2022 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

When COVID-19 hit in the Spring of 2020, healthcare organizations across the world pivoted to focusing on pandemic response, leaving annual health check-ups on the backburner. Because of this, the BC Cancer Foundation saw a shocking 20% decrease in new diagnoses that year. This was of particular concern for relatively treatable diseases with early detection, like testicular cancer. In addition to this decrease in early detection during the pandemic, testicular cancer has also seen a 400% increase in diagnoses over the last four decades.

On top of these healthcare and pandemic-related challenges, they also had to overcome tensions around men’s health. A 2016 study found that 53% of men generally don't talk about their health. Men weren’t having important conversations about their health and well-being because it was perceived as taboo.

This prompted the BC Cancer Foundation to launch a campaign to increase awareness of testicular cancer, educating men on how to perform self-checks while stuck at home. They set themselves a goal of earning 1M impressions during the month of April.

Testicular cancer is most commonly diagnosed in men aged 16-40, meaning they had to find a bold and engaging way to communicate their message to a vast group of male British Columbians in a way that would counteract any bashfulness associated with the topic. They also saw that the landscape for cancer awareness was a sea of sameness: always the same ribbon with many different colours, with most people being completely unaware of what each represents.

By leveraging a recognizable symbol, with an edgy twist, they bridged the gap between raising awareness and creating an instantly identifiable icon specifically for testicular cancer. They launched these ribbons through a digital and influencer campaign by serving up a glamour shot of the pin that was sure to make people passively scrolling their feeds do a double take. They then retargeted people with a cheeky graphic video, demonstrating the proper way to perform a self-check using their almost anatomically accurate pin as a diagram. They also partnered with SAXX to encourage user generated content.

Far exceeding their objective, the Ballsy Ribbon launch generated over 8.1M total impressions, with help from features on broadcast media like CTV News and coverage in publications such as Upworthy. From this coverage, BC Cancer Foundation Instagram saw a 415% increase in social media followers, allowing for greater reach of the educational content they posted throughout Testicular Cancer Awareness month.

The campaign facilitated tons of organic discussion in social and on Reddit among testicular cancer patients and survivors, opening the dialogue around a topic that has traditionally been taboo. Social commentary was overwhelmingly positive with men expressing their gratitude for bringing awareness to something lifesaving that shouldn't be embarrassing to talk about.

Due to its success, BC Cancer Foundation will be reviving this initiative and symbol annually to continue to build awareness around the importance of early diagnosis and continue the conversation without shame or embarrassment.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Executive Creative Director: Leia Rogers, Morgan Tierney
Creative Director: Hans Thiessen
Creative Director: Sean O'Connor
Art Director: Jake Gauthier, Dosh Osholowu
Designer: Max Littledale
Writer: Evan Kane, Dan DeBacker
Producers: Scott Russell
Strategist: Samantha Cheng
Account Director: Kennedy Crawford
Account Manager: Michelle Rupisan
Studio Artist: Jan Day, Jonathon Cesar
Client Supervisor: Shawn MacInnes