TORONTO, ON–Breast Cancer Canada (formerly Breast Cancer Society of Canada) has a new brand and accompanying marketing campaign, mirroring the progress that Breast Cancer Canada has made in breast cancer research.
The change provides more than an elegant and modern look, it is an effort to help people see how truly beautiful and meaningful research can be. The campaign also hopes to inspire individuals to join Breast Cancer Canada in their laser-focus pursuit to end breast cancer, for good.
“We needed to modernize our brand to better reflect our progress in precision oncology and breast cancer research” says Kimberly Carson, CEO of Breast Cancer Canada (BCC) “We’ve funded life-saving research for 31 years and made so much progress, we wanted our brand to better reflect it. We’re not done yet, but we have come a long way.”
BCC teamed up with design and advertising agency, One Twenty-Three West for the change. “Our task wasn’t just to rebrand Breast Cancer Canada, but essentially rebrand what ‘research and researchers’ typically look like.” Explains Addie Gillespie, Creative Director at 123w. “Because what they’re doing is truly groundbreaking, we wanted to highlight their role in advancing treatment and detection of breast cancer.”
The campaign is called ‘Know More Breast Cancer”, using ‘know’ and ‘no’ as a double entendre. The name reinforces Breast Cancer Canada’s mission: the more we know about breast cancer, the sooner we can end it. Breast Cancer Canada’s campaign is a creative way to compliment both the innovative research they fund, and the drive to make knowledge more accessible.
The 360 campaign launches with an emotional sixty second video that switches between clips of the research process and the patient’s experience. The comparison between researcher and patient is impactful as it showcases the individuals and families that rely on the innovations made by researchers. The clip also includes a voice over simply saying “No More” repeatedly, only revealing the double meaning of the statement at the end.
Print, TV, OOH, digital / social, PR Stunts and a new website round out the campaign including both researchers and patients. The campaign features impactful lines like “Behind every survivor is a researcher on a mission,” aiming to show both the power of research and Breast Cancer Canada’s important position as a leader in the pursuit to end breast cancer.
The new brand shows how beautiful the progress of science and research is in the face of this ugly illness. The photography direction is bold, grounded in editorial design, which allows the brand and campaign to break free from the typically sterile and distant portrayal of researchers. The wordmark is meant to be elegant and beautiful while feeling breast-like, hinting at the pink ribbon that has been so closely associated with the brand. The result is a visually stunning and thought-provoking campaign.
The rebrand was done to inspire and motivate more people to donate, as Kimberly reminds us. “If you don’t think it will make a difference, we have the science to prove it does.” So please share and donate.
Breast Cancer Canada (BCC) is a national non-profit charity dedicated to saving lives through breast cancer research. With a specific focus on precision oncology (personalized care/medicine) they’re the only breast cancer organization in Canada that has a clear mandate to raise money for research. They also receive no government funding, meaning all of their research is funded through the generosity of donors.