Australia has been at the forefront of aggressive anti-smoking campaigns which have depicted the ills of smoking. While these campaigns have markedly lessened smoking rates, they have also given rise to the unintended, but deadly consequence, of deep-rooted stigma.

The influence of stigma is shocking: It leads to late diagnoses, less research funding, poor access to essential services and treatment, and impacts mental / emotional health. Lung cancer stigma is systemic and must be stopped.

In 2017, we commissioned nationally-representative research to understand the extent of the issue. It revealed the first question 40% of Australians would ask a person living with lung cancer is, “did you smoke?”

The brief from LFA was simple: Start a conversation to shift the stigma among politicians, healthcare professionals, and consumers. The long-term goal being to improve patient outcomes.

The objective? Plant the issue on the national and political agenda and achieve change.

Knowing the far-reaching impact of stigma on the lung cancer community, we needed to be bold to shift this entrenched stigma.

Our primary campaign message was informed by our research: 40% of Australians first ask lung cancer patients if they smoked, before expressing empathy. We used real people (the loved ones of people with lung cancer) to mirror this prejudice, proclaiming on our campaign assets: “Stop asking the wrong question about lung cancer.” They advocated for the public to instead ask about the impact of lung cancer: why it “takes more lives per year than breast, prostate and liver cancers combined, yet it is the least funded,” or “why patients are four times more likely to suicide than the general population.”

The people that participated were actual daughters, sons, husbands, brothers, and best friends of those living with lung cancer, an authenticity necessary to achieve our ultimate PR reach.

Consideration was always given to ensuring the campaign would attract mass media attention.

We deployed a bold tagline – ‘Stop Asking The Wrong Question’ – seldom seen in national health campaigns.

The faces of the loved ones of those with lung cancer would appeal as they went against what most Australians thought of when judging someone impacted by lung cancer. They were everyday Australians - like you and I - who had witnessed stigma first hand, and the real impact it has, and were demanding a fair go. This would be raw, intriguing, and newsworthy.

Given our beautiful campaign imagery, our targets were politically-influential weekend newspapers and daily broadcast channels given their national reach.

Our people were the story: All would be available for interview, supported by the expert commentary of lung cancer specialists who spoke to what could be achieved with a more supportive community.

A suite of truly unique, news-worthy assets were key to bringing our campaign to life for media. The media pack we created included all ten campaign images, impactful behind-the-scenes interviews with each participant, a sizzle reel of the shoot from start to finish, and digital social media assets.

Each participant was ready to share their deeply-moving and personal stories of the very real stigma that impacted their loved ones, day-in, day out. Some felt they had to conceal what type of cancer they had. The human toll was front-and-centre.

Media outreach commenced nationally under embargo seven days from launch. Australia’s biggest newspaper (The Sunday Telegraph) had the exclusive to launch the campaign.

We had spokespeople briefed and ready in every major capital city, ensuring we had the bandwidth for a truly national campaign. A full social media plan, with sizeable sponsored spend, launched concurrently.

• Tier 1: Media Outputs - coverage depth (quality/quantity), tone and message delivery, purchase intent (survey)

• Tier 2: Target Audience Outcomes - measurable changes in awareness, comprehension, perceptions/attitudes/ opinions, and target behaviors/actions/responses achieved

• Tier 3: Business Outcomes – campaign's measurable effect on sales/revenues/profits, market share, stock valuation, brand equity, reputation scores and other traditional marketing and business metrics

Media outputs:

PR resulted in almost 200 consumer and medical media placements, generating 22.8 million potential media impressions (Australian population: 24.6 million). A further 7.2 million were reached via social media.

The vast majority of coverage included the primary call-to-action, with 80% featuring commentary from Lung Foundation Australia CEO, Mark Brooke, and 72% featuring the visual assets.

A chorus of support was recorded in response to news articles shared on social media, which contributed to awareness generating overseas. Since the launch, LFA’s Canadian and British affiliates are now seeking opr’s guidance to replicate the campaign in their local markets.

Target audience outcomes:

Most importantly, we reached the decision makers we needed. Federal Health Minister, Hon Greg Hunt MP, stated in a press conference following the campaign launch: “No matter what the cause [of lung cancer], we care, and we support. It’s about de-stigmatisation.”

Of real significance, we have been able to influence public sentiment on lung cancer, and the stigma that surrounds it.

An April 2019 survey revealed that after the campaign, 29% of Aussies would first ask someone diagnosed with lung cancer if they smoked, a drop of 27.5% compared to 2017.

Further, just 8% of Australians believe those living with lung cancer are their own worst enemy, a reduction of more than 61% compared to 2017, when almost a quarter (21%), stated the same response.

The conversation on lung cancer is changing.