Irish Cancer Society defends its ‘I Want to Get Cancer” campaign
Communicators call the ‘deeply provocative’ campaign a necessary tool to garner attention. The public is slamming the PR initiative, calling it ‘idiotic’ and crude. Does it go too far?
A new PR campaign from the Irish Cancer Society features short promos on TV and social media with the words: “I want to get cancer.” Each spot shows four different people—a middle-aged couple, a young surfer and a young woman in a relationship. Each person says: “I want to get cancer.”
Is it too offensive or powerful PR?
Reporter Karen Funnell—a cancer survivor—recently opined about the controversy on the Irish Examiner:
The TV ads are only 10 seconds long and give no context at all. And while few would deny that they are provocative, they’ve also been described as confusing and offensive to people who have survived, succumbed to or continue to fight the disease.
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