In their latest campaign for Breast Cancer Now, Senior Creative Team Jack Snell and Joe Lovett from BMB take on an emotionally charged brief. Tasked with advancing the charity's “Real Talk” initiative, the duo’s challenge was to encourage open, honest conversations about breast cancer—something easier said than done.
In this interview, they reflect on the creative journey, from initial brainstorming to working closely with people living with the disease, and how the campaign’s poignant “Left Unsaid” visuals evolved into a powerful message of empathy and support.
What was the brief?
The brief was essentially to create the next chapter in Breast Cancer Now’s ‘Real Talk’ campaign. A campaign all about encouraging people to have more open and honest conversations around breast cancer.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
There were three ideas on the table presented to the Breast Cancer Now team. Often going into these presentations, we have a clear idea of which route is our preferred, but on this occasion, it felt like any one of the three would be great.
They all approached the ‘Real Talk’ concept in slightly different ways, so it was more a meeting of collaboratively sussing out which would resonate most with the people we needed to talk to.
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
On any project, but especially one like this, the key is to try and empathise with your audience. Now to state the obvious, we’re two 30-year-old guys, so to assume we could intuitively understand just what it feels like to live with breast cancer would be at best, silly and at worse, offensive.
So we decided the best approach would be to almost take a back seat and let people living with breast cancer speak for themselves. But this decision ended up landing us with our creative idea. Because the reality is that many people living with breast cancer struggle to speak truthfully about their situation. Upon landing on that thought, the execution of the missing words visuals and the continuing subtitles videos came pretty naturally.
What was the production process like?
The typographic element of the campaign was great because it was so simple. We worked closely with our Head of Design, Ted Smith (who helpfully sits directly opposite us!) to create a look and feel that served the missing words ads well but could also then be rolled out across the wider campaign as end frames.
The videos were of course a more complex matter. Working not with actors but members of the public living with breast cancer requires a lot of care and consideration.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
The main challenge we anticipated was around getting a natural performance from our cast given they’re not actors and most had never been in front of a camera like this before. But we were blown away by how all of them took it in their stride and were really able to play the part.
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
The main takeout we hope people get from this campaign is that Breast Cancer Now is here for you to talk to openly about breast cancer. They understand not only that it can be difficult to do so, but just how important it is.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
We were given the creative brief in mid-May and the work went live at the start of August. So that’s pretty fast for a campaign that played across so many touch points.
How did you ensure that the concept aligned with the brand's values, goals, and target audience?
The key thing here is the collaborative relationship we have with the team at Breast Cancer Now. They live their brand but more importantly work closely with people living with the disease on a day-to-day basis. They know their target audience better than anyone, so it’s our duty as an agency to listen closely to what they have to say about how those affected by breast cancer might react to our work.
Were there any alternative concepts or ideas considered during the ideation phase? If so, what led to the selection of the final concept?
There were three great concepts on the table, but what swung it for the ‘things unsaid’ route was that hero visual. A poster with a quote with words missing and an endline that made sense of it. It’s advertising 101 really. A simple visual that demands your attention and gives you a sense of satisfaction when you work out what it’s communicating.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
We hope this campaign further cements Breast Cancer Now in the minds of people as the place to turn to for support for all things breast cancer related. And we hope the work provides a degree of comfort to people living with the disease that they’re not alone in feeling like they can’t always say just what mean about their situation.
Credit list for the work?
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Advertiser/Brand: Breast Cancer Now
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Client: Deanne Gardner (Associate Director, Brand, Marketing & Communications), Rachael Franklin (Director of Fundraising, Communications & Engagement), Lauren Songour (Head of Brand Marketing and Planning), Daisy England (Brand Marketing Manager), Jess Mason (Senior Brand Marketing Officer), Hannah Bullamore (Brand Marketing Officer)
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Creative Agency: BMB
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Chief Creative Officer: Laurent Simon
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Creatives: Jack Snell & Joe Lovett
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Head of Strategy: Flora Joll
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Head of Account Management: Emma Trotman
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Account Director: Rosie Morahan
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Account Manager: Freya Guthrie
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Design: BMB Make
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Director: Adrian-Florin Ardelean
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Executive Producer: Claire Green
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Producers: Jess Wretham & Alisha Harrison
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DOP: Amelia Hazelrigg
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1st AC: Oliver Munks
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Sound Design and Offline: BMB Make
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Media Planning/Buying: The Kite Factory (Media), Torchbox (Social)
