The Marie Keating Foundation and creative agency Rothco combined to ask a simple question: If one of the most touched and photographed breasts in the world suddenly developed a lump, would anyone notice?
As part of the 'Take Notice' campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the two groups decided to place a small lump on the breast of Dublin's famous and oft-groped Molly Malone statue to remind passersby of the importance of self-examinations.
"Breast Cancer Awareness Month is critically important in raising awareness but we know sometimes the message to form the habit of checking yourself is lost in the sea of pink," Rothco head of strategy Kathy Troy said in a company statement. "We knew that to make people take notice was going to require a really simple idea to genuinely cut through. Using an iconic bust like Molly Malone seemed to be the perfect starting point to highlight how easy it is to miss something when you’re not looking for it.”
'Handsy' visitors didn't notice the lump, and the film accompanying the campaign highlights "to the public that if a lump on the most famous and watched pair of breasts in Ireland can go without detection, women have to be extra vigilant and thorough with their breast examinations."
In a statement, Rothco creative director Stephen Rogers said to make the stunt authentic the lump had to be as subtle as possible.
"We knew there would be huge production challenges in creating and covertly attaching a lump to a bronze statue - especially one that has the amount of attention that Molly Malone has. We worked with the Emmy-nominated Joe Fallover, Ireland’s leading VFX specialist, to create, apply and bed in the lump. Molly Malone is a central character in this film, and it was important to us to instill emotion in her," said Rogers.
The film captured that emotion with an atmospheric rendition of Ireland's traditional song 'Molly Malone,' bringing the campaign full-circle.
: 'Take notice'
The Marie Keating Foundation and Rothco decided to leverage the public’s obsession to spark a national and international discussion about breast health. This month, Rothco created and placed a small lump on one of Molly’s breasts, which went totally unnoticed by the general public, who continued to take pictures with Molly and touch her bosom.
Executive Creative Director: Alan Kelly
Creative Director: Stephen Rogers
Creative Team: Stephen Rogers & Anthony Ortuso
Head of Production: Margaret Levingstone
Head of Marketing: Jill Byrne
Project Director: Barbara-Ann Chaney
Agency Producer: Laura Cahill
Head of Strategy: Kathy Troy
Digital Strategy: Colm Cusack / Eadaoin Coyle
Design Director: Shane O’Riordan
VFX Specialist: Joe Fallover
Photographer: Chris Lindhorst
Editor: Juniper Calder
Post Production Supervisor: Anne-Marie Downs
Colourist: Donal O’Kane
Sound: Will Farrell
