Raising Awareness for Lowered Screening Guidelines: Breast Cancer Canada
Assignment
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Canada (BCC) sought to reinforce its position in a crowded month as the leading voice for evidence-based breast cancer research, while raising awareness of the recent policy shift to lower the breast cancer screening age from 50 to 40 in Ontario.
To amplify this message, BCC needed a high-impact, collaborative and show stopping activation that would resonate with government, industry, and the public, spotlighting BCC’s role as a trusted leader.
What Santis Did
Over several weeks, Santis developed a comprehensive strategic event plan to target both government and industry officials and the general public.
The strategy focused on creating an on site event at Queen’s Park, transforming the front lawn of the Legislature with a fun and symbolic “Pink Carpet” moment, backed by messaging that underscored the importance of encouraging women to get screened.
Guests were invited to walk the pink carpet and take a “selfie pledge” to commit to early screening. Two copies of the photos were printed, one displayed on a large mural symbolizing collective support for early detection and the other as a take home reminder.
MPP Laura Smith, who experienced breast cancer early in life, shared her breast cancer story publicly for the first time, inspiring others to prioritize their health and generating a large media presence for this important story.
The activation also included informative banners and ribbons to hand out to attendees.
Outcomes
Coverage included all major outlets, with Global News, CTV, CityNews and CP24, broadcasting live. CityNews Cynthia Mulligan also conducted an exclusive segment with MPP Smith. Earned media coverage reached 18.9 million with a total of 96 mentions.
All parties supported the event, with multiple MPPs sharing their pledges and amplifying BCC’s message across social media platforms including 30 mentions on X, LinkedIn and Instagram.
During Queen’s Park question period, BCC’s messaging and event was recognized by MPPs France Gélinas, Laura Smith, and Adil Shamji.
Our Work In Action
