'Bread Exam' cancer campaign picks up Direct Grand Prix at Cannes

Project from McCann started in Lebanon and used dough to help women self-examine

Published On
Feb 10, 2021

Editor's Pick

The Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation and McCann Paris have picked up a Grand Prix at Cannes in the Direct category for their "Bread Exam" campaign. 

The idea ingeniously managed to skirt a Muslim taboo against breast exams by substituting bread dough, and included a video of chef Um Ali kneading two mounds of dough to show how women should be examining their own breasts.

“This one was a very simple, very elegant idea,” said PR Lions Jury President Gail Heimann, president and CEO of Weber Shandwick. “It used its simplicity to break through and did so in a way that was beautiful and intimate but also drove change.” 

Original story

A new breast cancer awareness campaign is tackling a cultural taboo against breast self-examination among Muslim women, by using bread dough to demonstrate.

Devised originally by McCann Paris for the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation, the "Bread Exam" idea began with a video of chef Um Ali baking two mounds of dough and then kneading them to show how women should be examining their own breasts. The idea is now expanding to other markets including Turkey, Germany and the U.K., with different local influencers posting videos to get the message across to women in the Muslim communities.

The aim is to give women a visual tool of how to examine their breast tissue for changes, particularly when they don't attend regular screenings. In the U.K., for example, where McCann Health and the British Islamic Medical Association worked together on their version of the campaign, recent research has revealed that breast cancer awareness is particularly low among Muslim women and they have lower rates of screening uptake than average. 

“We wanted to avoid the taboo of talking about intimate body parts or exposing them by going to health specialists for a first check-up," explained Mirna Hobballah, Vice-President of the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation, in a statement. "Since many households bake their own bread and are interested in this subject—especially now, during the COVID-19 pandemic—we decided to use baking bread as a euphemism and talk to women about baking bread instead of talking about breasts, self-examination or cancer.”

Credits

Date
Feb 10, 2021
Client :
Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation
Agency :
McCann-Paris
Executive Creative Director :
Cédric Astrella
Executive Creative Director :
Sebastien Boutebel
Chief Creative Officer McCann Europe :
Adrian Botan
Creative Excellence Manager McCann Europe :
Carmen Bistrian
Director of Communications, UK & Europe :
Jessica Bayat
Creative Director :
Guy Lewis
Associate Creative Director :
Mateo Fernandez
Art Director :
Sonia Presne
Art Director :
Flora Sagnes
Copywriter :
Anne-Sophie Guerin
Copywriter :
Farah El Feghali
Copywriter :
Benjamin Homsy
Motion Designer :
Etienne Philippe
Motion Designer :
Karim Victorin
VP Global Business Leader :
Cedric Vanhoutte
Account Director :
Nathalie Maisonnave
Account Manager :
Salomé Lhote
Account Manager :
Camille Ghossein
Deputy General Manager in charge of Strategy :
Erik Bertin
Strategic Planner :
Tugce Sezer
Strategic Planner :
Minerva Sosa Soria
Head of Digital :
Pierre-Jean Bernard
Community Manager :
Jessica Mezoela
TV Producer :
Arnaud Lemens
TV Producer :
Matthieu Tombarelle
Post Producer :
Caroline De Génis
Sound Producer :
Isabelle Crechet
Production Agency :
Satellite My Love
Executive Producer :
Alain Dib
Associate Producer :
Omar Cabbabe
Film Director :
Danielle Rizhalla
PR Agency :
Weber Shandwick
CEO :
Eloi Asseline
Senior Strategist :
Jean Paoli
Strategist :
Elise Décultot
PR Senior Manager :
Deborah Guepey
Sound Production :
Octopus Productions
Producer :
Claire Paillot
Sound Engineer :
Olivier Vehert
Production coordinator and President of Slow Food Beirut :
Barbara Massaad
PR Agency Lebanon :
Rowat Public Relations
Managing Partner :
Mark Daou
Media Relations Director :
Ms Eliane Sahyoun
Influencer Relations Manager :
Raya Boutros
Account Executive :
Jad Oueini
CCO McCANN Worldgroup Germany :
Götz UImer
McCANN Worldgroup Germany :
Jerome Cholet
McCANN Worldgroup Germany :
Karin Stelzner
CRAFT Germany :
Michael Koch
CRAFT Germany :
Matthias Miemczyk
Reachbird :
Julien Stiefvater
Reachbird :
Selin Wendel
Deutsche Krebshilfe :
Sabine Boos
Deutsche Krebshilfe :
Marcus von Husen
GP and General Secretary of the British Islamic Medical Association :
Dr Salman Waqar
ECD :
Guy Swimer
Creative :
Sakeena Amjad
Account Lead :
Damielle Robertson
Strategy Director :
Parrus Doshi
Project Lead :
Kathrine Bradley
Director Client Experience :
Aycin Noyan
Account Director Client Experience :
Hande Hazinedaroglu
Manager Client Experience :
Begum Tosun
Managing Director Consumer :
Kate Sarginson
Account Director Consumer :
Rosanna Sacks
Senior Account Executive Consumer :
Jessica Brand
Senior Project Manager :
Zahra Anjari
Executive Creative Director :
Steve Back

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