Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among males in Barnsley. It’s also regularly being diagnosed at stages 3 and 4, requiring more aggressive treatment, and in some cases, resulting in poorer health outcomes.
In partnership with Prostate Cancer UK and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, we launched a local campaign to encourage and empower men to understand their prostate cancer risk, and seek support sooner if they’re at a higher risk.
Data shows that Barnsley has a stoic population with an ‘it will be all right’ mantra. This means our target audience may be more likely to wait out symptoms and hold off seeking the support they need.
We tackled this head on, making the campaign feel at home in Barnsley. It speaks like a local – turning widely known phrases like ‘it’ll be reyt’ – into emotive headlines to really engage the target audience.
Powerful yet friendly messaging highlights how men shouldn’t ignore a prostate cancer check, symptoms or no symptoms – it encourages men to simply get checked.
We strengthened the campaign with real local survivor stories – capturing their first-hand experience with prostate cancer, and their honest advice to other men.
The campaign aims to guide men to an online risk checker, where you can answer a few simple questions and find how at risk you are, instantly. A Barnsley-specific checker was created by Prostate Cancer UK to more accurately track data in the region.
Special thanks to Anthony and David, the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Public Health Team, and Prostate Cancer UK.