Astellas Pharma has partnered with USA Rugby and the Australian Rugby Union to promote prostate cancer awareness. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men, meaning that about one in seven American men will be diagnosed with the disease at some point in their lifetime. To generate research funds and increased awareness, Astellas Pharma has launched a social media campaign called '#pass4prostate.'
The new campaign is designed as a social media challenge. Users are asked to record a short video of themselves catching an object and then passing in on to a family member in a rugby-style. For every video submission, Astellas Pharma pledges to donate $5 to prostate cancer advocacy organizations. The submissions can be posted to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, as long as they feature the hashtag #pass4prostate.
The campaign relies on the love of a popular sport as a way of educating fans about prostate cancer awareness.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Cancer Awareness Campaigns
- The combination of charities and sport to increase cancer awareness presents a disruptive opportunity for sponsors and advertisers alike.
- Social Media Challenges
- Social media challenges can be used to incentivize users to donate to charities and can offer a disruptive opportunity for companies to increase their social capital.
- Collaborations for Social Causes
- Collaborating with sports organizations for social causes is a trend that is growing, providing an opportunity for brands to align themselves with meaningful causes.
Sectors Adopting This
- Pharmaceutical
- Pharmaceutical companies sponsoring sports events can leverage this trend to increase awareness and brand recognition, while also contributing to a good cause.
- Sports
- Sports organizations can pair up with charities and NGOs to support meaningful causes while creating positive brand image and goodwill.
- Social Media
- Social media platforms can create or collaborate with campaigns such as #pass4prostate to encourage user engagement and increase awareness around social causes.
