Client: Friends of Cancer Patients
Advertising Agency: Horizon FCB Dubai, UAE
Country: United Arab Emirates
Published: October 2020
Synopsis:
No matter who you are or where you’re from, when you hear the diagnosis “Breast cancer” your world comes to a standstill. But in the UAE, there’s a bright pink light of hope on the horizon, Friends of Cancer Patients. This non-profit organization believes cancer should never be a scary journey, and definitely not one you should take alone. They are committed to supporting patients and their families every step of the way. But their work doesn’t stop there, FOCP knows the importance of early detection and raising awareness about self-exams, especially with breast cancer where 80% of breast cancer tumors are self-detected.
This is why Pink October is the most important month on their calendar. A time when they work hard to remind women everywhere to check their breasts! Horizon FCB Dubai wanted to find a way to support FOCP and use Pink October to launch an initiative that would act as a constant year-round reminder for women to do self-exams. This is when something caught their eye, an emoji waving out of the keyboard. But was the emoji waving, or doing something else? They asked the question, “Have you ever wondered why this emoji has her arm in the air? It’s because she’s doing a breast cancer self-exam.”
“Having a creative ‘self-examination’ tool using an Emoji will help spread the word about Breast cancer, creating dialogue and much needed awareness” - Dr. Sawsan Al Madhi, Director General, Friends of Cancer Patients. The emoji is a reminder to every woman who sees it or sends it to do their self-exam, and the hashtag quickly spread around the world.