It wasn’t so much a complaint as a moan about how I feel in myself when I see them - I totally agree with their worth, I just find for me personally they ‘strike a nerve’ which, given my circumstances, I’d rather they didn’t - but that’s not to say I don’t think they should not be run. I think it’s by their very hard hittingness that they have their desired effet of reminding people of those they know who’ve suffered and maybe trigger them to do something - it was certainly one of the Race For Life ads which got me signed up for the first many years back before I was dx.
I’m glad - if thats the right word - that I’m not being selfish tho in being affected by them in a way other than that intended.
I agree with most of the comments here. I have been diagnosed with early breast cancer, have had surgery and am now awaiting rad treatment, and like many of you I was very upset when viewing this advert. It did indeed touch a nerve deep down which I am trying not to think about. My problem with the advert is that, it targets those already affected by cancer, the very people who probably already give to cancer charities. Targeting those affected feels a bit like preying on the fears of people when they are most fragile. It,s message is “together we will beat cancer”. Together - is everyone. I feel this advert alienates those who havent been affected and could be detrimental in encouraging them to donate. The ad’s must be emotive to a certain extent to move people to donate, but targeting those already affected seems pretty low to me.
Hi Rustyharas
Do not beat yourself up about breast feeding. I breastfed all 3 of my children for over a year each. I have no family history of breast cancer or any other cancer so did not breast feed them for that reason, just that I tried it, liked it, and found it easy.
I have breast cancer, have had MX, chemo, rads and currently on herceptin.
We did NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING to give ourselves cancer. Do not beat yourself with guilt. This is why I hate with a passion anti-cancer diets and anti-cancer if you hadn’t done this that or anything else you would be cancer free. It is just bad luck that we have it, we could not have prevented it. If it was that simple and clear cut the NHS would not have to spend billions finding a cure, they could just hand you a diet sheet and give you advice on lifestyle if you didn’t follow say to you well sorry its your fault you have it.
Everyone knows smoking is bad for you, but not everyone that smokes gets lung cancer and not everyone that doesn’t smokes escapes it. So no so clear cut.
WE ARE NOT GUILTY OF GIVING OURSELVES CANCER WHATEVER OUR LIFESTYLE AND LIFE CHOICES.
Well said Horace! I swear whatever the charities do they will be castigated for their efforts. The ads are not targetted at us personally as individuals-rather they are seeking to convey the universal nature of cancer, which affects so many of us-and even more, if you add in our immediate families. Why can’t we be glad that they are doing the best they can, under impossible circumstances, rather than seeing it as a personal attack on our vulnerability? As I said before-I have secondaries, so it doesn’t get much worse than this-so please girls, if you don’t like it-switch over for a few seconds. If it garners enough additional money to move research forward a little, then surely your discomfort is worth it?
I can’t agree ElaineD. When adverts are put on through the day when my children are watching and upset them all over again, that is not fair. I have secondaries, the reason I hated the Mirrors campaign was it made my boys think about me not being their to see them off to school. That isn’t right to do that to my family. We have enough to cope with.
Maybe show secondary care and improvements, whatever but playing on the fear that most cancer patients have is for me is not acceptable.
Annik - I’m sorry that the advert hit a nerve as it did with me.
I am finding it hard to watch, had my 9 year old ask me since I just finished Chemo if my bc will come back as well. I think I can identify with the Macmillan one more, coming through a day that didn’t all revolve around bc feels like a big achievement at the moment!
I have secondaries. I also find the Cancer Research ad hard to watch as it reminds me of my situation, and now usually turn over when it comes on, but I think it’s quite good in that it shows that there has been progress in treating cancer but that there is a long way still to go. I don’t find it as emotionally manipulative as I remember the mirrors ad being.
I’m not sure whether doing it in a way that didn’t upset anyone would be as effective - but it may be that they do alienate some potential donors…
Sorry, bboonie, I think you have mis-understood. My concern over breastfeeding has been nothing to do with me getting bc. I eat well, exercise, all the rest, I know it wasn’t me that gave it to myself.
I regret not being able to breastfeed them for my children’s sakes. We are bombarded with information telling us how good it is for them. And I missed out on something I really wanted to do. My point was that the advertising campaigns about breastfeeding, leaflets in doctor’s surgeries etc remind me regularly about my failure but they are necessary to inform and encourage something beneficial.
Like the Macmillan ones. (IMHO)
But thank you for your encouraging words, I do appreciate the sentiment
X
Rusty
Just to add my humble opinion. I think the ads are very well done, the CRUK one in particular as it is very ‘normal’ and ‘ordinary’ and something I think people will relate to.
I agree with horace that the charities are damned with their advertising if it’s pink and fluffy/celebrity endorsed (esp bc) and damned if they take the more normal advertising line. At the end of the day, you can’t please all of the people all of the time no matter what you advertise.
I just hope that the campaigns will continue to raise the money for the research that to a large extent has got a lot of us to make it this far.
The “it’s come back” lady is Anne Sandeman. Her story is mentioned on the site above, so I’ll not reproduce it here.
