Booberang was born from a problem we realised as young women. None of us knew how to check our boobs for cancer, & when we did search online, it was pretty scary. Our challenge to make checking a simple part of everyday routine was clear, but first we needed a client.

Pitching the idea to Breast Cancer Care, Booberang was launched with a breast check film that featured real boobs of real women & a social campaign to spread the word.

Our main objective was to save lives – and we did. Secondly, was to change social behaviour and teach women (and men) how to check their breasts in a simple and non-clinical way to be released at the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we changed Boomerang to Booberang, and encouraged women to make breast checking a simple part of everyday routine that didn’t feel frightening. We didn’t want to just raise awareness, we wanted women to take action.

Breast checking needed to be as simple and fun as checking Instagram. We did so with a 60” online film that felt more like a music video than a health film, a team of influencers who shared fun ‘Booberangs’ on their Instagram Stories to push their audiences to our educational film, and hundreds of personalised infographics featuring images of a diverse range of boobs in all shapes, sizes and skin tones.

Our content needed to be easy to follow, clear and concise, but also fun and upbeat, to be digested via social media – a place where so many brands and causes are competing for eyeballs and air time.

1 in 8 women in the UK will develop Breast Cancer in their life time, and over two thirds of Breast Cancer is found through recognising unusual changes in your breasts. Therefore regular checking can be life saving.

Most breast check films available online are clinical, long and in-depth. Breast Cancer Care needed a campaign that would cut through and change the conversation, to reach our target audience of all women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and races.

Social media and influencers became crucial in delivering a message that was both approachable and memorable. We knew we needed to re-educate with a more personal and celebratory way of breast checking, with a campaign that would make you take notice.

We combined something women don’t make time for (checking breasts) with something they do (posting Boomerangs). And what better time than Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October 2018).

The looping nature of Boomerangs and the digestible element of Instagram Stories became the perfect place to share our reminder message. Key influencers shared their ‘Booberangs’ on Instagram Stories to gain attention and start a chain reaction of social nominations.

Our influencer’s Booberangs pushed the public to our educational film (also formatted for the BCC website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). The film ended with a CTA, asking everyone to share their Booberang online, and so reminding their friends to check their breasts. The loop (and movement) continued, as our message spread and the momentum grew.

There was no paid media for this campaign and we therefore had influencers, press and the charity drive organic views to a largely female audience.

Booberang reached over 16 million people over Breast Cancer Awareness month with zero media spend. It was Breast Cancer Care’s most successful performing Facebook post to date and The Breast Cancer Care website saw an increase of 16% in October compared to the traffic of October 20717.

But our biggest achievement wasn’t the numbers, press or influencers, but the women who found lumps because of it. We can only hope the film is used for years to come to re-educate women that breast checking isn’t something to be feared.