Some of life’s most precious moments are the ones that happen once a year. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Christmas. Valentine’s Day. And then there’s your once-a-year scheduled pap test. It’s not exactly “precious,” but it’s definitely just as important.
In 2005, research showed that more than 400 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in Michigan. This could eventually lead to death if not detected or treated in time. In response, the Michigan Department of Community Health wanted to get the word out about the importance of a pap test. Getting a pap test once a year could lead to early detection of cervical cancer, which could be treated and cured.
Brogan conducted focus groups research and found that woman had an overall low understanding and familiarity when it came to cervical cancer. This reinforced the importance of promoting awareness. And we did just that—with a cake, some candles, and a Happy Pap Day song.
The catchy tune served as a trigger to remind women to schedule a pap test each year. And it worked. During a focus group session, a woman commented, “The song will keep it on my mind because it’s easy to relate to and remember… This is the first one that makes me want to call my doctor because it’s related to your birthday; it’s subliminal—another year of your life, so get your pap smear.” We got the message out and added songwriting to our resume. Now that’s something worth celebrating.
What other marketing to women campaigns for healthcare do you remember seeing? To see the rest of the 30 Best of Brogan, visit our original post in this series: Celebrating 30 years of creative advertising.
