'I wish' campaign: Hit or miss?

I’ve been captivated by Pancreatic Cancer Action’s ‘I wish I had breast cancer’ campaign.

From the initial backlash to the tragic death of Kerry Harvey, the courageous face of the campaign, I’ve asked myself, ‘has this been effective for the charity?’

A few weeks ago I said Prostate Cancer’s campaign was ‘brilliant’. However Pancreatic Cancer Action’s campaign would have been run on a far smaller budget and generated far more column inches.

Apparently the ad was only in regional and online media. But the only place I’ve seen it is in national newspapers which tells its own story.

It’s also received 119 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, with people like Gloria Hunniford saying it had made her feel ‘almost sick’.  

My Dad had cancer. And it was awful. There is something deeply uncomfortable about someone saying ‘I wish I had breast cancer’ or ‘I wish I had testicular cancer’.

It’s so uncomfortable, that I don’t think many people would publicly feel confident enough to say, 

“Yes I support that campaign,” or “Yes, I want to donate to that charity”.

But was that the objective?

Writing for the Guardian website, the chief executive Ali Stunt, said: “With a limited budget, it was vital that the advert would stand out and provoke thought and initiate discussion among members of the public, the media and influencers.”

It’s certainly done this. I had never heard of Pancreatic Cancer Action a month ago. Now, I have a firm opinion of them as a bold, courageous charity and I admire them for taking such a risk. I imagine there has been some tense mornings in the office over the last few weeks. 

I also had no idea that the survival chances of someone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is just 3%. That’s staggering. Regardless of if you like the tactics, many more people are now aware of the devastating ferocity of the disease.

As Stunt says: While the direct criticisms that we have received are in their hundreds, millions of people are now aware of pancreatic cancer who weren't a week ago. And they're now becoming aware of the symptoms.

I imagine more people feel upset and offended by Pancreatic Cancer Action than they did a few months ago. But I also imagine that awareness of pancreatic cancer and its symptoms is significantly higher. And as uncomfortable as it makes me feel, maybe that’s the most important thing.