How can you move an audience that’s paralysed by fear? That was the challenge facing GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as it sought to launch cancer treatments into the Polish market.Fear of the disease was so acute that few people even dared talk about it whilst only 20% of cancers were detected early enough for treatment. Many Poles believed all types of cancer were fatal no matter what, despite the government’s previous attempts at educating communities about cancer drugs and treatments.GSK’s PR agency devised a branded competition for Polish teenagers to create a national media campaign about cancer. The crucial idea was engaging young entrants to get campaign messages out to friends and family, spreading the word organically that cancer can be treatable.Working closely with government bodies, the competition launch generated great public interest, leading to 2,800 teenagers participating. Ten finalist teams were subsequently invited to fine-tune their campaigns with media professionals, the winning campaign was rolled out across all media outlets.GSK secured $2m worth of branded advertising space including the Polish public broadcasting channel– a first for the country. The viral engagement and sheer scale far outstripped GSK’s anticipations making it one of their most successful brand awareness campaigns.

GSK, along with other drug companies, cannot advertise drugs directly to consumers but it can sponsor and be associated with education programmes. When GSK launched its first cancer drug in Poland it needed to overcome peoples’ fear of tests without breaking regulations, increasing the very low numbers of early screenings beyond 20%. The challenge it faced was to encourage people to break the silence and realise that cancer isn’t always a death sentence and help mobilise them into getting screened early.

Working closely with government health and education bodies, I’ve Got the Answer to Cancer was launched in 19 Polish cities, generating strong media coverage and creating immediate public interest.Five hundred and eighty teams signed up for entry, involving a total of 2,800 team members. Polish teenagers are avid internet users, expert at using online resources, and used all their social media and collaboration skills to help develop their campaigns. Ten finalists were then selected to work with advertising and media professionals, fine tuning their ideas into finished campaigns.Finally, while paying tribute to the great quality of work, a jury selected just one winning campaign. This was created by five 18 year-olds from Silesia and consisted of searching hands showing women how to examine their breasts, underlined by the compelling slogan: “A Little Effort Makes a Big Difference”.

"I’ve Got the Answer to Cancer" is by far the most successful healthcare information campaign run in Poland to date. It managed to break through the widely held, strong belief that cancer is an automatic killer.Because it carried a hopeful message and was the first ever national campaign by teenagers, it captured the imagination of numerous media outlets, who provided around $2m worth of free space (300 billboards, 106 radio and 100 TV spots), all of which was GSK branded. The website alone had 209,340 visitors during the month long campaign, and it’s also the first campaign to have secured free coverage on the Polish public broadcasting channel.Despite late entry to the Polish market, GSK created brand awareness quickly and, crucially, in those rural areas where people were especially resistant to the messages. The passion of the teenagers, plus the organic nature of word-of-mouth communication spread the message with real conviction. The campaign model has since been replicated for other products and in other territories.

Our PR agency recommended associating the brand with an education campaign using the pester power of teenagers to reach adults. Young people are less afraid of cancer, more receptive to information, and often share their knowledge with family’ elders, ensuring that everyone gets the message.A national competition for Polish teenagers was devised to create a media campaign about breast cancer with the winning entry to be rolled out countrywide.Entitled “I’ve Got the Answer to Cancer”, the campaign engaged the teens in a real life creative project and gave them opportunities to learn new skills.

Indeed, a crucial part of the communications strategy was that the teenagers would personally take the message home and spread it among their parents and other elders so that it got through to everyone. In particular, the campaign sought to reach Polish women across all sectors of society, often hoping to reverse their beliefs completely whilst positioning GSK as the authoritative voice on cancer.

In Poland the death rate from cancer is 75% and is one of the worst rates in Europe. Tragically most of these deaths are preventable had they been diagnosed at an early stage, but in Poland only 20% of cases are detected early enough (compared to 80% in the US) because of a deep-rooted belief that cancer will kill– no matter what.Government attempts at re-education simply haven’t got through, especially in rural areas and among the elderly. Worse still, Polish cancer mortality is expected to rise from 80,000 in 2000 to 100,000 in 2020. The country also has strict regulations on drug advertising.