Working with Cancer, the cross-industry coalition formed by Publicis Groupe to erase the stigma and insecurity of cancer at work, is launching a global "wake-up call" urging everyone to play their part in supporting colleagues with cancer.
After being diagnosed and treated for cancer last year, Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe, launched Working with Cancer at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 17. Today the program is an alliance of major international companies united by a pledge to create an open, supportive and recovery-forward culture for cancer sufferers. Founding partners include Abbvie, Adobe, Bank of America, BNP Paribas, BT, Citi, Google, Haleon, Labcorp, L’Oréal, Lloyd’s, LVMH, Marriott, McDonald’s, Meta, Mondelez, Microsoft, MSD, Nestlé, Omnicom, Pepsico, Renault Group, Sanofi, Toyota, Unilever, Verizon, and Walmart, the world’s largest private employer.
Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, said, “Walmart is proud to partner with Working with Cancer and others to eliminate the workplace stigma of a cancer diagnosis. Our purpose is to help people save money and live a better life, and supporting the health and well-being our own associates, including those who have been diagnosed with cancer, is at the core of that purpose. Together we can make the workplace better for those living with cancer and make a positive impact on people’s lives.”
Working with Cancer is now setting its sights on the wider world, through a wake-up call in time for World Cancer Day (2/4). It is anchored in the stark reality that half of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime, so all of us have a responsibility to support cancer patients at work. Central to this call is this campaign film out of Publicis Conseil titled Monday, directed by Elena Petitti Di Roreto and Martin de Thurah, which depicts the often harrowing journey of cancer patients and the vital importance of workplace support. Many of the crew behind Monday are cancer survivors and caregivers themselves, bringing personal and authentic resonance to a film that highlights a universal issue.
Because driving social change in the workplace can often take years, Publicis is harnessing the power of creativity and mass media to accelerate momentum and adoption. A fully integrated campaign supported by $100m in media generously donated by partners like Disney/ABC, NBCU, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount, Fox, Roku, Snap, iHeart, Tiktok, YouTube, NCM, Screenvision, Clear Channel, Lamar, Zeta and Meta, who are contributing 1bn impressions, will ensure this wake-up call is heard by all. Publicis Groupe will also contribute by becoming the first holding company to purchase and invest in a Super Bowl spot.
Sadoun said, “Thanks to the coalition of our partners and the support of the World Economic Forum, Working with Cancer is already positively impacting the lives of 20 million people. Of course, we will continue to rally more companies to the movement. But just as vital is the role all of us can play by standing with our colleagues with cancer. That is why we are launching a call not only for awareness, but for action from everyone, to create a real cultural shift in the workplace.”
The Working with Cancer pledge can be taken here.
CreditsClient Working with Cancer Agency Publicis Conseil Agathe Bousquet, CEO, Publicis Groupe France; Marco Venturelli, CEO/CCO, Publicis Conseil and CCO, Publicis France, and copywriter; Maud Robaglia, head of art; Laura Aondio, Francesca Vitello, creatives; Christopher Thiery, co-president, Prodigious France; Caroline Petruccelli, head of agency production; Christophe Caurret, head of sound; Shannon Eddy, business director. Production Company Henry Jean-Luc Bergeron, exec producer; Gaelle Delaporte, producer; Julia Mongin, production coordinator; Elena Petitti Di Roreto, director; Martin de Thurah, consultant director; Thimios Bakatakis, DP. French Crew Jean-Francois Fontanel, 1st assistant director; Emmanuelle Duplay, set designer; Sonia Philouze, costume designer. Modelmaking CLSFX-ATELIER 69, Fredric Laine Production Services UK Anonymous Content Victoria Fitzwilliams, managing director; Shion Hayasaka, head of production. Postproduction Prodigious Nathalie Depas, post producer image; Joel Tessonneau, post producer, sound; