Cancer Australia
Cancer mortality is unacceptably high among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared to non-Indigenous people. We discovered that one of the biggest barriers to seeking help and treatment for cancer was the act of simply talking about it.
The brief
Talking about cancer is viewed as ‘taboo’ for many Aboriginal people, and unfortunately this breakdown in communication can have serious health implications. There are reasons to be hopeful though, with research showing that Aboriginal people are more likely to go to cancer screenings and health check-ups if they’re supported by their friends and family. So, we latched onto this insight and built a campaign around it.
The good
Often, the best way to break down taboos is to get it out into the open and talk it through.
We developed a heartfelt and engaging awareness campaign to highlight the value of ‘having a yarn’. With the goal of breaking down the barriers and busting the myths around the cancer taboo to bring about a broad, lasting change in attitudes, Yarn for Life spoke directly to the audience with a simple but effective message — ‘It’s ok to talk about cancer’.
The impact
At launch, the multi-faceted Yarn for Life campaign used a combination of mediums to get the message out to a broad national audience. The emotive hero piece — featuring real cancer survivors talking about the value of yarning with friends and family is an ice-breaker that shows how talking about cancer can actually help save lives. Supported by motion graphic videos, a targeted social campaign, and print, Yarn for Life is one of the most important conversation starters we’ve ever had the privilege of creating.
We discovered
that one of the
biggest barriers to
seeking help and
treatment for
cancer was simply
talking about it.
Yarn for Life spoke
directly to the audience
with a simple but effective
message — ‘It’s ok to talk about
cancer’.
digital
Cut-downs, moving
posters and moving
portraits were generated
with a mobile first
approach.
This campaign was one of the most important
conversation starters we’ve ever had the
privilege of creating.
