Bowel Cancer UK Campaign Targets Adults Most Reluctant to See their GP

May. 10, 2024

Bowel Cancer UK has today launched a major new campaign to educate people on the symptoms of bowel cancer and urging them not to delay contacting their GP when experiencing such symptoms.

The campaign, called Tell Your GP Instead, was developed by behaviour change experts at Claremont Communications, creative agency Nice and Serious, and media agency Yonder. The campaign identifies the barriers to action that people face when confronted by a health problem – whether that be not wanting to cause a fuss, not thinking their symptoms were serious enough, or embarrassment – and gives them everyday language to use when speaking to their doctor.

Yonder Media has worked closely with the charity and its communications agencies to craft a media strategy which allows Bowel Cancer UK to maintain a presence across a 9-month period, in a break from traditional symptoms campaigns which tend to focus on a single short burst.  This allows for more precise targeting of those least likely to contact their GP, and more effectively addresses the barriers they face. This approach also mitigates fears of driving high demand to primary care in a short period of time, an important consideration when the NHS is under huge pressure.

Using a combination of demographic, attitudinal and behavioural data – together with NHS screening data – Yonder identified 3 key target audiences, built around not only their propensity to be affected by bowel cancer, but also on their attitudes towards visiting their GP.  The campaign targets those areas of the UK with the lowest uptake of screening and was developed with a local feel, to build trust amongst an audience that is both hard to reach, and sceptical of ‘official communications’.  Community radio stations, local newspapers and carefully chosen 6-sheet posters ensure the campaign feels rooted in the community. Bespoke partnerships were struck with media publishers serving Afro Caribbean and South Asian communities who find it especially difficult to talk to their GP. This hyperlocal approach was supported with a layer of national advertising to drive additional reach outside of our key locations and audience groups.

Due to the media habits of the target audience this campaign features mainly traditional media channels, but is also augmented with Paid Search activity and contextual targeting to reach people of all ages who might be seeking help and advice on their symptoms – in particular, younger audiences who might read up on the internet and mistakenly self-diagnose their symptoms as IBS.

Bowel Cancer UK Chief Executive Genevieve Edward said:

"We’re really proud of this campaign and the amount of work we’ve put into making sure it’s the right one for our target audience. The result is a campaign which differs from the more traditional model of cancer campaigns – it’s longer and more sustained which allows for more effective targeting of our key audiences, allowing us to chip away at deeply entrenched barriers and attitudes, while not putting too much strain on NHS primary care."

 

Ed Cox, Founder of Yonder Media, said:

“This has been a labour of love for the team – it’s hands down the most intricate media plan we have developed, from the detailed planning and identification of the audience, to seeking out the precise places and spaces where our message will be most likely to connect with groups that are generally very hard to reach. We’re proud to be a part of such an important campaign.”