PR campaign reaches 400m in the race to prevent breast cancer death

The Brief

Micrima came to Missive with a mission-critical challenge: start a national conversation about breast density – a significant yet widely unknown breast cancer risk factor. Dense breast tissue not only increases breast cancer risk, but it can also mask tumours on mammograms, leading to missed or late diagnoses. With four million UK women over the age of 40 estimated to have dense breast tissue, we needed to create urgency around this critical healthcare issue and drive momentum for change in how breast cancer risk is assessed.

The Activity

We developed the 'Know Your Density' campaign to educate and ignite passion among the UK's most influential opinion formers. Our research revealed the stark truth: 23.8 million women in the UK do not know their breast density despite it being a significant cancer risk factor. This stark statistic formed the foundation of our campaign, highlighting how this widespread lack of awareness is putting millions of women at risk of missed or delayed breast cancer diagnosis.

To maximise impact, we strategically timed our media engagement during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the critical period between Christmas and New Year. We created attention-grabbing breast-shaped cookies in diverse skin tones for media desk drops, while securing compelling voices including a leading radiologist and Clare Cowhig, whose stage 4 breast cancer was initially missed due to dense tissue.

Sharing with breast cancer charities and patient advocacy groups, we began to build a network of supporters to extend awareness through their channels. Our comprehensive media strategy included expert commentary on breast cancer screening guidelines, top tips for understanding breast health risks, and patient case studies to highlight the real impact. In turn, this drove widespread coverage across top tier outlets including The Sun, Daily Express, Mail Online.