In an age when most direct mail seem to be traveling directly from mailboxes to dustbins, the need was for something that was very emphatic and engaging. Therefore, the decision was to create an innovative mailer to be aimed at close relatives of breast cancer patients. The ever-so-popular Russian Dolls were chosen as the medium for this innovative yet provocative mailer. The unassuming and charming dolls, with a hole in place of the breast, across the message in an unexpected and absolutely shocking manner. The mailer also includes a card detailing breast cancer statistics, the hereditary risk factor and a helpline number for those in need of more information or counseling on breast cancer.

The mailing activity was carried out on an exhaustive database of families of breast cancer patients, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. An extremely effective targeted implementation as every prospect on the mailing list was a person with higher risk of breast cancer that normal. The mailer not only succeeded as an awareness-creating exercise but also acted as a call to action. This was established by a marked increase in the number of enquiries about testing and diagnoses that were received by the Lucknow Cancer Institute. The innovative concept of the dolls made the mailer interactive in nature and its message poignant.