Our work Make 2nds Count
Make 2nds Count is a patient and family-focused charity dedicated to giving hope to women and men living with secondary breast cancer which kills 1,000 people every month. Their mission is to fund secondary breast cancer research that contributes to advancing an increased quality of life for patients; establish a community that supports and educates patients and families affected by secondary breast cancer; inform and facilitate access to patient trials and to increase overall awareness of secondary breast cancer.
Ambition
Four Marketing Agency was recruited ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2021. The charity wanted to focus on the month, and the specific day dedicated to secondary breast cancer, to raise as much awareness as possible of this forgotten form of the disease. They were fighting to be heard and needed a strategy to cut through the busy media space. The aim was to profile founder Lisa Fleming; educate people on the importance of understanding more about this cancer; increase awareness about the charity’s work as a Patient Trials Advocate; promote the charity’s events; encourage support for and involvement with the charity.
Action
Media relations and newsjacking were key to promoting the charity throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month when we promoted Secondary Breast Cancer Day on October 13, the Voice of 1,000 Faces campaign and #notsecondbest, a compelling image of 20 women living with secondary breast cancer.
We researched a successful Patient Trial Nurse advocate pilot and produced news releases for the charity’s campaigns and news including: Make Christmas Count and Tree of Hope; their new CEO; reaching their £1 million raised milestone; new Northern Ireland Tea and Chat initiative and their first ambassador, media star Carol McGiffin. We also organised a national You Gov survey showing the lack of awareness and support for patients with secondary breast cancer.
Result
Four secured 50 pieces of coverage between September and December 2021 in national, region and charity-focused media including STV, BBC, Daily Record, The Scotsman and Sunday Post resulting in more than 167.7 million opportunities to view. A similarly successful start to the following year with 30 pieces of coverage over media from Scottish Business Insider to the Daily Express, Irish News and MSN and more than 50.3million opportunities to view. Four Marketing Agency is now retained as the charity’s national agency.