Ministry cervical screening campaign a finalist in TV marketing awards

A social marketing campaign promoting the value of cervical screening to young women is a finalist in the TVNZ Marketing Awards.

‘Give Your Cervix Some Screen Time’, a collaboration between the Ministry and Te Hiringa Hauora, The Health Promotion Agency, encourages women who are least likely to get screened (Māori and Pacific women 25-29) and who are the most at risk, to get their cervix screened.

Astrid Koornneef, Manager of the National Screening Unit, says news the campaign has made the award finals is a huge endorsement of its bold, ‘out there’ approach.

“Our research showed that our target audience didn’t know much about cervical screening and didn’t believe cancer was something that would happen to them. They were too embarrassed to talk about vaginas and cervixes, so we needed to make talking about cervical health more socially acceptable.”

Ms Koornneef says the promotion was designed to be delivered via platforms young people favour and uses concepts that resonate culturally.

“In Māori culture the cervix is considered to be the doorway to the womb and the lifeline to whakapapa (genealogy). It is key to a healthy pregnancy. We demonstrated to women that by protecting their cervix from cervical cancer, they can protect their health, their whānau, their future tamariki and their tipuna.”

The campaign ran for only a short time before being interrupted by the COVID-19 global pandemic, but is expected to be re-activated as screening services return to normal.

The promotion is a finalist in the Healthcare/Beauty and Public Sector categories of the awards. Winners will be announced on 10 September.