NHS England
Improving Earlier
Diagnosis of Cancer
Life-saving touchpoints in England's bedrooms, bathrooms and changing rooms
Service and Offer
Studio
Be body aware
A key ambition for the NHS is to increase the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages one and two. A barrier to early diagnosis is that people are often not aware of their body and therefore don’t recognize changes that could be a sign of cancer.
Our strategic approach with the NHS was to harness trusted brands and create a new way of reminding people to take notice of any changes in their body in places and moments where they are already thinking about their body.
In a first of its kind coalition with Morrisons, Tesco, and Asda supermarkets; leisure center providers Better, Everyone Active, and Parkwood Leisure, and specialist urinal mats distributor, P-Wave, we created a range of unique touchpoints featuring life-saving cancer awareness messaging–prompting people to check their body and to contact a GP if something doesn’t feel right.
Advice on packaging is tailored to the product, ensuring relevance. For example, crop-top bras highlight breast cancer symptoms, boxer shorts for testicular cancer, mouthwash and toothpaste for mouth cancer an toilet roll for abdominal and urological cancer symptoms.
Millions of partner products now carry important life-saving advice from the NHS, but this is just the beginning of our powerful campaign for the NHS, encouraging the public to take control of their health.
*NHS (2019) NHS Long-term Plan, Chapter Three
Insight to action
Project highlights
Challenge
Maximizing early diagnosis
Many cancers can be identified early by noticing changes to the body. A barrier to early diagnosis is that we are often not aware of our own body and miss possible new signs and symptoms of cancer.
Solution
An innovative invitation to act
Our Be Body Aware campaign is a unique strategy to harness trusted brand voices to promote the habit of routinely checking your body and encouraging people to contact their GP when something doesn’t feel right.
Outcome
The ongoing power of partnership
Since launch, over 90 million products have been sold featuring our NHS messaging. However, the most compelling proof of our campaign’s success comes from those who have informed the NHS that they have acted on these prompts.
As a cancer survivor myself, I know that a daily reminder to be body aware really could save your life. Getting diagnosed early can make all the difference. Remember, if something in your body doesn’t feel right, contact your GP.
Cancer awareness at scale
Today, vital cancer behavior-change messages have now been seen an estimated 90 million times, prompting people at moments when they are most body aware.
These innovative touchpoints have been a catalyst for great results, with the cancer messaging continuing to boost awareness across England. The coalition of five partners is expanding the touchpoints where NHS messaging is featured and new partners are joining this powerful campaign. But more importantly, lives are being saved.
This campaign won Gold at the Drum Social Purpose awards and was recognized at many others, including the Purpose Awards, the Marketing Society Awards and the SHIAF Awards.
Vital cancer awareness messages have now been seen an estimated 90 million times.
