Hackensack Meridian Health isn’t being cheeky with their latest ad campaign telling patients there are no more buts when it comes to their butt.
As part of the No More Buts campaign launched Monday morning, the New Jersey-based health system is going all out to encourage patients, especially those older than 45, to schedule a colonoscopy.
Inspired by the common excuses for not getting a check-up on your colorectal health, all of which start with some variation of “but,” Hackensack Meridian Health is pressing the issue as a means of being a proactive patient.
The campaign was created by its agency of record, Doner, and comes amid Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. The disease is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society, which estimated that there will be nearly 107,000 new cases of colon cancer this year.
Recognizing the relevance of the issue facing older patients, along with an unexplained rise in advanced colon cancers among young patients, Hackensack Meridian is seeking to eliminate excuses for not getting a routine colonoscopy on the calendar.
No More Buts features a full suite of ads, including those running in print publications, OOH, on posters and two short commercials running on social media focusing on, what else, butts. The campaign also features radio sponsorships with iHeart Media and Townsquare Media.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of the campaign is the customized toilet paper that Doner created and installed in bathrooms at the American Dream Mall, the Count Basie Center for the Arts and Theater as well as Red Bull Arena.
The toilet paper features a QR code at the bottom along with a message encouraging people to schedule a colonoscopy or take a health risk assessment at one of Hackensack Meridian Health’s facilities.
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month always attracts medical marketing campaigns to shed light on the severity of a disease that is expected to kill more than 52,000 Americans this year.
Last year saw several organizations like the Colon Cancer Coalition and Labcorp unveiling creative campaign work to raise awareness, along with a personal call to action from Katie Couric, who lost her first husband to the disease in 1998.
This is also the latest campaign from Hackensack Meridian Health after it enlisted former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning in the fall of 2022 to do iconic touchdown celebrations as part of a campaign to raise funds for the Tackle Kids Cancer initiative.