Advertisers Donate Ad Space to Breakthrough Cancer Research Appeal

On World Cancer Research Day, cancer consultants, patients and researchers appeal to the public for help to fund lifesaving cancer research and buy back time for cancer patients. Ireland’s advertisers support the campaign by donating tv airtime to broadcast the appeal.

Today on September 24th World Cancer Research Day, cancer consultants (oncologists), patients, and researchers have come together to highlight the urgent need for new cancer treatments and to ask the public to help ‘buy back time’ for cancer patients by sponsoring a research scientist time through Breakthrough Cancer Research.

Cancer Screenings, treatments and research have lost months to Covid-19…meanwhile cancer continues to kill one person every hour in Ireland. That could be months too late for someone and cost them years of their life.  Because of this lost time, people are now presenting with more advanced stages of cancer and therefore more difficult to treat. 

Consultants Say this should be treated as an equally important emergency. While there’s no vaccine currently for Covid, new treatments are being found for cancer all the time, so increased funding in this area can save lives now. 

The Campaign created by The Brill Building with PR partners E-T-C, media from Fluent Communications and social from Irish Media Agency is calling on the public to help change the future of cancer care today.  The lead film produced by The Brill Building And shot by photographer and Director Kevin Fox puts oncologist and researchers. Dearbhaile Collins front and centre of the appeal, supported in the rest of the omnichannel campaign by cancer surgeon Mr. Jim Clover.

The Campaign will be the first from Breakthrough Cancer Research to debut on television thanks to an innovative gesture of support from some of Ireland’s Leading brands and advertisers including insurer 123.ie. They have been the first to answer the call to action of the appeal, coming together to donate their tv airtime on World Cancer Research Day to help broadcast the lead film and support the call to Buy Back Time. For the initiative The Brill Building Partnered with media agency Mindshare with the donation from advertisers facilitated by the Mindshare team of Kate O’Leary and Ken Nolan with the support of stations RTE, Virgin and Channel 4.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign,Dr. Collins who leads clinical trials in Cork said: “We are calling on the public to once again support the medical profession, but this time - instead of donating food and cosmetics - we are looking for support for our patients.  There's no vaccine for Covid yet but there are new treatments for cancer being developed all the time and increased funding can help get them to patients sooner. We have to bring down the statistic of one patient dying from cancer every hour of every day.

Research and clinical trials for new and better cancer treatments were also put on hold for months. That could be months too late for one of our patients …and cost the years of their life.  We want to help Breakthrough Cancer Research raise money to fund new treatments that will buy more time for our patients and save more lives, now and in the future. Nevermore has it needed the support from the public by way of fundraising and donations. Every second counts.  We don’t want to lose any more time or any more people.”

Breakthrough Cancer Research says the research they fund is now at a critical stage, where groundbreaking treatments are within sight. The charity is proud to work with researchers and scientists on exciting developments in cell-therapy,immunotherapy and personalised medicine, which will improve survival rates and minimise side effects of current treatments. As recently as 2004 a stage 4 cancer diagnoses would have meant the end within six months.  Because of cancer research many are living healthy active lives for years but they know they are on borrowed time and need to help fund the next cure.

This is the latest campaign from The Brill Building for Breakthrough Cancer Research from their rebrand under the Masterbrand platform Let’s #makemoresurvivors. 'Buy Back Time' has been created by Brill Building creative chief Roisin Keown and creative director and art director Peter Snodden.

PR for the campaign is from Niamh Murphy and E-T-C with media planning and buying from Donogh O’Herlihy of Fluent Communications. Emmet McNally and team at Irish Media Agency leading the charity’s social response. The campaign includes TV, Radio, Print, Display, PR,online and social.

To contribute to the vital work that Breakthrough Cancer Research funds, you can buy lab time for cancer research scientists on www.breakthroughcancerresearch.ie/buybacktime or text BCR to 50300 to donate €4*. (*Breakthrough Cancer Research will receive a minimum of €3.60. Service Provider:LIKECHARITY. Helpline: 076 6805278.)

Roisin Keown, founder and ECD, The Brill Building, said: “People in Ireland have shown the medical services and staff fantastic and heartfelt support during the pandemic.With this campaign and message, we aim to show them there is an equally important health emergency happening every day where one person is dying of cancer every hour. This is something they also can help with, but rather than donate food or cosmetics the doctors on the frontline of cancer care are appealing for time, specifically the increase of time new treatments found by research buy for them and their patients.”

Orla Dolan, CEO of Breakthrough Cancer Research, said: "As cancer research funders, we are always looking for ways to shorten the time it takes to get new effective treatments to patients who are waiting for them.  It has been a difficult few months - trials were put on hold, experiments had to be discarded and our dedicated funded researchers were locked out of their labs. Like all charities, we have also seen a significant drop in funding, which has halted important research projects that were scheduled to start. We urgently need to make up the time we have lost, and with public support, even increase the pace."