Who: The Canadian Cancer Society and CIBC, with Juniper Park\TBWA.
What: “Never Stop Running,” a new integrated campaign promoting the 30th annual Run for the Cure fundraiser. For a second straight year, the event, which has raised more than $420 million for cancer research since its inception, is being held as a hybrid virtual/physical event because of the pandemic.
When & Where: The campaign is in market now, running until race day (Oct. 3) across TV, online video, radio, digital and social, complemented by influencer marketing.
Why: This year’s campaign is specifically intended to address the so-called “compassion fatigue” and general exhaustion that Canadians feel as a result of living with the pandemic for the past year-and-a-half. Cancer hasn’t gone away during Covid, however, and the goal is to underscore the continued importance of getting involved and supporting those who are fighting the disease.
How: According to Juniper Park\TBWA, this year’s campaign was inspired by the insight that witnessing the resilience and perseverance of others during challenging circumstances can fuel our own desire to keep going in the face of adversity.
The creative begins by focusing on women who persevere despite their cancer, even when it means losing their hair during chemotherapy, suffering from the type of crippling pain that can make a routine task like climbing the stairs difficult, or living with the scars of a double mastectomy. The spot then transitions to Run for the Cure participants, who inform the viewer that it’s because of cancer patients’ continued resilience that they’ll never stop running.
“There are so many inspiring human stories related to this cause. It was important that we captured the themes of perseverance and resilience in a way that was grounded is reality,” said Graham Lang, chief creative officer, Juniper Park\TBWA.
And we quote: “The Run is a way for our team members and all Canadians to support those who continue to be a force for life in the face of breast cancer, and celebrate the progress we’ve collectively made. As CIBC celebrates 25 years as title partner, we want to remind everyone of the incredible courage that these people display every day, and reverberate our commitment to ‘Never Stop Running’ to change the future of breast cancer despite the challenging circumstances.” — Stephen Forbes, executive vice-president, purpose, brand, and corporate affairs, CIBC.
