Australia – Canteen, the Australian national support organization for young people living with cancer, has launched a new campaign, highlighting its refreshed brand positioning.
In contrast to the usual approach in supporting acts of ‘bravery’ against fighting health conditions, the new campaign, which was created in collaboration with advertising agency Havas Village Australia, aims to encourage the youth impacted by cancer to take off ‘their brave faces’ and be open to embracing the help they need when times are tough.
Through the campaign, Havas honed in on a creative approach centered on ‘unmasking’ to highlight how young people can feel safe to express what they’re truly feeling. The ‘unmasking’ proposition spearheads the launch campaign creatively, with the simple but powerful message to ‘Take off your brave face. When cancer gets tough, find the support you need.’
A new support-focused brand tagline – Cancer support made stronger – will appear across Canteen’s communications and marketing collateral.
Kerry Kalcher, Canteen’s head of marketing and communications, said, “This campaign is a wonderful first step towards achieving our brand objectives and the culmination of the journey we’ve been on with the entire Havas team over several years.”
Canteen said that the work began with extensive quantitative and qualitative research, including focus groups with parents and young people, to gauge awareness that would resonate best, and most importantly, to encourage seeking support.
Elizabeth English, Havas Blvd’s client services director, shared that bringing this campaign to life has been a collaborative process with Canteen and the agency had the benefit of direct insight gleaned from Canteen’s own young people.
“No young person should have to face the impact of cancer alone, and we hope that this campaign will continue to build awareness that Canteen is in their corner to help,” said English.
Meanwhile, Steve Fontanot, the managing director of Red Havas and Havas Blvd, noted that Canteen is focused on making a meaningful difference to young people, whose lives have been impacted by cancer.
“We’re very proud of the work that our collective teams have delivered over the years, with this latest campaign being the culmination of the many passionate humans who are dedicated to this truly integral organization,” said Fontanot.
The campaign will be running until 31 December 2021 across OOH, video, social media, and youth-oriented digital channels including Twitch, as well as radio, and Spotify.
