Campaign Collective was brought on board by the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce to help boost the campaign for more funding and research into the six cancers which account for 50% of all cancer deaths in the UK. The overall aim of the taskforce is to improve the survivability of less survivable cancers by 28% by 2029.
This has been achieved by securing a wide range of media coverage with a total reach of over 20 million in the first six months of our campaigning.
Our remit was to focus on media and our strategy was developed alongside public affairs aims and in partnership with the London-based policy consultants Principle Consulting. We aimed to raise the awareness of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT), its six individual charity members, and public knowledge of less survivable cancers.
We have focussed media and communications around key news agenda moments to secure as much coverage as possible in target outlets. The moments have included the announcement of new statistics for less survivable cancers, World Cancer Day 2020 and the promotion of the LSCT’s own Barriers to Research report, all of which resulted in national media coverage.
A news story for World Cancer Day was created around the rates of cancer survival in the UK when compared to other countries. The team worked closely with researchers to create a robust news package with recent data and a successful sell-in to media outlets resulted in a reach of nearly 11 million.
The team also monitored the news agenda and proactively reacted to opportunities for further coverage.
As a result, the LSCT has achieved additional national coverage in response to the announcement of a General Election in 2019 – in the form of an open letter to media which was published in The Times and, in April 2020, was quoted as an authority on the situation for cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, this coverage resulted in a reach of over 6 million.
As we continue our work, your support can help us close the deadly cancer gap:
- Share your support via social media. Make sure to tag us at @LessSurvivable and use the hashtag #DeadlyCancerGap.
- Read and share our latest report on the factors delaying research into less survivable cancers here.
- The Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce team can help you write to your MP or take other steps to support our campaign. Visit lesssurvivablecancers.org.uk for more information.