Nigel Shattock is Director of Communications & Engagement at World Cancer Research Fund
We’re a cancer prevention charity – and yet cancer rates are soaring in the UK and globally. And many people don’t look for cancer prevention information – or even realise that cancer can be prevented. We’re on a mission to change that, and our bold new brand is part of the journey.
Around 3 million people in the UK have cancer and this will rise by more than 1 million in just 7 years. However, we know, that 40% of cancer cases are preventable. This is why, to reverse this trend, cancer prevention is more important than ever to public health, as well as better diagnosis and treatment.
And our mission is no longer just about preventing cancer. We also provide evidence – and are funding more research – on how diet and physical activity can improve cancer survival and quality of life for people living with and beyond cancer. This research, along with our practical support in the form of a helpline, free booklets and cookery classes, can make a real difference to the lives of those going through cancer.
A new bolder look
This year, World Cancer Research Fund has been changing its look and feel, to convey the urgency of cancer prevention and survivorship, and help more people relate to and support our mission.
Our name – World Cancer Research Fund – stays the same, as does our logo, but we are now using bolder colours, new illustrations and images, as well as a shorter, clearer main message: ‘Preventing cancer. Saving lives’
Awareness of World Cancer Research Fund
Our research showed that many people – perhaps even you – weren’t aware of our charity, didn’t recognise our brand and therefore weren’t engaging with our cancer prevention message.
In other words, we needed to:
- Be more widely recognisable and easily memorable
- Increase supporters and donations
- Expand our reach and engagement
- Communicate our impact more effectively
- Ensure we are known for our work with cancer survivors
Developing our new brand
We audited our brand and recognised we need to be bolder, more relevant and to the point. We also had too many secondary brands and our images needed to be distinctive, inclusive and colourful.
Our new strapline, ‘Preventing cancer. Saving lives’, makes our focus immediately clear to existing and potential supporters.
This innovation is part of who we are as an organisation and is one of our core values. We’re:
- Evidence based
- Inclusive
- Influential
- Innovative
- Empowering
> Read more about our values and core beliefs
Listening to our supporters
We’ve also been listening – hard – to our supporters; the vital people who run, bake or climb to raise money for us, the thousands of health professionals who use our resources, those living with and beyond cancer and the others who share our messages with many more people than we could hope to reach on our own.
We know that our health professionals want us to be clear, authoritative and provide them with expert tools, guides and content.
People living with cancer want us to be honest, positive and supportive when sharing our research and resources.
For people interested in reducing their risk of cancer, we need to be approachable, straightforward and understandable.
And for all our audiences, our passion for cancer prevention and enthusiasm for making a difference need to shine through.
So, what differences will you see?
Well, our website, social media channels and e-newsletters already have a new look and feel. We’ll also be updating all our publications, fundraising materials and campaign publicity to look fresher and more exciting, along with some new styles of messaging. This will be a gradual process, as we’ll only update materials when they go out of stock, to save costs and minimise the environmental impact.
Let us know what you think
Please get in touch and let us know how we’re doing! Do you find it easy to understand who we are and what our message is, what we do, what we stand for and what our impact is?
Can you find the resources – online and in print – that you need? Do they work for you? Do you want to know more about the science, or how we work with governments to make a bigger impact? This is what our brand should be improving, and we want to know if it’s working.
So please do email us your thoughts at web@wcrf.org.