Keep A Breast Foundation is a San Diego-based nonprofit organization that creates plaster casts of women’s torsos, which are painted by fine artists and auctioned to raise funds for research, treatment and prevention programs across the globe. Keep A Breast’s mission is to increase awareness among young people aged 12-25, an underserved yet critical audience that needs to be educated to prevent the spread of this prevalent disease. SZPR’s campaigns for Keep A Breast in 2005-2007 have centered around Breast Cancer Awareness month, which takes place annually in October. In order to communicate these important messages to a young audience in a way they can relate to, SZPR worked with Keep A Breast to align the organization with music and entertainment industries. Cause marketing programs with Roxy/ Quiksilver, Adio Footwear and Macbeth Athletics in which the action sports clothing companies produced special breast cancer awareness products (t-shirts, wristbands, shoes, etc.) and donated a portion of the proceeds to Keep A Breast. We also worked with Roxy/ Quiksilver to secure celebrity endorsements from its professional athletes, who were casted and participated in various outreach efforts including Public Service Announcements aired on Fuel TV and inside Roxy/ Quiksilver stores nationwide.
Due to the highly visible nature of the decorated casts, SZPR was able to capitalize on a perfect opportunity for multimedia coverage. In addition to PSAs, videos of casting parties, special events, breast self-exams and other educational materials were created and distributed via a blog on Keep A Breast’s Website, YouTube and Keep A Breast’s MySpace page. SZPR undertook an extensive social networking campaign continually pushed news out to this key audience and included blogging to music, entertainment and teen and youth media outlets.
After kicking off a print, radio and TV media relations campaign in San Diego in 2005, word quickly spread nationally because of the uniqueness of the painted plaster casts. SZPR distributed press releases announcing branded products and special events, and pitched profiles of Keep A Breast Founder Shaney Jo Darden. In 2006, Darden received the Conde Nast Media “Yoplait Champion” Award, which recognized outstanding accomplishments in raising breast cancer awareness. SZPR’s efforts has resulted in national media coverage in Glamour, Self, Women’s Health and Fitness, MTV, VH1, along with local exposure including an Emmy award-winning TV segment on San Diego Channel 4, features in Union-Tribune, North County Times, Ranch and Coast and many others.
As part of the campaign, SZPR helped to facilitate exposure at numerous special events, ranging from a high profile presence in the Girlz Garage at Vans Warped Music Tour and bi-coastal exhibits at art galleries in New York and LA to smaller grassroots community events and health fairs has proved to be an ideal way to build Keep A Breast’s database of youth advocates and virally spread the word about Keep A Breast. During the Vans Warped Tour, a promotion entitled “This is My Story” allowed young fans to chronicle their experiences with breast cancer, which were shared online via Keep A Breast’s website. An e-zine was produced and distributed to over 10,000 people during the tour. Several of the bands were even enlisted to decorate casts that were auctioned off to raise funds for the organization. Print collateral also distributed were shower cards, packaged with pins and patches in “punker packs,” stickers, flyers and posters.
The results generated from the widespread national media coverage and the effects of the social networking and viral marketing promotion were astounding. In October 2007, the Keep A Breast Website received 500,000 hits to its Website. In addition, 9,181 friends have been added to MySpace.com. Working together with SZPR, Keep A Breast has raised over $100,000 to date, which benefits breast cancer research, treatment and prevention programs across the globe.
• Dreyer's Ice Cream
• Mission Playground
• Fix8
• S.D. Restaurant Week
• Hilton Hotels
• Ignify
• Keep A Breast