While celebrities often lend their high-profile names to boost awareness for various healthcare causes, it's less common that a disease helps to shape a celebrity's image.
Lance Armstrong, who is known as much for being a cancer survivor as he is for being a champion Tour de France cyclist, has this level of recognition. And in the world of cancer
advocacy, where there's an endless who's who list of celebrities promoting its causes, Armstrong's distinct message of hope also made him an enviable outreach partner and
spokesman for Bristol Myers Squibb's cancer education efforts.
In February, BMS seized this opportunity by funding and helping to launch the Lance Armstrong Found-ation's Cycle of Hope campaign. Although testicular cancer would have been
the obvious and, arguably, easier area for the effort to focus on (since that is what Armstrong recovered from), the campaign has more ambitious outreach goals. It is tackling
some key information barriers of the overall cancer category, from promoting early detection and reducing the fear associated with diagnosis to encouraging a team approach to
treatment and fostering hope in patients and families fighting the disease.
This general advocacy approach is also what sets it apart from other cancer campaigns that typically have a singular focus, like breast cancer and prostate cancer.
The campaign builds on Armstrong's Tour de France victory with metaphorical messages aimed at winning the race against cancer. The Cycle of Hope packet, for instance, features
an interactive wheel of information on common risk factors and symptoms associated with seven forms of cancer, and the Winning the Race Against Cancer booklet arms recently
diagnosed cancer patients with key information to manage the disease. And when the campaign launched earlier this year, it used bicycle messengers in major cities like New York,
Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia to spread the word by handing out Cycle of Hope postcards.
So far, the campaign's cycling analogies are striking a chord with a diverse audience of cancer information-seekers and survivors. More than 50,000 media kits have been
distributed and the Web site (http://www.cycleofhope.org) has generated more than 33,000 hits. The campaign also is resonating with the media. It has landed high-profile coverage on "Regis and Kathy Lee" and "60 Minutes" and the
PSA, which broke an airings record, has aired more than 11,670 times as of last week.
"On so many levels Lance Armstrong is the genuine article when it comes to cancer advocacy," says John Kouten, BMS' associate director of worldwide oncology public affairs.
"His story conveys to people that education equals empowerment."
Generally Speaking
Although Lance Armstrong's triumph over cancer conveys a powerful symbol of hope, the PR challenge was in making sure that everyone could relate to his story, says Susan
Newberry, SVP of Spectrum Science, the PR firm that developed the campaign.
It had to address tough questions like, could an older woman with breast cancer be inspired by a young male athlete's bout with testicular cancer, and would his message only
resonate with a narrow target of young, fit men?
The agency avoided these pitfalls by playing up the universal aspects of Armstrong's recovery like his:
- experience of transitioning from a cycle of fear to a cycle of hope;
- determination to be empowered with cancer treatment information; and
- persistent will to win the race against cancer.
These themes are woven throughout the campaign's informational kit and Web site and expanded with tips for managing cancer. A booklet for those recently diagnosed with cancer
provides an extensive list of important questions to ask medical professionals.
The brochure that targets loved ones of cancer patients provides advice for assembling a caregiving team and developing a crisis management plan.
But the risk wheel is the most effective component of the campaign. The two-sided marketing piece features easily digestible information for men and women on when to get cancer
screenings and some of the common symptoms and risk factors for seven forms of cancer, including bladder, breast, lung and prostate.
While the campaign doesn't try to be all things to all people, the communication materials promote a solid starting point for navigating the massive roadmap of cancer
information that is available through other cancer sources, says Howard Chalmers, president of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
(Bristol Myers Squibb, John Kouten, 609/897-2637; Spectrum Science, Susan Newberry, 202/955-6222; Lance Armstrong Foundation, Howard Chalmers, 512/236-8820)
Campaign Testimonials
Anecdotally, the Cycle of Hope's broad stroke approach is resonating with multiple audiences. Here's a snapshot of the campaign's online testimonials:
- "I find [Lance's] story to be inspirational and I will recommend this site to others. I am recovering from breast cancer. This reminds me that a fighting spirit is so
important." - "I know that I will fight for my husband's life until the end - this site has given me hope to know that someone has survived cancer."
- "Excellent site! I am a healthcare professional working in cancer education and outreach, this is a site I will recommend without a doubt."