Insight
Every year more than 39,000 women die of breast cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in women around the world. Dominican Republic is not the exception to this terrible disease. It's a known fact that early detection, even through a simple breast self-exam, increases the chances of surviving it. On the month dedicated to breast cancer awareness, OMD/Pages BBDO wanted women to focus on a part of their bodies that they usually pay a lot of attention because of its appearance. This was an experiment to see how they would react if that part would disappear.
Strategy
It was a simple idea that engaged women in a place that they did not expect; catching their attention and making them focus directly on that part of their body. The place and the moment was perfect for the call to action: they were in a private dressing room, in front of a mirror and with their shirt off - simple, original, impactful, moving them to act; the perfect message for the agency’s health insurance client and its programme for breast cancer, the first and best in the country.
Execution
The team designed a mirror that would remind them how important their breasts were. For this, it created mirrors exactly as the ones in the dressing room but these were missing the area that covered their breasts. The missing piece was designed and measured according to the average height of Dominican women. When standing in front of the mirror it was impossible to see their breasts in the reflection. ARS Humano’s message was placed there: "If you need this part of the mirror, please ask for it".
When they asked, a sales assistant would place the missing piece of the mirror with another message: "If this part of your body is so important, why don't you take a couple of minutes and do a simple breast exam". Four simple steps instructed them on how to do a simple breast exam.
Results
Throughout October, 130 dressing rooms were used in 25 stores. More than 400,000 women used the dressing room, 88% of which asked for the missing piece of the mirror.
ARS Humano reported a 38% increase in mammograms compared to last year (Oct-Dec 2013). Total women affiliates volume grew 18% (Oct-2013).
The idea was talked about in radio, TV shows and women’s magazines. It was also uploaded and shared via blogs and social media.