We all pussyfoot around difficult topics like cancer with people. Real Talk, BMB’s campaign for Breast Cancer Now, doesn’t. And it encourages others to talk openly about breast cancer too. It follows a woman going through breast cancer from diagnosis to treatment and its aftermath. She shares her real feelings with the film’s audience while giving the “polite” responses to friends and family. The commercial ends with an invitation to find the support to talk more openly about breast cancer through the charity.
The campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) is the first TV campaign by BMB since it the was appointed to the Breast Cancer Now account last year.
Matt Lever, chief creative officer at BMB, stated, “Breaking the fourth wall allows us to get beyond the sanitised, walking-on-eggshells way that people sometimes feel they have to talk about breast cancer. Hopefully our campaign will make breast cancer feel less daunting and make Breast Cancer Now be seen as the place to turn if you want to talk more openly about your breast cancer experience.”
The commercial was directed by the Cannes Grand Prix winner, David Dearlove, through Blink. The 60-second spot launched on ITV on September 26. It will run as a 60- and a 30-second spot on TV and an extended 80-second spot in social channels.
Rachael Franklin, director of fundraising, communications and engagement at Breast Cancer Now, commented, ‘We’re delighted to launch our latest brand campaign this Breast Cancer Awareness Month which aims to open up conversations about breast cancer and ensure anyone affected by the disease knows we’re here. We know that a breast cancer diagnosis can impact someone’s life in so many ways, with those who contact our nurses via our online Forum or Helpline often sharing feelings of isolation, confusion and fear at stepping into the unknown – feelings they don’t always feel they can share openly with family and friends.
“It’s this reality we portray in our TV ad, in a bid to encourage open conversations around breast cancer. We want to remind anyone affected by breast cancer that you’re not alone – from our nurses to researchers, to fellow breast cancer patients, Breast Cancer Now is here for you. With over 55,000 women a year and one man every day being diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK, there’s no time to waste in opening up real talk about the disease.”
The new campaign builds on Breast Cancer Now’s print brand campaign by BMB launched earlier in the year, which showed individuals explaining how they are touched by breast cancer and the many ways the charity helps people affected by breast cancer.
