Launch Country
United Kingdom
Program
Traditional Mediums
Advertiser Category
Health Awareness & Advocacy
Medium
Creative Use of Media
1990s UK: the era of Cool Britannia, hedonism and lad’s mag Loaded – a publication with an irreverent, humorous tone that resonated with a generation of young men. Today, those men are in their 50s, at increasing risk of prostate cancer, and exactly the people prostate cancer charity Tackle needed to reach. They’re also one of the least likely groups to engage with traditional health messaging, particularly around sensitive issues like prostate health.
The Little Known Facts campaign was built from the insight that taking over a minute to pee (known as ‘slow flow’) can signal prostate issues. And the fact that people can read roughly 200 words in that time .
Using Loaded’s distinctive voice, founding writer Martin Deeson wrote entertaining articles on topics that would resonate with our audience – the 90s, hedonism, the joys of ageing. These articles were placed directly above urinals in motorway service station toilets. But there was a twist: each one took just over a minute to read. If readers were still peeing at the end, they were encouraged to get checked or visit Tackle’s website for further information and support.
By taking just over a minute to read, each article transformed a routine moment into a personal check, and a familiar voice made a typically avoided topic feel relevant, immediate and hard to ignore.
The campaign began at the urinals, then extended into a wider media system, with OOH in motorway services, content on Loaded and Tackle’s websites, and amplification through social and earned media.
The campaign turned a routine moment into a scalable media idea, delivering a potentially life-saving message at the right time, in the right place, and in a format guaranteed to get men’s undivided attention.