[social_warfare] Rothco made Dublin’s Molly Malone a breast cancer awareness icon
Most awareness campaigns, as the name implies, are made to get attention, but here’s an interesting exception.
Irish agency Rothco and a local cancer advocacy nonprofit, the Marie Keating Foundation, subtly added a lump recently to one of the breasts on Dublin’s iconic Molly Malone statue, whose bronze bosom is burnished from frequent touching by tourists.
Despite quite a few visitors pausing to pose with the statue (an ode to the heroine of a song by the same name) while copping a feel, none noticed the addition to what the nonprofit describes on YouTube as “the world’s most-touched breasts.” But afterward, some were interviewed by the team behind the PSA, who told them what they missed.
Kathy Troy, head of strategy at Rothco commented:
“One in ten women will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime, and in Ireland alone, there are currently 3,516 new cases diagnosed annually. The first symptom of breast cancer in many women is a lump on their breast. Early detection can save lives as it can make the cancer easier to treat – but unfortunately, women still aren’t paying enough attention to their breasts. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is critically important in raising awareness but we know sometimes the message to form the habit of checking yourself is lost in the sea of pink. We knew that to make people take notice was going to require a really simple idea to genuinely cut through. Using an iconic bust like Molly Malone seemed to be the perfect starting point to highlight how easy it is to miss something when you’re not looking for it.”
