Roche Campaign Increases Patient Understanding of Breast Cancer

Submitted by admin on Sat, 2007-10-13 21:54. | | |

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Short desctption

Roche and Ketchum use celebrity media cachet to turn the spotlight on breast cancer testing and education.

Body Text

Roche and Ketchum use celebrity media cachet to turn the spotlight on breast cancer testing and education. (Note: This campaign was not conducted in the U.S.) 

 

Challenge

Roche and Ketchum set out to raise awareness among breast cancer patients (primarily women age 40 and over) that there are different types of breast cancer and that it is important to get the right diagnostic tests to ensure the most appropriate management of their disease.

 
 
Solution

Ketchum worked with Roche to create the “Breast Friends” concept. A “Breast Friend” is a partner, relative, or close friend who makes an extremely distressing time a little easier for patients by helping them to digest complex medical information, ask important questions, and make crucial decisions about treatment options. Media attention was maximized by working with celebrities who had either been supported through breast cancer by a Breast Friend or who had themselves been a Breast Friend. These famous pairings were captured in inspirational photographs by internationally acclaimed photographer Rankin and shared with the world through a global touring exhibition (which launched in July 2006) and a coffee table book, launched during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October 2006). 

 

Results
The Breast Friends campaign was an unprecedented first for Roche: high-profile celebrities such as Jerry Hall, Marcia Cross and Rosanna Arquette were recruited to participate. As of mid-2007, 19 patient groups across the world have endorsed the program, 30 nationally and internationally recognized celebrities have participated in the campaign, and 21 Roche affiliate countries have committed to host the Breast Friends exhibition, which has already drawn 1.6 million visitors after a 9-country tour. The campaign has reached an audience of 300 million to date and there has been a significant increase in demand for testing across the target patient population in G5 markets since the introduction of the campaign.
© 2003-2008 Ketchum Inc.