Cancer Council Nsw: I TOUCH MYSELF

Credits & Description:

Website URL http://awards.itouchmyself.org/
Social Media URL https://twitter.com/itouchmyselforg
Social Media URL http://instagram.com/itouchmyselfproject
Viral Video URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeaO2BrrIf8
Type of entry: Social
Category: Influencer/Celebrity/Blogger Outreach Program
Advertiser: CANCER COUNCIL
Product/Service: BREAST CANCER
Agency: JWT Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Title: I TOUCH MYSELF PROJECT
Client: CANCER COUNCIL
Product: BREAST CANCER
Entrant: JWT Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Type of Entry: Social
Category: Influencer/Celebrity/Blogger Outreach Program
Entrant Company : JWT Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Advertising Agency : JWT Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Advertising Agency 2 : SOAP CREATIVE Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Executive Creative Director: Simon Langley (JWT)
Executive Creative Director: Mark Harricks (JWT)
General Manager: Jenny Willits (JWT)
Agency Producer: Vicky Ryan (JWT)
Senior Art Director: Alexandra Antoniou (JWT)
Senior Copywriter: Sylvianne Heim (JWT)
Senior Copywriter: Sinead Roarty (JWT)
Client Services Director: Paul Everson (JWT)
Account Director: Caroline Ludwell (JWT)
Senior Account Manager: Monica Tobin (JWT)
Client Services Director: Sian Jenkins (Hill/Knowlton Strategies)
Executive Planning Director: Angela Morris (JWT)
Digital Strategy: Trevor Crossman (JWT)
Director: Daniel Askill (Collider)
Director: Lorin Askill (Collider)
Director: Joel Pront (Collider)
Music Producer: Clive Young (Wit's End Freelance))
Digital Executive Creative Director: Ashadi Hopper (Soap)
Creative Partner: Brad Eldridge (Soap)
Technology Director: Mark Fennel (Soap)

Creative Execution:
We brought ten of Australia’s leading female singers together to create a moving music video. From rock goddesses to indie pop sensations, soul singers to sopranos, the singers harmonise in an almost a cappella version of 'I Touch Myself'. Shot in black and white, the camera gently pans from one woman to the next, all filmed naked from the shoulders up as they sing sections of the song.

The transformation of the song is an amazing story – leveraging our artists' star power through PR and social media was the way to tell it.


From the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to the First Lady of Timor-Leste, a celebrity TV chef to a stand-up comic, women from all facets of life sent messages of support, encouraging women to touch themselves.

International media picked up the campaign within hours, reaching audiences of 400 million+. Over 250,000 Australian women visited the site in the first two weeks.

The greater campaign, including social media, helped the project reach 47% of Australian women. #itouchmyselfproject became a trending topic on Facebook for 2 days. In two weeks, the project achieved over $AUD 7 million in free PR, without a dollar spent on media.


1 in 8 Australian women will develop breast cancer. While most pink campaigns focus on fundraising, the importance of detecting cancer in its early stages has been largely ignored. Cancer Council NSW wanted a campaign that would inspire women of all ages to self-examine and catch the disease early.

Last year, Australian rock diva Chrissy Amphlett of the Divinyls died from breast cancer. 'I Touch Myself' was their biggest hit and touched millions around the world. We brought 10 of Australia’s leading female music artists together to turn a song about female self-love into an anthem for breast cancer. The website entertains and educates, providing content, interaction and social participation. Social ambassadors, bloggers and influences were used as content co-creators in order to connect with our core audience – Australian women 15+. To engage younger women we asked them to demonstrate behaviour change by posting an I Touch Myselfie and make a pledge to touch themselves for their breast health.