Colon cancer is the third-most-common type of cancer, but people avoid getting screened. Men dread the preparation required for colonoscopies and feel embarrassed about putting themselves in vulnerable situations. This has been particularly true for CVPH’s patient population, the majority of whom have blue-collar jobs, drive pickup trucks and have traditional views on what manhood means. These men rarely take the initiative to get colon screenings.

Compounding this was an awareness problem trailing the hospital’s recent expansion. Referring physicians were unaware of the expanded program, and as a result, CVPH was not experiencing the patient volume it desired.

Our strategy was to create a campaign that spoke directly to men about their irrational fears over a routine procedure. Additionally, we targeted referring physicians with direct mail by drawing their attention to the expansion of CVPH’s colon screening services.

The campaign concept, “man-up,” got to the root of the situation by challenging men to do what’s best for their health, if not for themselves, for those that depend on them.  The goal of the creative was to convince men that getting their colon screened is the “manly” thing to do and that CVPH offers the best options for screening and treatment in their backyard.