The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network launched a campaign September 15 to raise public awareness about the disease.
The nonprofit worked with communications firm Neimand Collaborative on the effort, with the goal of highlighting the need for more scientific progress to extend the lives of patients.
The campaign, “Be a Hero in the Fight against Pancreatic Cancer: Know it. Fight it. End it.,” includes e-mail, social media, online promotions and blog tie-ins.
The effort runs through the end of November and asks consumers to upload stories about their heroes.
“Asking people to submit their story is really a way for us to engage people on a deeper level with the campaign, and to provide stories of hope and inspiration within our community,” said Jennifer Reeves, PR manager of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “Real-life stories also demonstrate just how important it is that we fight this disease and take action to ensure progress is made and lives are saved.”
Lisa Niemi Swayze, the wife of deceased actor Patrick Swayze, who died from the disease just over a year ago, is serving as campaign spokeswoman.
The initiative’s website, www.knowitfightitendit.org, allows consumers to sign up for future e-mail alerts and encourages them to forward the site address to friends.
“Be a Hero” targets the organization’s main constituent base, as well as anyone who has been touched in some way by the disease, said Reeves.
“In addition to inviting people to share their story of the pancreatic cancer hero in their lives, we are asking our constituents to take action through a calendar of activities, such as sending a letter to their member of Congress asking that they make pancreatic cancer research a priority,” she said.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network will measure how many people take action, the number of video downloads, how many consumers forward the website to friends, as well as click throughs on the site and the ad campaign on Facebook, Google and various blogs, said Reeves.
