Awareness campaigns

For generations, our stories have guided our Mokopuna. Now their stories are guiding women to get a mammogram.

It’s important that our communications resonate with all New Zealand women. We know that women de-prioritise their health - they’re busy, they have families, they work. As result, they don’t have time for themselves. And given the importance of whanau for Maori, they’re at risk of doing this even more. So our Mokopuna mammogram campaign will speak to all New Zealand women (45-60), but ensure it resonates with a Maori audience.

New self-help app for women aimed at keeping them alert to changes in breast health.

An app allowing women to use their phone to ‘self-check’ for signs of breast cancer is now available in New Zealand.

The app, known as Pre Check, has been developed by Breast Cancer Foundation NZ and will show women what any one of the disease’s nine symptoms looks like by using on-screen sight, touch and audio cues to help in the search for signs.

When a symptom is ‘found’ the app alerts users by vibrations and pop-ups, encouraging them to learn more about the symptom - and to look for other signs.

When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, the effects spread through their family and friends. Whether it’s a husband, daughter, parent, neighbour, co-worker, pet, friend, friend of a friend, they are all affected on some level or another.

To bring this to life, an amazing animation that shows the ‘spread’ of breast cancer from family member, to family members, to friends, to a wider community of people.

The animation would depict a very beautiful and abstract interpretation of cell division set to real
sound bites taken from different family members of a cancer sufferer, with each cell as it splits apart from the original representing a different person.

In 1654 Rembrandt painted the piece ‘Bathsheba at her Bath’. It features his lover Hendrickje Stoffels. This is a recreation of that famous work, with one distinct difference. The model has had a mastectomy to rid her of breast cancer. Tragically, the same can’t be said for Rembrandt’s lover. Medical experts today agree that she had signs of breast cancer, which were unknowingly painted by Rembrandt. In fact, it’s likely that breast cancer is what killed her. Almost 400 years on, we know the signs. Early detection and treatment can mean survival.

Knowledge beats breast cancer.

Finding cancer early, through a mammogram, might mean the difference between despair and relief. The campaign is backed by new 10-year data showing significantly greater breast cancer survival for women when their tumour is found on a mammogram (by the time a lump or other symptom appears, the tumour can be more advanced).

Everyone knows about mammograms but the fact is, 30% of eligible women aren’t enrolled with the free screening programme, and every year another 30,000 women turn 45. The ‘despair or relief’ campaign features four women who have either had breast cancer, or been close to someone who has.

Around half of all breast cancers appear symptomatically (between mammograms) so actress Geraldine Brophy shares the real signs of breast cancer on New Zealand TV for the very first time.

The ad features graphic images of breast changes which need to get checked out. This campaign featured on TV after 8.30pm (AO viewing), in magazines, GP mediboards and on radio. Posters were also installed in around 900 Farmers lingerie changing rooms.

Breast cancer doesn’t always present as a lump. In this TV ad women are encouraged to ‘Get to know their normal’ and get any unusual changes checked out. Find out more about breast changes.

Helena McAlpine was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. She urges ‘Our Women’ to be breast aware so they can “stay safe and here” with the ones who love them. Her message is followed by a music video of “Not Given Lightly’ re-recorded by various NZ artists.

Seven New Zealand women are diagnosed with breast cancer everyday so seven women share their breast cancer stories. All reinforce the same message, “Go for your mammogram”.

This campaign encourages women to get any signs of breast cancer checked out. Early detection is vital, so don’t ignore the obvious.