cancer survivors rapping out their message about the importance of early detection - continues to run in some markets
- The PSA has aired in 41 markets garnering 1,894 airings and 40,826,000 impressions as of April 23, 2003
- Hits to nbcam.org topped 3.1 million for October 2002, a 100% increase in hits compared to hits to the site for the same month in 2001. The total number of visits for the 12
months was 8.1 million - Calls to the CDC hotline were up 200% in 2002 compared to the previous year
- E-mail messages from Web site visitors were up 100% with questions and requests for copies of the PSA
- 77 news stories aired with supplied footage
Contacts: Susan Nathanson, 312.596.3557; [email protected]; Kate McKenzie, 302.886.3769; [email protected]