Colon Cancer Mailing
Stiftung LebensBlicke
Issue 4 | July 2008
Agency
Y&R Germany
Creative Team
Christian Daul - Creative Director;Claudia Frank - Art Director;Andres Osselmann - Copywriter
Production Team
Martina Wiegand - Production Management;Marion Lakatos - Agency Producer
Date
April 2007
Background
As a curtain raiser for ‘Colon Cancer Month’ in March, Stiftung LebensBlicke, a foundation for the prevention of colon cancer, wanted to alert people to the ‘silent danger’ posed by colon cancer.
Idea
Y&R Germany’s idea was to visualise the unnoticed growth of a colon tumour through the unfolding of the mailing. At each fold out, a message describes the progress of the growth: ‘In the beginning, it is small’; ‘You are in the office. It grows’; ‘You are having breakfast in bed. It grows’; ‘You are celebrating your birthday. It grows’. It is not until the mailing is fully folded out (‘You can feel it. It’s too late’) that it is clear that this is about a tumour. The messages build curiosity, as does the envelope’s unusually small size - at 7cm by 10cm the minimum authorised by postal regulations.
Results
The click rate of the LebensBlicke website increased by more than 20% during the period of the mailing and an increase in incoming donations was also subsequently registered.
Target Audience
Medical experts and opinion leaders
Size
500 mailings
Our Thoughts
Another teeny-weeny mailing I wanted to reject because I have seen a lot of teeny-weeniness lately. But then I opened it up and saw myself looking at a damn great big cancer – and gulped. This wouldn’t have cost much to produce. A thoroughly professional bit of work.