This powerful campaign empathetically recalls the moment of hearing “cancer” contrasted with the KEYTRUDA moment — when patients find hope in a treatment that can help them face it.

It was vital to represent all “faces” of cancer, inclusive of under-served populations. The story was developed to include 20 characters spanning different ages, races, SES, family structures, and regional affects. Personas for key cast members aligned with cancer community demographics and environments across tumor types, including diversity in those cast as oncologists.

The campaign gives different people facing cancer someone to identify with through these big and small moments: from a mother of two children with an active cancer support group to an older man who loves getaways with his wife; a mother/daughter duo preparing for her wedding day; and a large family who cherish nights together and are working through everyday milestones like teaching a son to drive.

Landscape: KEYTRUDA is a breakthrough immunotherapy, approved for multiple types of advanced cancer — giving patients another treatment choice during decision-making conversations with their doctors.

Inclusion: Cancer affects all walks of life and manifests as different tumor types, making it important to show a broad and diverse patient representation.

"SES": Socioeconomic Status

The urgency to meet patient needs sparked production innovation that led to a successful hybrid production shoot.

Changing COVID regulations resulted in bidding 10 locations. After selecting Montreal, another regulation emerged: Actors were limited to 15 minutes of shooting time together per day. The team directed selects to bring family members to callbacks. The final cast consisted of real families (most of whom are not actors). Their authentic interactions mirror the engagement/intimacy between family members amid the cancer journey and deliver against the brand’s commitment to genuine storytelling.

A fully remote shoot would have presented overwhelming challenges, but with the agency team unable to enter Canada, a hybrid production approach took form: director/production team in Montreal; core agency team/clients co-located in Pennsylvania; additional team members/partners immersed in the shoot experience through Teams channels/Zoom.

The shoot yielded a content library to support two TV spots and an integrated, multi-channel campaign.