The tagline, ‘I want to get cancer’ was the subject of plenty of controversy.
The Irish Cancer Society’s controversial new awareness campaign has already had the desired effect, with a surge in demand for information and support services following the launch of the campaign on Wednesday.
The campaign was launched with a 40-second video on the Irish Cancer Society Facebook page and adverts with the slogan ‘I want to get cancer before it gets you’ on Wednesday and it came in for severe criticism, with comments under the video on the Facebook page deeming it “insensitive” and “hideous”.
The Irish Cancer Society sought to defend itself on Friday by pointing to the fact that there has been surge in demand and information services since the launch of the campaign, providing the following statistics to prove it (figures are for the period 1-5 January 2017, compared to the same timeframe in 2016).
- There was a 280% increase in visits to the Reduce Your Risk page, which provides important information on what people can do to lessen their chances of experiencing cancer.
- The Cancer Statistics page experienced a 127% increase in visits. The webpage provides key figures on cancer in Ireland, including the fact that 40,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer this year.
- The Information and Support page experienced a 52% increase in visits. The webpage highlights the services we provide to cancer patients, ranging from emotional and peer support to nursing and transport services.
- Pages providing information on specific types of cancer also proved popular, with pages for skin cancer and prostate cancer experiencing increases in visits of 92% and 49% respectively.
Commenting on the controversial campaign, Irish Cancer Society Head of Communications Gráinne O’Rourke said: “This high level of public engagement in information and services provided by the Irish Cancer Society shows that I want to Get Cancer is having the desired effect: people are beginning to Get Cancer.
“We know our campaign has been provocative. But thanks to it, conversations about cancer are taking place in homes across the country. People are picking up the phone and going online because they want to Get Cancer by getting informed.
“We’re particularly pleased that our Cancer Nurseline nurses are speaking to more and more people as a result of this campaign. We know that one in four cancers can be prevented. If, as a result of I want to Get Cancer, even one more person Gets Cancer by attending their cancer screening appointment, or making a lifestyle change that reduced their risk of contracting the disease, then it would have been all worth it.”
For more information on the campaign, check out getcancer.ie.
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