It’s very hard to get women to regularly check their breasts to help prevent breast cancer. However, they do check their phones an average of 110 times a day. Therefore, we decided to spread our message in a format that would grant us visibility on these devices using social platforms to achieve it. That’s precisely where we came across a huge barrier: breasts aren’t welcome on social media; Facebook and Instagram censor them. Their nudity policies, in an attempt to promote respectful behavior among users, have strict rules when it comes to nudity.

Ironically enough, they do seem to have a point on view when it comes to cancer “we (Facebook) always allow photos of women showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring.” Sadly, too late.

We definitely needed to show some boobs! If it weren’t female, manboobs could do the dirty job.

The campaign is based on a series of tutorial videos that each begin with a woman about to perform a breast self-exam. By the moment she takes of her shirt a man steps into frame and she “borrows” his breasts to avoid censorship and demonstrate this early detection technique clearly step by step.

The content was initially published on Macma’s YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram channels. Local celebrities supported the campaign to extend the scope of the message organically.

In a second stage, once the message had freely reached people, we developed a PR plan to start a global debate highlighting the need to clearly communicate how women should carry out a BSE uncensored, to support early breast cancer detection.

With a social media investment below $1000 dollars, the campaign organically became a success reaching 48 million views only in the first week. Mainstream media covered it expanding the tutorials’ reach to a much wider audience, far beyond the borders of Argentina, obtaining coverage in every continent with 193 millions media impressions. It generated earned media worth $ 17 million and MACMA’s fan base grew 20.000 followers only in the launch day. It was shared over 700.000 times, becoming the most shared and viewed breast self examination exam ever.

But it’s more than just numbers: as a result of the campaign, new patients, oncologists, psychologists, volunteers, benefactors, and brands joined MACMA to support their efforts, an NGO’s greatest achievement.

The local government invited MACMA to be part of the national breast cancer help network.