What could possibly cause scores of women to take pictures of their bare breasts and upload them to a website for all the world to see? Well, any number of things, I suppose, but what we’re talking about today is a controversial new site launched by Schick, the manufacturer of women’s razors, in Canada.
The site is called, quite simply, The Booby Wall—you’ll find it here. The effort is part of a larger campaign to raise awareness that breast cancer can be successfully treated if it is detected early enough. According to the folks at Schick and ReThink, the charity the Booby Wall supports, many women, particularly young ones, are intimidated and confused about how to do a breast self-examination. The site gives them simple instructions on how to do so.
Many of the uploaded pictures include dedications to women who died from breast cancer. Others are dedicated to loved ones who beat the disease. But the most powerful and poignant photos are of cancer survivors themselves.
Of course, not everyone thinks that the Booby Wall is a good idea. Take a look at the comments on the bottom of this article. While I can understand the critics, for my money this is a bold, brave move for Schick. It has lots of people talking about breast cancer and self-exams, and that’s a good thing. I only wish that the connection to Schick could be just a little more evident. It seems like you could exchange the Schick logo with that of virtually any brand aimed at women. As companies move more money into cause marketing campaigns such as this, ROI will undoubtedly become increasingly important.
Special thanks to MaryGrace Whalen of Digitas for sending this my way.
