'Tell Your GP Instead': our campaign targeting adults reluctant to see their GP
Tuesday 7 May 2024
We’re launching our innovative new campaign called Tell Your GP Instead. This is aimed at people most likely to delay contacting their GP, even if they have bowel cancer symptoms.
We know that bowel cancer is very treatable and survivable if caught early. In our five-year strategy ‘On a Mission’ we set out how we’re working relentlessly towards increasing the number of people who are diagnosed at stage 1 or 2, which could potentially save up to 28,000 lives every year. Through increasing awareness and tackling the barriers to people being diagnosed early, Tell Your GP Instead is a big step towards this.
Our new campaign is specifically targeting people least likely to contact their GP even if they spot symptoms of bowel cancer such as blood in their poo or bleeding from their bottom. We’re encouraging them to contact their GP and ask about a simple at-home test. This faecal immunochemical test (FIT) can detect microscopic amounts of blood in someone’s poo, which can help the GP decide if further tests are needed.
The campaign was co-created with a wide range of people to ensure it’s effective in reaching those who may delay making a GP appointment.
This included collaborating with the target audience, which includes adults over 50 who may have deeply held attitudes towards their health and the NHS, to understand their reluctance to contact their GP.
The group, along with people who have had bowel cancer, helped shape the campaign words, images and messaging to make sure they would resonate with the group the campaign is trying to reach.
We worked closely with behaviour change experts Claremont Communications to identify the barriers people face and give them everyday language to use when speaking to their doctor.
The campaign includes a series of ads developed by creative agency Nice and Serious showing unusual scenarios where someone is sharing their bowel cancer symptoms, for example, in a supermarket, with their plumber, or to their cat. This leads to the key campaign message to Tell Your GP Instead.
Media strategists Yonder Media helped identify the best places to reach our target audience. People will come across the adverts in national and local press. This will include out of home adverts on bus stops and also on the radio.
Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “We’re really proud of this campaign and the amount of work we’ve put into making sure it’s the right one for our target audience.
“The result is a campaign which differs from the more traditional model of cancer campaigns. It’s longer and more sustained which allows for more effective targeting of our key audiences, allowing us to chip away at deeply entrenched barriers and attitudes, while mitigating the burden being put on primary care.”
- Find out more about our Tell Your GP Instead campaign
- Learn more about the symptoms of bowel cancer
