Alberta Cancer Foundation vs.
Running Out Of Time
In a highly competitive fundraising category, we broke through the clutter with a heartwarming insight: When we give cancer patients more time, imagine what they give us.
Sector
Health
Services
Advertising Campaign
Brand Strategy
Tale Of The Tape
“You have cancer” are words no one wants to hear, yet 1 in 2 Albertans will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Those three words can unleash a storm of uncertainty tearing through everything in its path. Most cancer fundraising campaigns put patients at the centre of the message; from treatment plans to research to overall well-being. In an effort to stand out from numerous viable fundraising efforts vying for a share of wallet, we flipped the category switch to focus our message on families and friends, rather than patients.
The insight was powerfully simple, when we give cancer patients more time, imagine what they give us.
The incredible research raised by funds collected by the Alberta Cancer Foundation provides families across Alberta with hope, and literally, more time: more birthdays, more dinners, more milestones, more time spent with family and friends, more hugs, laughter, and love. Taking this startling insight along with ACF’s positioning statement (To Create More Moments For More Albertans), we focused on showing what ‘more moments’ actually meant during the holidays when family is always top of mind.
Creative Knockout
We created a spot that juxtaposes Albertans during cancer treatment with their happier moments afterward—a child pushing his sick father’s wheelchair becomes a father and son joyfully skating together or a family stuck in a hospital room for another day turns into a family celebrating on Christmas day.
For the soundtrack, ACF partnered with Canadian music icons The Arkells. Their song, Strong details their late friend’s battle with cancer. The track perfectly complements the campaign, highlighting the moments of sadness and joy, heartbreak and relief all too familiar with anyone in a battle with cancer.
For an added layer of authenticity, dozens of real home videos (including many from families who benefited from ACF’s services) were used to hint at the hundreds of similar stories the hard work at ACF had made possible.
Final Scorecard
“This campaign captured the heart of our mission: giving cancer patients the one thing they cherish most—more time with their loved ones. It’s a powerful reminder of why we fight every day.”
Ryan Kelly, VP Communications & Community Partnerships
