The McGrath Foundation has unveiled a new campaign aimed at unlocking the value breast care nurses bring to people going through breast cancer to coincide with the Foundation’s tenth anniversary.

The campaign, developed by DDB Sydney, turns one of the most common visual approaches to charity ads on its head to show that breast cancer isn’t always about losing someone; it can actually be about gaining someone – a McGrath Breast Care Nurse to be precise.

The creative, which includes the first ever TVC for the McGrath Foundation, focuses on portrait shots of five real women holding photographs of other women. The audience is led to believe these are friends or loved ones they have lost. It’s not until the women in the photograph step into the frame that the audience realises that they are McGrath Breast Care Nurses who have supported these women through their breast cancer experience.

Nick Cleeve from DDB said, “This campaign was driven by the need to bring to life the highly personal relationship a McGrath Breast Care Nurse has with their patient. While an oncologist takes care of the cancer, a breast care nurse takes care of the person and their family and is critical in supporting them emotionally, psychologically and physically throughout their entire breast cancer experience.

“Above all we wanted to demonstrate the positive impact a breast care nurse has, so instead of being sombre or sad the campaign is about hope and optimism. It’s about gain, not loss and ultimately about empowering Australians to donate to provide more families with access to this critical service,” Cleeve said.

McGrath Foundation CEO Petra Buchanan said, “In our tenth anniversary year we are putting the focus firmly on our wonderful McGrath Breast Care Nurses and the free support they provide families across Australia.

“This year we set a goal to increase the number of our nurses to 110 to help an additional 10,000 families through breast cancer – which will cost $14 million per year. To provide this level of support it’s critical we raise more funds. By highlighting the unique and essential support breast care nurses provide we hope to encourage much needed donations.”

Media support has been negotiated by Havas Media and generously donated by InLink, Mamamia, QMS, NewsCorp, AdShel, Val Morgan, Nine Network, PedestrianTV, Pandora, Yahoo!7, Seven West Media, Macquarie Radio, Westfield and Foxtel.

The campaign activity will be running across TV, radio, digital media, social media, out-of-home and press.

Credits

Client: McGrath Foundation

Agency: DDB, Sydney

Media: Havas Media

Chief Creative Officer: Toby Talbot

Creative Partner: Steve Jackson

Director: Fiona McGee, Goodoil Films

Producer: Claire Richards

Art Director: Anna Paine

Copywriter: Owen Bryson

Group Business Director: Nick Cleeve

Business Manager: Michael Manahan

Planners: Melissa Beecroft, Fiona Lenehan

Agency Producer: Emma Friend

Photographer: Ingvar Kenne, The Pool Collective