Ad Council Proves Sisterhood Is the Key to Improving Breast Health Among Black Women

Created as part of Komen's Bold Goal to cut the number of breast cancer deaths in half by 2026, "Know Your Girls" includes a television spot that serves as the hallmark of the campaign.  It portrays various scenes of black women supporting one another through the ups and downs of life, only to reveal that the narrator's frequent mention of "your girls" is not a reference to friends and family, but rather an idiomatic allusion to breasts.

"We know that a deep connection with friends and family is important to this audience," says Erica Stevens, Senior Art Director at Translation, of how the creative direction remains authentic to the experience of the campaign's target demo.  "The idea of showing a woman being surrounded by others who have been her sources of support and strength resonates.  That's what makes the reveal so powerful -- that the 'girls' who have been with her in every single moment of her life, her breasts, are in fact the ones she might know the least."

This sense of unity among black women was key to the creative process, which was marked by a determined resolve to avoid fear-inducing messages about breast cancer.  "We feel that fear keeps people from taking action; it's paralyzing and may prevent women from getting the medical help they need," says Stevens.  "That's not to say that we ignore fear.  We want to create healthy dialogues that dispel some of the fear.  That's why the campaign focuses on the support and strength of women of color."

Adds Susan G. Komen Chief Executive Officer Paula Schneider: "This campaign from its beginning has been very intentional about being created 'by the community, for the community.'"

Indeed, in addition to Translation's ad hoc involvement, the campaign was brought to life by a number of black women contributors who are personally affected by breast cancer: the PSA's director, A.V. Rockwell; singer/songwriter Alicia Keys, whose "You Don't Know My Name" serves as the instrumental in the spot; and actress and breast cancer survivor Vanessa Bell Calloway, who narrates the spots.

The sisterhood further extends to the campaign's official website, notes Ad Council Chief Executive Officer Lisa Sherman.  "Many of the resources are shared from the perspectives of real women who have chosen to learn about their breast health, experienced breast cancer first-hand or supported a friend who was navigating the disease," she says.  The site also features resources that teach women how to "know their normal," how to understand the risk factors of breast cancer and how to effectively communicate with doctors regarding their breast health.

Camaraderie isn't the only aspect of the black woman's experience that influenced the campaign.  A 2017 study by Nielsen indicated that the group is 86 percent more likely to spend five or more hours daily on social media than white women.

"They're not only participating in conversations," says Sherman, "they're leading them."

For that reason, as a supplement to the campaign's presence on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, the Ad Council enlisted the help of digital marketing agency Good Stuff Digital to forge an online community for black women to talk candidly about their breast health.  Facebook will also be supporting the campaign with donated media and a partnership with their Creative Shop.

The distribution of the national campaign is similarly strategic, with its heightened presence in the ten American cities with the greatest breast cancer disparities -- Memphis, St. Louis, Virginia Beach, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. -- along with the metro areas of Long Beach/Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington.

"Know Your Girls" joins both Translation and the Ad Council's lengthy track records of amplifying underrepresented voices.  The agency was founded on the philosophy that brands that lead culture are more successful than brands that follow, and the only way to be an effective cultural leader is to represent the communities which comprise the culture.

With a recent Ad Council study indicating that 92 percent of black women agree breast health is important, but only 25 percent discuss it and only 17 percent have taken steps to understand their risk for breast cancer, now is the perfect time for these organizations to use their abilities to connect with marginalized groups in order to save lives.

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