Getting Men to Get Seen

Client: Bupa

Prostate cancer is the UK’s fastest-growing cancer, affecting 1 in 8. Men are reluctant to get tested due to embarrassment and procrastination, resulting in the cancer being diagnosed at a later, more advanced and untreatable stage than women. Often unnecessarily.

Yet there’s no national screening programme for prostate. In a ground-breaking campaign, Bupa and VCCP Roar persuaded TV presenter and national treasure, Dermot Murnaghan, already diagnosed with stage-4 prostate cancer, to urge men to get tested and 'not be silly’ before it was too late. With a limited budget, the campaign exceeded all targets, hopes and expectations, generating widespread awareness across broadcast, national, workplace and regional media. Most importantly, it led to a significant number of men overcoming their inhibitions and acting, searching for and booking prostate tests.