Sex toy and lingerie retailer Ann Summers is looking to destigmatise cervical smear tests and communicate their vital importance to women with its latest integrated campaign.
The social-first campaign was launched at the beginning of National Cervical Screening Week on Monday, 19 June. It humorously compares the instrument used for a cervical smear test (speculum) to Ann Summers’ sex toy range, highlighting how ‘life-saving’ these tests can be in helping women fight cervical cancer.
‘Remove Fear from the Smear’ was launched after research showed that there has been a decrease in the percentage of eligible individuals attending their cervical screening in recent years, despite the process preventing 70% of cervical cancer deaths.
Created by London agency RAPP UK, the campaign coincides with National Cervical Screening Week, with assets set to run across online, social media and through in-store retail activations highlighting the speculum’s role in smear tests.
Instagram celebrity Dr. Frankie and influencer Sarah Jayne Dunn have also been enlisted to help boost the campaign’s reach across social channels.
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“Women aged between 25-29 are the least likely to attend their cervical smear test and also Ann Summer’s core customer base – making this partnership incredibly powerful,” RAPP UK head of health and social impact, Afua Basoah, said.
“By providing this new and super creative lens for women to think about the process of cervical screening, we hope they will see there really is no need to ‘fear the smear’.”
Concluding, she said: “The campaign is designed to be bold and open about women’s health and encourage those who would have been reluctant, to get into the habit of regular screening – which we know helps to save lives.”
According to Ann Summers, although the size of the speculum may put many women off from attending their smear tests, if all women tested regularly, 83% of cervical cancer deaths could be prevented each year.
In January, Wunderman Thompson UK launched a similar social campaign in partnership with cancer charity The Eve Appeal to raise awareness around cervical cancer screenings.
