CoppaFeel: How to grab a serious issue by the boobs

It’s fair to say that CoppaFeel has come a long way since the charity launched in 2009, with a mission to raise awareness of breast cancer in young women, which at the time was a condition more commonly associated with those over 40.
The charity was founded by Kris Hallenga and her twin sister Maren, after Kris was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer at the age of 23. And as its name suggests, humour has been at the heart of its proposition.
Over the years, the charity has embraced 3D boobs, urged people to “CoppaFeel! In The Shower”, check their breasts in the toilet, and inspired young women to “reclaim” the language around their boobs. It has also become the first TV advertiser to screen uncovered breasts in its 2017 Trust Your Touch initiative.
The latest campaign, devised by Fold7, expands the charity’s message to highlight the broad range of people who can get breast cancer, as part of a drive to also tackle the issue among BAME and transgender communities.
The inclusive activity aims to normalise breast checking across the nation, encouraging everyone to check regularly, “grab on to life”, and get to know their bodies.
One of those featured in the ad is Heidi Elleray, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2018 after finding a small lump. She said seeing CoppaFeel at the university where she works meant she was”extra quick to get it checked out”, so she decided to take part in the latest campaign.
She added: “I got involved in the hope that it would help people understand that breast cancer can affect everyone, it doesn’t matter your age, gender or race, regular checking can make all the difference, and you can still rock it during treatment and come out stronger than ever.”
Fold7 founder and chief creative officer Ryan Newey said: “Breast cancer can impact anyone regardless of age, gender, race – but simply checking gives us the gift of early diagnosis enabling us to get medical treatment as quickly as possible. The line ‘grab life by the boobs’ was designed to communicate this by subverting the phrase ‘grab life by the balls’ – and while Trust Your Touch was about building confidence around checking, the message this time is much more assertive and proactive.”
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office? Does this latest activity “grab life by the balls” or is it a load of old bollocks? Does it trivialise a serious issue or tackle it with gusto? And, perhaps most importantly, does it succeed in getting the message across that “everyone” should be checking their boobs?
Well, we love a bit of CoppaFeel. Ever since the tone was set by the “gone but not forgotten” agency Archibald Ingall Stretton, the charity has managed to consistently tackle this very serious issue with wit. Not in a frivolous way but in a way which both raises a smile and makes you sit up and take notice.
This campaign manages to get the inclusive message across without being preachy, and anything that raises awareness about breast cancer among the young, who have traditionally not even thought about the disease, has got to be applauded.

Decision Marketing Adometer: 8 out of 10

TOPICS:Creative Review