Can M&C Saatchi make bowel cancer screening fun?
A third of people don’t use the bowel cancer screening tests the NHS sends out – for predictable if potentially costly reasons – so NHS England is trying to give the programme a lift with ‘Ribbon Dancer’ (toilet rolls) from current agency of choice M&C Saatchi.
To a famous tune from Sammy Davis Jr., easy to forget what a good singer he was.
NHS head of marketing Phil Bastable says: “Diagnosing bowel cancer at an early stage greatly improves a person’s chances of survival, which is why we want to ensure that as many people as possible complete the bowel cancer screening test when they’re sent one. This campaign by M&C Saatchi London addresses a serious, sensitive issue in an engaging and memorable way, showing how taking this quick, easy-to-use test really does have the power to save your life.”
M&C creative partner Guy Bradbury says: “To remind people who have been invited to take the bowel cancer test next time they go to the loo, we wanted to create a campaign that was distinctive, memorable and joyous, reminding people – through ribbon dance – that a simple screening test could save their lives. Or in the words of Sammy Davis Jnr, ‘Live, not merely survive.’”
Good from M&C, a tricky task deftly executed.
MAA creative scale: 8.