Childhood Eye Cancer Trust make the invisible visible to raise awareness of rare eye disease
The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) has released a multichannel campaign to open people’s eyes to retinoblastoma (Rb), a relatively unknown aggressive eye cancer that can blind children if diagnosis is too late.
It’s hard for parents to spot symptoms of the rare disease, as children may appear healthy - a factor that delays diagnosis.
Making the invisible visible, the charity launched a one-day 'Uninvisible Friend' campaign on World Sight Day. It offers a visual representation of what the world might look like to a child who is suffering from Rb, but unable to communicate this to their parents because they assume it is normal.
Focusing on sight as the primary sense, the campaign, developed by Wunderman and illustrated by Peter Clayton, is a multichannel campaign comprising digital, DOOH, geo-targeted ads, eye-tracking data and experiential activity to tell the story of a girl called Alice and her ‘Uninvisible Friend’ Dot.
The data-led campaign will use on-street digital displays and geo-targeted Facebook ads, created using eye-tracking data to direct passers-by to the Uninvisible Friend page online, where they are met by the dynamic story of Alice and Dot.
Early diagnosis can prevent the cancer, which results in an impairing eye tumour. Through the website’s smart interactive design, as the passer-by scrolls through the story of Alice, a real sufferer of the disease, symptoms of the Rb reveal themselves, guiding parents on how to spot early symptoms which might help save a child's sight.
Alongside this, four-year-old Alice Taylor, the real protagonist of the story, was at Vision Express Oxford Street to share her story.
Patrick Tonks, chief executive of CHECT, commented: “A child is diagnosed with Rb every week in the UK, yet most people have never heard of it. Early diagnosis can help to save a child’s eyes, sight and life and so today, on World Sight Day, we urge all parents to take a minute to read Alice and Dot’s story so that they can spot the signs.”
Abi Ellis, Wunderman UK’s executive creative director, said: “Cancer is scary for anyone, but even more so when it involves our kids. Our aim with this campaign is to help parents learn about Rb in a non-frightening and creative way, by making the invisible visible. We’re so proud of this campaign and hope it will have a positive effect for CHECT as well as families around the UK.”
