At this point in time the topic of health is at the forefront of personal, political, community and global conversations, but we are also mindful that COVID-19 is not the only condition effecting peoples’ health at this time. COVID-19 and the subsequent isolation (this was written at the end of Level 4 lockdown) has effected almost every aspect of everyone’s lives in a short period of time. It has also started a plethora of new conversations – from mental health, to adapting routines, to community spirit, and at-home health.
Given all of these conversations, this seemed like an appropriate time to share a long-term project we have been working on. Starcom is privileged to have been working with the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ for a number of years, and last October we were very excited to help them launch a world-first educational app, Pre Check, to inform and support Kiwi women about knowing the signs of breast cancer. Our creative partners, Colenso BBDO, took the app to the next level by incorporating multiple senses into the platform, making it haptic (textures via digital patterns activated by touch), as well as including visual, audio, and pop up information.
In past years BCFNZ have used emotive TVCs to create awareness for breast cancer symptoms and the support of BCFNZ, which means that completely turning away from a long-performing media strategy was a big step for BCFNZ. However in an evolving media landscape they realised that bringing information to anyone, anywhere at any time was key, but building an app does not mean that people will instinctively download, which meant that we needed to explain Pre Check to our audience and share how it could benefit them.
We wanted to connect with Kiwi women by creating multiple touchpoints within their busy lifestyles, which led to a plethora of messages, creative builds and partnerships to share a greater depth of information. Hidden symptoms were revealed with day-to-night transitional posters, the many lesser-known symptoms were highlighted through consecutive poster placements and interactive digital formats, and we spoke directly to health-conscious people at the gym and via health podcasts. BCFNZ created an ongoing conversation through their social channels to connect with people; collecting feedback, answering questions and offering support.
Our multi-title / multi-platform partnership with Bauer allowed us to build out valuable information in a way that spoke to peoples’ daily lifestyles, humanising what can be a confusing and scary medical topic. It also helped BCFNZ gather information through quizzes and social activity, which can help inform helpful next steps to continue to support New Zealand women.
To check out the app just search for Pre Check in the Apple Store or Google Play and learn how to know your normal.
