Cervical Screening

The Thinking

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Don’t just say they matter

Every year New Zealand women die unnecessarily. Mothers, aunties, grandmothers, partners and daughters are lost to cervical cancer – a preventable cancer. Maori and Pacific women are least likely to have a cervical smear and most likely to die from cervical cancer. The Ministry of Health challenged us to help them save lives by increasing the number of women on the National Cervical Screening Programme.

We talked to Maori and Pacific women and people working in screening. We discovered that women didn’t prioritise looking after their health over the demands of their families; that Pacific women needed to be encouraged by friends and family, while Maori women were motivated by real stories. And most of all we discovered that this was not a subject women liked talking about.

 

The Solution

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Conversation was what was needed. Getting mums, aunties, daughters and their families talking about this important issue. We set out to give them the words and the motivation that would spark conversations and encourage women to be screened.

 

The Results

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This campaign is arguably the most successful campaign ever in targeting Maori and Pacific people. Everyone knows the campaign!

Unprompted recall is at 85 percent among the target audience. Screening rates among Pacific women have increased by 15% - 11,000 more women. And screening among Maori is up 8% - 16,000 more women.

This campaign won the government section of the 2008 PRINZ Awards, along with a Gold at the 2008 Research Awards, a Gold at the 2009 Marketing Awards, a Silver at the 2009 EFFIE Awards and the Bronze award for sustained success at the 2011 EFFIE Awards.