Finalist
The Smear Word
Summary of work
Embarrassing. Uncomfortable. Awkward! This is how people with a cervix feel about cervical screenings. But these cringeworthy appointments help prevent 2,000 UK deaths each year.
So it was incredibly worrying that one in four young women were missing their appointments. How could we stop appointment letters being shoved down the back of sofas? It was time to change behaviours. Time for young people to ‘own it, don’t postpone it’. To confront the fear head on.
Our all-female team was ready to create a campaign that wasn’t afraid to uncover the naked truth. It would clear up myths, anxieties and empower young people to have the confidence to go for their smear tests. Our insight-led, all-female team knew that demystifying the process had to start with demystifying the language. We’ve actively owned the ‘smear’ in an honest exploration of young people’s concerns. The Smear Word was delivered ready for Cervical Screening Awareness week (14th – 20th June 2021) – with a tone, originality and unconventionality unlike any other public health campaign for cervical screenings. It was quirky, fresh and spoke directly to 25-29-year-olds in an unequivocally frank way. Never before have wit, self-deprecating humour and cringeworthy moments been used to encourage cervical screening.
Judges’ comments
The Smear Word campaign was good, simple and effective. It has been professionally put together and is very well crafted. It really got to the nub of how young girls feel in a difficult situation and was extremely impactful. It was integrated and executed well across different channels.
