Rethink’s Racy Breast Cancer PSAs Generate Mass Attention, Controversy

Key Activities:

The central PSA video commercial has a tagline of “Save the Boobs,” and features a voluptuous young woman in a skimpy white bikini walking around a swimming pool. She is openly ogled by astonished swimmers and sun-bathers, while background “strip” music is played and a voice-over announcement provides relevant information and life-or-death early detection messaging.

Rethink Charity Founder M.J. Decoteau explained the campaign rationale to ABC News, “Young people are picking up pamphlets with a 65-year-old woman on the cover and probably tossing them out. We’re really about creating a bold way of communicating the message in a way that’s going to stop them in their tracks.”

See Rethink's PSA below.

Results:

The campaign has generated a tremendous amount of attention and controversy, including an unusually high amount of peripheral (free) advertising and coverage. The video has appeared as part of news stories on several programs, including national coverage on CNN News and Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor programs.

A study conducted by MediaCurves of 318 viewers of the PSA revealed that "the majority of male (84%) and female (79%) viewers reported that the PSA was effective. Male viewers reported “happiness” and female viewers reported “inspiration” as the emotion they felt most while viewing the PSA." However, the genders were split on whether the PSA was offensive, with females more likely to rate it as such.

Industry:

Healthcare

Primary Communications Discipline:

Public Health Communications

Organizations Involved:

Rethink Breast Cancer charity & a local (subsidiary) charity, “the Boobyball.”

Campaign Dates:

September - October, 2009

For More Information:

Men and Women Express Different Views of "Save the Boobs" Breast Cancer Awareness PSA, Media Curves Press Release, September 25, 2009, http://www.mediacurves.com/Advertising/J7569-BreastCancerAd/Index.cfm
CNN newscast segment about the controversial ad September 24, 2009 (video) http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2009/09/24/cho.save.boobs.cnn
OpposingViews.com article discusses the controversy and the ad September 24, 2009 http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/video-does-save-the-boobs-breast-cancer-psa-go-too-far-r-1253740058
Huffington Post article by the ad’s creator, Canadian TV Host Aliya-Jasmine Sovani, September 24, 2009 : www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/24/save-the-boobs-is-this-br_n_298349.html
MediaPost.com article, “Breast Cancer Ads Get Men’s Attention With Racy Ads,” September 22, 2009 http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=114054
LA Times Advertising article, “Breast cancer ads use lechery for good,” September 22, 2009 http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-neil22-2009sep22,0,4863346.column?track=rss
Rethink Breast Cancer charity, a (Canadian) national organization with a novel approach to raising awareness and funds for cancer treatment and research http://www.rethinkbreastcancer.com/events_page.html
Just So You Know, Save the Boobs Blasts the Attention Glut, October 4, 2009, http://jsykdm.blogspot.com/2009/10/save-boobs-blasts-attention-glut.html

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