The Cancer Institute NSW is looking to bring poo talk back into the vernacular.
Stand up Comedian Dave O’Neil is sitting down in the latest ad for Cancer Institute NSW, which aims to bring awareness to bowel cancer screening.
O’Neil is scaring crap out of men over 50, saying more than 80 people die from bowel cancer every week, many of them needlessly when 90% of bowel cancers can be treated successfully when detected.
Loud head of planning Gerry Cyron says: “From the research, it was clear to us that a key reason for this low participation rate was that too many people simply were not doing the test as they found it ‘icky’ and were embarrassed because it involved poo.
“If we can persuade people there is nothing to be embarrassed about then the bowel screening participation levels could go up and lives can be saved.”
Loud developed the social campaign starring O’Neil to run alongside TV, press, radio, online and direct mail.
O’Neil will be participating in interviews throughout the campaign and content pieces will also be used across Facebook and targeted at the core audience of 50-74 year olds.
Despite the campaign being aimed at those over 50, earlier this month nearly 300 industry folk rallied together for a charity bash to support well-known programmatic consultant and industry recruiter Dan Sheppard - following a sudden diagnosis of bowel cancer – aged just 32. See: Photos: Adland unites, eBay scores, $10k raised in Dan Sheppard Cup
In response to questions asked by AdNews as to why this new campaign is aimed at those aged 50 and over, a Cancer Council spokesperson said although bowel cancer can strike younger than 50, it is much more prolific in the over 50s.
“The chances of developing bowel cancer dramatically develop with age,” a spokesperson said.
“Also the problem with bowel cancer is sometimes you don't display symptoms so catching it early is in reference to its disease progression not age.”
People aged under 50 can also buy the test kits from chemists.
