Abstract
The present report deals with a campaign aimed at raising awareness of breast cancer. Thousands of females worldwide and especially those living in the so-called developed countries suffer from this disease.
Women in their 30-40s are the most vulnerable groups as they often have little time for their health due to a variety of activities they have to do. The campaign will involve such media as television, internet (with a focus on social networks), print media. Celebrities (as well as ordinary people) should also be a part of the campaign telling their stories or sharing their fears and hopes.
Introduction
Breast cancer is one of the most serious issues related to a female’s health. People have tried to find a way to eradicate this disease for more than a century. It is noteworthy that researchers have learned a lot about this kind of cancer but thousands of women worldwide still die because of it (Breast cancer risk factors, 2009).
In 2010, over 400 thousand women worldwide died of breast cancer (The breast cancer landscape, 2013). The second part of the twentieth century can be seen as a breakthrough in disorder diagnosing and raising awareness among people (Jacobsen & Jacobsen, 2011).
Nonetheless, females often ignore the problem and do not pay much attention to it until it is too late. Furthermore, there are still numerous gaps in breast cancer treatment as people as well as many healthcare professionals still think that surgery is the only effective way to address the issue (The breast cancer landscape, 2013).
Therefore, it is important to develop an effective promotional program to raise awareness about the disease among females (especially young adults).
PR Program
Situation
As has been mentioned above, breast cancer accounts for more than 400,000 deaths globally. Researchers have come up with numerous risk factors, and people are now aware of them. It is known that older women get higher chances of developing the disease they have and the cases of breast cancer increase significantly in women in their 30s (Breast cancer risk factors, 2009).
Residence also affects the development of the disease, and it is quite surprising that the rate of women with breast cancer in developed countries (Europe and North America) is much higher than in less developed countries (Breast cancer risk factors, 2009).
Family history is another important risk factor, and women whose relatives have breast cancer are much more likely to have this problem as well. It is important to add that late diagnosing is another risk factor. It is essential to diagnose cancer in the early stages to make the treatment more effective.
New Information
It is good news that researchers have developed numerous strategies to diagnose, treat, and even prevent the development of breast cancer. For example, this disorder treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, antibody and hormone therapy (The breast cancer landscape, 2013).
Researchers have found that there are two major types of breast cancer and these types need different treatment. Unfortunately, in many cases, breast cancer is treated without paying attention to this discovery. Clearly, the pharmaceutical industry is continuing its work on the development of new medication.
Strategy
Audiences
It is clear that the breast cancer campaign will target at women in their 30-40s as this is one of the most vulnerable categories of women as they often pay little attention to the problem and address healthcare professionals at later stages of the disease development (Jacobsen & Jacobsen, 2011). It is important to understand this category of females and their needs to develop proper messages which could work well.
These are usually married women who have families (some of them working mothers). These are also business ladies who focus on their career. Both groups have little time for their health. These women often forget about or simply do not have time for regular check-up or mammography. These women often have quite general information on breast cancer and think that what they know is enough.
Key Messages
The key message to these women will be the appeal to their future. It is essential to make them more attentive to their health to ensure they will be with their families or/and will be able to work in the future. Thus women should be encouraged to be more responsible.
It is also effective to stress that a check-up takes a day while cancer treatment may take months and can lead to really devastating results. Finally, women should seek for more information about the disease as raising awareness can keep women cautious.
Media Vehicle
The issue needs a complex approach and, hence, it is important to employ major media tools. Television, the Internet (with a focus on social networks), magazines and newspapers as well as posters and billboards should be utilized. This will help start a massive campaign which will attract a lot of public attention. As for the use of television, it is possible to launch debates in shows and address some celebrities to participate in the campaign. These celebrities can be representatives of Hollywood, sports, politics and so on.
Timetable
- June-July 2014 – addressing nurses and volunteers
- June-July 2014 – billboards and commercials with open questions
- August 2014-April 2015– messages and invitations sent to participants
- September 2014-April 2015 – programs and debate with volunteers and celebrities
- October 2014-May 2015 – discussion, activities, events.
- June-July 2015 – program evaluation
Budget
- Development of commercials – $20,000
- Materials (commercials, posters, billboards including development of designs) – $10,000
- Total – $30,000
Tactics
Creative Communication Plan
It is possible to start with some hooks. For instance, the campaign can start with several open questions. Several pictures of celebrities or ordinary women can appear on a picture with a big question ‘Do you know what unites these women?’ The next stage will be introduced by the answer ‘They know about breast cancer. Do you?’ These pictures (as well as the rest of visual materials should have the sign of breast cancer awareness symbol, the pink ribbon).
The campaign should be very informative as women should understand exactly what breast cancer (as well as its treatment) is. Vague and non-informative discussions will be frustrating and ineffective (McCartney, 2013).
Researchers should discuss the latest discoveries in the field and young women (and older females) should share their experiences. These women have to have different backgrounds to make the message clear to a wider audience. Females should be aware of risks and they should also hear success stories.
It is necessary to create short social commercials articulating the messages mentioned above. It is crucial to make females understand that the problem persists and they should be more responsible for the sake of their own and their families’ future.
Evaluation Plan
At the end of the campaign, it is possible to implement a survey to understand whether breast cancer awareness increased or not. It is also important to understand whether women’s attitude towards the disease and their check-ups has changed. These are major tools to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign.
Reference List
Breast cancer risk factors: A review of the evidence. (2009). Web.
Jacobsen, G.D., & Jacobsen, K.H. (2005). Health awareness campaigns and diagnosis rates: Evidence from national breast cancer awareness month. Web.
McCartney, M. (2013). The patient paradox. London: Pinter & Martin Publishers.
The breast cancer landscape. (2013). Web.