FWIW I can see how any campaigns like this can be upsetting for those involved, but cannot see a realistic alternative. The message I take from the ad is that huge progress has been made, but there is still work to do, and for that work they need money.
I agree with lizcat and Paul, there is no alternative. As a secondaries lady I imagine I am not alone here in always thinking about it anyway, so a TV add is the least of my worries - if it raises some money and awareness, all power to it.
We seem to be falling into two quite distinct camps-those of us who don’t mind (myself included- and who tend to have secondaries), and those who do object-who are almost all girls with primary diagnoses! I find this quite suprising in some respects-but perhaps in view of all we have to deal with on a daily basis of living with secondaries, an advert on tv is not going to upset us to any great degree. Not sure why the primary girls are so against it-most of the messages conveyed are uplifting, showing that there is still life after cancer-of course you don’t want to be reminded that it could come back-but surely none of you need an advert to bring that thought into your minds. If anyone has a better idea for these adverts, please share, as I think they will be part of campaigning for a long time to come. It’s easy to complain and criticise…not so easy to come up with a better alternative.
I’ve not seen the advertisment(s) as I don’t watch TV, but I do remember the Mirrors campaign. Overall I agree with Horace that I would rather a realistic campaign than the pink 'n fluffy option. There is a lot of media coverage about BC and treatment success/survival rates, so - in the minds of the public at large - its starting to move dangerously into the area of cancer “lite” where people don’t consider it to be a killer.
Nevertheless, I do agree with those who have expressed unhappiness that their children can see it during their normal TV viewing schedule. Surely the ad could be scheduled for only past the watershed viewing, as children are hardly the ones fundraisers are seeking to capture.
Debs x
[edited to add: I’m a primary girl, so seem to be bucking the trend spotted by Elaine. It could be because I’ve not seen the ads, but I think its more likely because I have a nasty habit of looking in the dark places, to make sure I can deal with whatever may come my way]
Hi, I don’t mind the adds,and as Elaine says most of it is uplifting,and I think it is very important to tell the reality that it can come back.If it raises lots of money for research and awareness that can only be a good thing.
Also I might add that I am nearly 3 years from diagnosis and can remember whilst going through treatment I too would feel upset at the cancer adds I think this was because it was real for me and my family.I didn’t think they shouldn’t be on TV,it was just upseting.
To add to my post above - think it must be worse if you do have children as you probably find it distressing for them as well as you (hope that’s not too sweeping or presumptuous a statement from me who has no kids).
Perhaps it is something that can be defined by primary/secondary status to some extent as those of us with secondaries live with it as a reality every day.
I think they are very good at grabbing the publics attention, which obviously Macmillan are aiming to do, with these their adds. They are extremely thought provoking too. As a cancer sufferer now (why is that so hard to write?)it never fails to give me a jolt and make me feel teary. I will echo, however, what others on here have said regarding children, I can imagine the anxiety it might induce in a child with a mum who has breast cancer. Like Debs says it might be better if they were shown after the watershed when hopefully younger children would be in bed
Cancer is a serious subject so I suppose it needs to get that point across.
This is a great thread thanks for starting it, it’s really good to read how everybody feels on issues like this.
I personally think the ads are great very emotional but get the point across. The mirror one with the daughter on her wedding day gets me every time. And the kids i do think they don’t need to see it and would hopefully be just as good after the watershed.
I really agree with jeannie earlier on in the thread about misdiagnosis, i would love them to get that message in the ads somewhere. I’m really surprised how many people on this site have been misdiagnosed.
There are many issues here to comment upon.
Firstly, I agree with the watershed point - if this ad were played later then many of the objections from parents of young children would be addressed.
Secondly, although it’s about Cancer, it’s still an ad and the purpose of an effective ad is to prompt a reaction - to raise awareness, to raise money or to make us buy chocolate. If it didn’t have that emotional grab it wouldn’t be an effective ad. Sadly, just leaving buckets around for donations just doesn’t do it.
Thirdly, I am a primary (so far) and was really pleased that Secondaries were addressed. That fulfilled a few objectives. It brought home to the non-affected that there’s still a long way to go and that too many still suffer extended unpleasant, painful treatments and yet still die. Further, it is still necessary to educate the numpties who assume we’re all “cured”, should “get over it” and “get back to normal”. I agree that the icy grab at your heart is not pleasant but it’s necessary to reach the non-affected and I beleive they are the target market for the ad, not us.
I can endorse many of the views expressed in this thread. I see the ad as one more assault on the notion that improved survival rates means always surviving cancer free…if there are to be adequate resources allocated to help those with mets., as they journey on, then the public need to come to the slow and steady realisation that there is much ongoing care and treatment to be funded. Just like the bcc camapign for more recognition of the needs of those with secondaries this seems to me to be trying to be another subtle salvo in that war of attrition. I applaud it but hate it in equal measure (!), but one is an intellectual response and the other emotive - and- as I’m a mix of both, I think I’ll have to live with it.Certainly, my daughter(27) loathes it when it comes on but I have persuaded her that we have to accept there will be such moments. Personally we mute it and turn away…It will be interesting to see if there is any media pick-up on the special day for sec.bc (13th) in October.
