It’s not often that you see a piece of communication for an incredibly serious subject, that makes you smile, then makes you think differently. The idea for coppafeel.org does both.
Coppafeel.org is a charity devoted to raising awareness of breast cancer in young women. A condition more commonly associated with those over 40, the issue is not exactly top of mind with this younger group. This organisation was founded by an inspirational 23-year-old called Kris. Having been diagnosed herself with breast cancer she has set out to devote herself to championing the cause of raising awareness among her age group.
So that’s the extremely serious issue, now to the fact it made me smile. The campaign to promote Coppafeel.org, by Archibald Ingall Stretton, goes under the heading “Boob Hijack”. It manages to have a bit of an old skool ambient feel while relevantly embracing social media. The ambient comes in the form of stickers that turn up on boobs everywhere; people, shop mannequins and statues. Lorraine Kelly also sported a sticker on her TV show. And there’s a projection of the message on to the Angel of the North.
Most outrageous though was the hijacking of a live sex show. What could have been a tacky encounter, a caller asking the “actress” to perform, is offset by the fact the caller has a very distinct and familiar voice, belonging to the X Factor announcer (and delivering his requests in the same over-the-top style). While the relevance of targeting a strictly male media could be questioned, this is completely offset when the piece becomes viral and gets a great response on Facebook from exactly the right audience with messages like “That’s brilliant”, “That’s fab!!! Very funny!!!”, “Made me laugh”, “Well done guys” and “Loving it”. They’re clearly engaged. And hopefully picking up on the message too.
So, it’s serious, it makes you smile, and it makes you think. Although we may be very aware of breast cancer, the fact that it can affect this younger age group is certainly not something that appears to be commonly talked about. Having been driven to the website I spent a lot of time reading about the amazing Kris and the issue she now champions. I would imagine this work has done a fantastic job in driving a lot of other people to think about the issue, raising its profile and getting people to talk about it.
Gary Sharpen is executive creative director at WDMP
