This Ageing Filter Shows How Breast Cancer Can Affect Young People Too

Breast cancer awareness charity, CoppaFeel! is seeking to drive behaviour change in younger audiences, by demonstrating that breast cancer can affect young people too, in a new social and DOOH campaign by adam&eveDDB titled, ‘Changing The Face of Breast Cancer’. 

The new campaign - adam&eveDDB’s debut work for the charity - aims to challenge perceptions that breast cancer only affects older women, reinforcing the message that you’re never too young to check your chest. With research showing that one in seven women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer, some as young as 20, the campaign serves CoppaFeel!’s mission of encouraging early diagnosis which ultimately saves lives. 

The campaign launches with a suite of 30” social films featuring real women from the CoppaFeel! community who have received breast cancer diagnoses. 

In their own words, the protagonists - Brodie, Anisa, and Shannon - share personal stories of their respective diagnosis. Despite looking aged at the start of each film, when an ageing filter is lifted, we see that these women are in fact younger than initially depicted, aged only 21, 22, and 24 at time of diagnosis. The reveal demonstrates how people who have breast cancer can look just like them, and it is not a disease that only affects women over 30, driving relevancy in younger audiences. 

The campaign puts an unexpected twist on the popular ‘age filter’ trend - currently with 26 million posts on TikTok - to heighten reach amongst the target demographic. 

The social films will appear in June across TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat and are supported by digital OOH and Spotify, with each campaign execution landing with the message, “You’re never too young to check your chest. Finding breast cancer early could save your life.” The campaign was directed by Bafta nominated director Molly Manning Walker and produced by Rogue Films, with media handled by the7stars. 

Martine O’Donnell, Coppafeel! marketing director said, “Our research highlights that only one third of young people view breast cancer as something that could affect them. With a need to drive the relevancy of chest checking behaviours amongst this age group, we worked with adam&eveDDB to create 'Changing the Face of Breast Cancer'. Telling the stories of three young people diagnosed in their early twenties, we're shifting the perception of what someone with breast cancer looks like. CoppaFeel! is on a mission to drive behaviour change and get every young person to check their chest. This is important because early diagnosis means better outcomes to treatment and can be lifesaving.”

Paula Hochberg, creative director at adam&eveDDB said, "I think we all have the preconceived idea that breast cancer only affects older women, partly because they are usually the ones we see in breast cancer awareness communications. The reality is that’s not always the case. Breast cancer affects young people too. That’s why we needed to change the face of breast cancer, to urge younger people to start checking their chests as early as possible. We’ve been so lucky to work with real storytellers whose diagnosis testimonies will resonate with girls their age, who look just like them. Brodie said, 'Everyone told me not to worry about it; breast cancer doesn’t affect people of your age.' This misconception is what the campaign aims to change forever."