Astellas

Do You Have Balls? Then Check Your Prostate Up!

Background

Astellas Pharma Inc., based Japan, is a company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. Its division in Bulgaria carries out annual campaigns to raise awareness of the risks and prevention of prostate cancer. It these campaigns Astellas partners with the Ministry of Health, the Bulgarian Cancer Scientific Society, the Bulgarian Association of Urology, the Bulgarian Football Union and the Bulgarian Professional Football League.

Targeting: Men With Varying Degree Of Courage

Prostate cancer prophylaxis is far from popular in Bulgaria. So we targeted not only men from age groups under increased risk, but virtually all adult men in a bid to begin building awareness of the problem among the entire male population, and society at large.

Insight

It is never late for a woman to “grow up” – and the best way for her to do so is to become aware of her real beauty immutable in time, and one to live confidently with it.

Concept & Messaging

Approach:

  • Launch the conversation of prostate cancer prophylaxis based on the vocabulary and imagery of a football game.
  • Communicating prostate cancer checkups as a rule in the game that saves men’s lives
  • Use the Movember imagery to ring a bell.
  • Talk openly to men and trying to challenge them.

Slogan

#YourHealthIsYourResponsibility

How The Game Turned Out

  • We shot an engaging video which “staged” the campaign right on the football pitch – thus conveying the spirit of the game, as well as the spirit of male solidarity. Messages were made quite visible at a few matches of the Bulgarian Professional Football League.
  • The campaign was particularly active on social media and across the digital space.
  • However, we did not skip OOH channels and chose the excellent exposure of ads in the Sofia metro.
  • Going alternative, we also placed stickers in men’s public toilets on gas stations.
  • We also promoted a dedicated Viber chat bot, Men Only which provides useful prostate-related info the men 24/7.

The campaign opened in November 2023, but is ongoing with the prospect of becoming permanent!

How We Scored