How pictures spoke volumes and raised $1.5m for breast cancer charities

On 9 September 2010, Samsung Electronics Europe launched Everyone Is Art, a campaign set within a five-year corporate and consumer pledge called More Than Talk, which helps breast cancer charities throughout Europe. An eye-catching and interactive PR campaign was created to support this activity with the message to be breast aware. 

Strategy

Everyone Is Art was an invitation for people all over Europe to feature in the first giant collaborative artwork to raise awareness of women and men affected by breast cancer.

By visiting the everyone is art website, members of the public were able to upload photos of themselves or loved ones, together with information about how or why their lives had been touched by breast cancer. From these, 1,096 images were used by British artist Samira Harris as a medium to recreate Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’. The number 1,096 was chosen as this is how many women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Europe each day.

A call to action was issued to every news, women’s and health contact in the UK and Europe, encouraging men and women to contribute photos. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr and Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s social media channels were also utilised to ensure vital online publicity.

Of the 1,096 images that were chosen for the final piece of art, 20 photos were shown on the world famous Samsung big screen at Piccadilly Circus throughout October. The faces of celebrity supporters, including the actress Olivia Grant and fashion writer Henry Conway, appeared alongside European breast cancer campaigners and were seen by 12 million tourists and commuters passing through Piccadilly Circus.

A media generating event was planned on 14 October 2010: Samsung’s European Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The Royal Exchange in Central London hosted the event without charge. On this date, the final artwork was revealed while celebrity and key ambassadors of the campaign enjoyed a performance from pop-sensation Alexandra Burke. Of the celebrities and hosts in attendance, not one requested a fee. Only Alexandra Burke required a greatly reduced performance fee.

Throughout the campaign, substantial money was raised through sales of Samsung’s pink ribbon electronic products. Further fundraising took place at the celebratory event with a silent auction and sale of Everyone Is Art.

Results

Everyone is Art, the Piccadilly Circus activity and the celebratory event generated 163 pieces of print, online and broadcast coverage in the UK and Europe with a combined circulation of 376,614,898.

Highlights included a four-minute segment on Sky News, a full page in OK! Magazine and half a page in the Evening Standard.

On 14 October 2010, Samsung presented $1.5m to 25 European breast cancer charities, providing crucial support to breast cancer awareness, prevention, campaigning and fundraising.