ABOUT

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in Australian women, with 1 in 7 diagnosed in their lifetime, and an average of 9 lives lost per day.

Despite breast cancer being so prevalent, a range of factors meant Australian women of all ages tended to avoid the subject - lack of knowledge around symptoms, the pain of breast screening and ironically, fear of actually finding something.

There was a clear community need for more open discussions around symptoms and self-examination.

Tetley Tea was uniquely placed to address this issue, because the brand was present in Australians' most intimate conversations, over tea. They knew the topics we shared with loved ones and those we culturally avoided.

This equity and trust built over 100 years in Australia meant Tetley could open the conversation with genuine empathy and begin to educate without compounding any fear or discomfort.

Partnering with the nation’s leading breast cancer consumer organisation, Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) and ceramicist, Alex Draper, Tetley created The Uncomfortable Cup.

A collection of handcrafted tea cups incorporating tactile signs and symptoms of breast cancer into their surfaces, simulating what they might feel like in real life.

From lumps and bumps to veins and dimpling, these cups wouldn't just get women talking about breast cancer over tea, they’d actively encourage self-examination - showing them exactly what to look and feel for on their own bodies.

To coincide with October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Uncomfortable Cups were delivered to female lived experience and health influencers across Australia.

Accompanied by detailed guides on self-examination techniques and conversation starters, these trusted, relatable voices were asked to share the messaging with their communities, using the Uncomfortable Cups as a catalyst for chatting.

On a budget of just $30,000, The Uncomfortable Cups had women connecting, supporting and sharing their own stories of breast cancer, far beyond Australia.

With campaign reach exceeding 45 million and news coverage in Asia, Europe and Africa, it was clear these cups were connecting across cultures.

But that wasn’t all.

These cups had single-handedly established Tetley’s first ever cancer charity partnership with Breast Cancer Network Australia, turning a social activation into a nation-wide breast cancer awareness campaign.

And in another first, Tetley introduced the now iconic Pink charity Pack to all major supermarkets across Australia, with more than 500,000 packs sold in the first four months and $25,000 donated to BCNA.

That's half a million households that were now talking about breast cancer over a cup of tea.

These humble, imperfect little cups opened life changing conversations and empowered women across Australia to self examine, making the topic of breast cancer a little less uncomfortable for everyone.