2015 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Ford Motor Company has been active in the fight against breast cancer since 1993, and, in 2006, intensified its efforts with the launch of its Warriors in Pink campaign. Warriors in Pink is designed to raise funds to support research and education, and to raise awareness. Through encouraging early detection, Warriors in Pink hopes to increase survival rates. The campaign is accompanied by the Ford Warriors in Pink clothing line, from which 100% of sales revenue is donated to breast cancer charities. Regionally, there has long been a stigma associated with cancer, which means that, in many cases, sufferers are not diagnosed until the later stages of the disease. To try and change the attitudes towards cancer in the Middle East, the agency launched and localised the CSR campaign in the region in 2011 and continued with a sustained communications programme for the last three years. In 2014, the agency continued to work with regional charities to support those affected by breast cancer by hosting media awareness breakfasts, generating coverage for the Warriors in Pink clothing line and extending its Models of Courage photo-shoot to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Qatar to produce a 2015 calendar that not only raises awareness about breast cancer but also shares inspirational stories in media across the region.

The Brief

While awareness initiatives have, in recent years, increased across the region, there is still a need to address the matter of educating women and the community about breast cancer, so that they are fully aware of the need to screen often and, most importantly, the fact that this is a curable disease – especially when detected early. With the launch of the Warriors in Pink campaign, Ford Middle East is humanising awareness initiatives by letting survivors from different backgrounds and cultures tell their stories, thereby making diagnosis and survival much more relatable to the culturally diverse female population of the region.

Results

• Coverage across the region is in excess of $1.2m, and continues to garner media attention • Interview opportunities were generated at every Warriors in Pink event for Ford representatives • 200 product placements in magazines and online channels increase awareness of the Warriors in Pink clothing line • Overall, the programme has reached more than 15 million people

Execution

The agency developed a sustained programme of activities, events and charity partnerships to grow the awareness of Warriors in Pink, and to highlight the vital importance of early detection. In 2014, the agency reached out local breast cancer survivors in the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Qatar to model clothes from the Warriors in Pink collection. The ‘Warriors in Pink Models of Courage,’ pictures were distributed to media to showcase the collection and used as a means to share inspirational stories. The pictures were then used for a 2015 calendar, encouraging women to check themselves, spread the message that this is curable and uplift the Warriors in Pink organisation. The calendar was sent to local media in order to enforce the impact of the cause and create a spillover into 2015.

The Situation

One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their life, even if they don’t have a family history of the disease – in fact, 85% of women have never had cancer in their family before. The disease comprises 10% of all new cancer cases worldwide, and, globally, is responsible for 1.6% of mortality in women. In the Middle East, culture and beliefs serve as a deterring factor for women to attend breast cancer screenings regularly, which results in the majority of cases being identified only in the later stages. Early detection increases survival rates.

The Strategy

Warriors in Pink’s strategy is to launch and maintain a long term breast cancer awareness and early detection programme across the Middle East, localising the campaign already established across North America and Canada. Through their stories and advice, Ford Middle East’s Warriors in Pink are intended to be inspirational, while opening the floor for conversation about breast cancer to work towards dispelling the existing taboo.