Take Notice
The Marie Keating Foundation
Issue 49 | December 2018
Agency
Rothco | Accenture Interactive
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director Alan Kelly Creative Director Stephen Rogers Creative Team Stephen Rogers, Anthony Ortuso
Production Team
Head of Production Margaret Levingstone Head of Marketing Jill Byrne Project Director Barbara-Ann Chaney Agency Producer Laura Cahill Design Director Shane O’Riordan Product Designer Joe Fallover
Other Credits
Head of Strategy Kathy Troy Digital Strategy Colm Cusack, Eadaoin Coyle
Date
October 2018
Background
If one of the most touched and photographed breasts in the world suddenly developed a lump, would anyone notice? That was the key question asked by leading Irish cancer charity, the Marie Keating Foundation, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Idea
Molly Malone is the enigmatic heroine of the famous song of the same name, widely recognised as the city’s unofficial anthem.
The buxom statue of her in Dublin is one of Ireland’s most recognisable and Instagrammed monuments, attracting hordes of tourists daily.
Their ‘handsy’ antics have resulted in the statue being groped so much that the bronze hue has begun to wear off on her bosom. Realising that people seemed to be more interested in Molly’s breasts than their own, a small lump was placed on one of Molly’s breasts.
It went totally unnoticed by the general public, who continued to take pictures with Molly and touch her bosom.
A film was made about this failure to recognise the serious manifestation of cancer. With a touching soundtrack by Irish singer Imelda May, it warns women that if a lump on the most famous pair of breasts in Ireland can go without detection then they should examine their own breasts with extra vigilance.
Results
Earned media worth €159,033 reached 17.2 million people in twelve countries prompting 129,185 video views to date.
Our Thoughts
It’s intriguing how public art has been used for advertising purposes recently. There was State Street’s ‘Fearless Girl’, facing down the raging bull of Wall Street, and then Handicap International putting prosthetic limbs on monuments in Paris (Directory Issue 47) and now we have Molly Malone drafted in for the Marie Keating Foundation.
What I love about this idea is that it has an insight into human behaviour that came from observing people. Both men and women simply can’t help themselves from giving Molly a feel. Of course, in showing what people do do the idea elegantly calls attention to what they don’t do.