ATLANTA – March 4, 2013 – Today the American Cancer Society officially launched its 100th birthday campaign to finish the fight against cancer with new ads featuring award-winning artists Josh Groban and Mary J. Blige (click on celebrity name to view ad).
In television ads which will start airing today on networks including ABC, CBS, NBC and USA, Groban is shown at a bustling train station where he interrupts travelers’ usual commute with an electric amplifier, calling for a moment against silence because “silence won’t finish the fight, action will.” In a similar theme of making noise against cancer, Blige interrupts the typical library silence with a call to get loud and finish the fight against the disease. The ads are part of the Society’s larger efforts to leverage its 100th birthday to rally people everywhere to help make this cancer’s last century.
In a complementary print ad campaign starting in May, Academy Award-winning actor and cancer survivor Michael Douglas will appear in magazines such as Good Housekeeping, O, House Beautiful and Redbook. The ad focuses on the actor’s “life list” that includes finding a cure for throat cancer; and encourages readers to take action by visiting cancer.org/fight – the official website for the Society’s 100th birthday – for ways to get involved. Other celebrities/media personalities including Hoda Kotb, co-host of the Today Show and a breast cancer survivor, will also be featured in the print advertising; and starting in April, supporters will have a chance to create their own print ad to finish the fight.
“During the past 100 years, the American Cancer Society has refused to be silent about ending cancer, and our efforts have helped change the course of the disease in the U.S. and across the world,” said Andrew S. Goldsmith, vice president of brand and creative strategy at the American Cancer Society. “This campaign is designed to celebrate the progress we’ve made, but recognize that there is still more work to be done. A century ago, the Society began the fight of a lifetime, now it’s time to join together and finish the fight.”
The American Cancer Society is using its 100th birthday on May 22nd to encourage people to join together, make noise and take action to finish the fight against cancer. The Society urges everyone to make some noise by donating at cancer.org/fight, participating in a local Relay For Life or Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in their community and/or enrolling in its groundbreaking Cancer Prevention Study-3 to find better ways to prevent cancer.
Today, two out of three people diagnosed with cancer are surviving the disease (for at least five years). More than 400 people a day in the U.S. are celebrating birthdays that would have otherwise been lost to cancer. As the Official Sponsor of Birthdays ™, The American Cancer Society will continue to make noise by amplifying its efforts to ensure lifesaving cancer research gets funded; by making sure people facing cancer have the help they need, such as a free place to stay during treatment or a ride to get there; and by fighting for equal access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings, and clean air.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers saving lives and fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. As the largest voluntary health organization, the Society's efforts have contributed to a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. Thanks in part to our progress nearly 14 million Americans who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will celebrate more birthdays this year. As we mark our 100th birthday in 2013, we're determined to finish the fight against cancer. We're finding cures as the nation’s largest private, not-for-profit investor in cancer research, ensuring people facing cancer have the help they need and continuing the fight for access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings, clean air, and more. For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
For more information, contact:
Busola Afolabi
American Cancer Society
1-404-417-5894
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