In Germany, there are around 4.65 million people living with cancer. Whilst improved awareness, diagnosis and treatments are helping more and more people to survive cancer and live longer, aftercare is in short supply.
The time after therapy can be an emotional rollercoaster, as patients try to manage aftercare, rehab, possible long-term consequences and the thought that the cancer can return. And yet they are expected to just bounce back to normal life.
Research-intensive biopharmaceutical company MSD Sharp & Dohme GmbH wanted to demonstrate their commitment to cancer patients and cancer survivors.
Objectives:
Insight
Cancer treatment is invasive and all-consuming which means that the normal activities of life often stop completely.
Returning to work, going on holiday, starting to date again and even going out with friends, all feels very daunting when you’re doing them for the first-time post treatment.
Yet while lots of support is available when going through cancer treatment and recovery, afterwards you’re on your own.
Idea
To support cancer survivors with returning to life after treatment, we created, an integrated campaign and support initiative to help patients rediscover the joy of living post-treatment, first time by first time.
On World Cancer Day, whilst everyone else was talking about therapies, we wanted to highlight that what comes after treatment is just as important: returning to your life and living with cancer after therapy.
Only by demonstrating this is an issue that the public will stand up for and rally to resolve, can we force policy change in government so they change the Health insurance provisions and enforce free aftercare support.
To affect change, we first have to create awareness of the issue amoungst current and post-treatment patients, their families and the wider community . This means creating emotive and engaging content which is likely to be watched and shared. [HN1]
We put Cancer survivors Monika and Silja at the centre of our campaign and gave them the central voice in 2 documentary films which described their daily challenges, showing the highs and lows of returning to new life.
Execution
Content Hub IqDigital:
