Raising awareness of men’s cancers in partnership with the Institute of Cancer Research
Everyman was an appeal by the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) raising funds for male-specific cancer research. More than 10,000 men die from prostate cancer in the UK every year, and over 2000 others have a diagnosis of testicular cancer.
Asda got involved in a charity partnership – to motivate its people to raise awareness and help save lives. Its staff got behind the campaign and raised over £640,000. Asda wanted communications both to thank staff for everything they had done, and also demonstrate how this subject matter was relevant to them, to find real meaning behind the partnership and encourage ongoing support.
We planned a powerful film aimed at Asda employees, centred around them and the fundraising they had achieved. However, we also reached out to the workforce to find individuals who had been directly impacted by male-specific cancer to demonstrate how the amazing support they had given to this campaign also affected colleagues and their families directly. A number of people came forward, and the film wove their stories around the appreciation and reflection of the fundraising itself, giving it appropriate light and shade for a strong narrative arc. It felt inspiring to hear male team members talking with such candour about how the disease had affected them.
The film created further conversation and a sense of gratitude and pride in what the Asda workforce had achieved. There had been no targets to hit, and the campaign had relied on the culture and goodwill of the workforce. So its success was definitely something worth celebrating. Asda reported a 25% increase in fundraising activity and engagement across the workforce in the year after the film was released, with employees reporting an increased awareness of the cause, and a greater sense of purpose around supporting their colleagues.
