Spot Leukaemia has reached nearly 18 million people across the UK to date this year, significantly raising public awareness of the early signs and symptoms of leukaemia.
The annual campaign is run by Leukaemia Care and Leukaemia UK and the record reach was made possible with the support of JCDecaux Community Channel, an initiative from the UK’s leading Out-of-Home media owner JCDecaux UK, who partnered with the charities to run the ads on digital billboards across the country.
Running from 28 May to 30 June, the campaign combined digital billboards, social media, public relations, digital adverts and educational content to spotlight early signs of the disease and encourage people to seek medical advice.
“We are proud to have supported the vital Spot Leukaemia campaign, using the power of the public screen to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of leukaemia,” said Steve Moore, UK category partner at JCDecaux UK.”
“The JCDecaux Community Channel was created to open up access to Out-of-Home media for charitable initiatives and communities, ensuring important messages like this reach people across the UK,” he added.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest agency-related news sent straight to your inbox each morning
Millions of impressions were delivered via digital billboards in high-footfall areas across the UK, including high streets and shopping centres, while digital advertising accounted for more than 5.2 million impressions.
One of the key highlights was a video featuring Dr Amir Khan endorsing the campaign and outlining the early signs to look out for, which saw 280,092 total views across Facebook and Instagram. The billboard launch posts also gained strong engagement with a combined 47,805 views across Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
“The success of this campaign proves how vital high-visibility public health messaging is. When we can reach people where they live, work and travel, and speak directly to them through social media and real-world placements we genuinely help them recognise the early signs of leukaemia,” said Colin Dyer, chief executive of Leukaemia Care.
“This isn’t just about impressions, shares and column inches, it’s about real lives being saved. We’re grateful to JCDecaux for their incredible support in bringing the campaign to life and helping to raise awareness of this joint cause.”
The Spot Leukaemia website saw a remarkable increase in engagement, with a 148% rise in total web views, and a 237% increase in people actively searching for “Spot Leukaemia”.
An additional 7 million people were reached through trusted media outlets, including patient case studies in The Sun and The Daily Mirror.
Fiona Hazell, Chief Executive of Leukaemia UK, said: “Unlike solid tumours, leukaemia can usually be diagnosed by a simple full blood count test. Unfortunately, many people aren’t aware of the signs and symptoms of leukaemia until they or someone they know is diagnosed, which can lead to dangerous delays in diagnosis.
“That’s why this campaign has been so important. We’re so grateful to JCDecaux and everyone who supported the campaign, helping to raise awareness of leukaemia and empowering more people to speak to their GP if they experience symptoms. Together, we can stop leukaemia devastating lives.”
In the UK, nearly 10,000 people are diagnosed with leukaemia every year – 28 people every day – and it is responsible for around 4,800 deaths annually.
For more information visit www.spotleukaemia.org.uk
