Cecilie - woman with metastatic breast cancer is a campaign where we use art formats, such as a statue, a book, and a documentary film, instead of traditional short and fast-pace ad elements, to communicate a message that is hard to face and digest. The media strategy is tailor made to the grueling subject of not surviving breast cancer, and makes is possible to connect with our target audience and the general public in a new, relevant, worthy and impactful way. Elements with eternal life that communicates death.

Few other forms of cancer have a better survival rate than breast cancer. Women with one breast has become a symbol of strength, power and a “battle won”. But for one group of breast cancer patients, the reality is vastly different.

Each year, 700.000 women die from metastatic breast cancer. Breast cancer that has spread from the original cancer, found its way to other organs, and become terminal. 700.000 women with a death sentence. 700.000 women that are invisible among the glamour of successful breast cancer survivors.

Pfizer - a leading provider of life prolonging cancer medicine, wants to contribute to society by supporting the Norwegian Breast Cancer Society and their work with the incurables.

The objective was to make sure that the incurables are seen, lifted and honored and remind everyone that the battle against breast cancer haven’t been won, creating public and political awareness around metastatic breast cancer.

How do we lift, honor and support a group that is extremely vulnerable, difficult to talk about and invisible? How do we normally honor people in our society?

The idea was to create a campaign only with elements that symbolize immortality, longivety, and quality.

Art is sometimes the best way to communicate life’s most difficult subjects.

The worlds first statue of a woman with metastatic breast cancer. A statue with one breast, and one scar. A statue of Cecilie (44), mother of three, living with a death sentence.

Then, a documentary film telling her story in a way worthy for the vulnerable target group. And a book containing Cecilies life advices, and information about metastatic breast cancer, instead of medical, technical and cold hospital pamphlets.

A statue gives eternal life.

A book and a documentary film is forever.

Cecilie makes an invisible group of people impossible to ignore, forever.

The strategy was to communicate in a way that lifted the target group, without excluding anyone, and gave us a lot of impressions without typical intrusive, fast paid advertisement channels.

By using art formats instead of traditional ad formats, we were able to communicate information and create awareness with items and experiences that has its own creative and cultural value in addition to their important message. The media strategy became a tailored, and unique one, making sure all elements in the campaign were of high artistic quality.

Inviting famous sculptors to compete to create the best sculpture, gave the project legitimacy towards politicians and the general public.

The statue has now become a permanent institution in the most visited street in Oslo, praised by artist, politicians, and most importantly: The incurables.

The statue was gifted (by Oslo City Council) a permanent place in one of the busiest places in the Norwegian capitol, where passers-by are constantly reminded about a battle lost.

It was unveiled in front of a massive crowd, national broadcasters, politicians, breast cancer patients, health care professionals, and Cecilie with her three kids.

A plaque on the statue contains a QR-code that leads to www.statuececilie.com featuring a documentary film about Cecilie, the disease, and the process of becoming immortalized while slowly dying.

Cecilies legacy, her personal life advices, were later featured in a book that was distributed in every oncology office in Norway.

The sculpture are now a meeting-point and symbol for everyone affected by breast cancer, and will be a place to visit Cecilie after she passes away.

The unveiling was featured in its own segment on the national broadcaster news in prime time, other news outlets and Norway’s largest online newspapers.

Total: 10,5 million impressions the first month of the campaign.

• 5 400 000 - Passers by since unveiling, this number increases up to 50 k per day

• 2 250 000 - National news coverage

• 2 700 000 - million SoMe-impressions

• 30 000 - site traffic

• Book distributed to every oncology office all over Norway

But most importantly, Cecilie is standing in the heart of Oslos most visited area where tens of thousands of people walk past every day.

For all eternity, the invisible incurables will now be undeniably visible, their struggle immortalized for everyone.