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Practical Exploration

'Be Clear on Cancer' print ad delivers a 62% response from target audience'

The anxieties surrounding cancer often prevent people from seeking medical help, so Public Health England decide to be more upfront with people with its 'Be Clear on Cancer' campaign. The campaign was an initiative designed to influence those with possible cancer symptoms to seek help faster and was rolled out in print as well as radio to reach as many of the target audience as possible. Markeing Director of Public Health England says "This was a real opportunity to make a difference to peoples lives. For the first time we were proposing to use mass media to encourage people to go and see their doctor about cancer symptoms". Since the campaign, there has been a 62% and 29% increase in patients aged over 50 visiting their GP about the symptoms highlighted in the lung and bowel cancer campaigns respectively, whilst during the same time the rise of visits to GPs with symptoms not directly featured in the campaign rose by a maximum of 4%.

This case study proves printed media used to target an audience encouraged people to visit GP's. Whether this shows people trust printed media or feel more involved due to being sent a newsletter, it provokes a response.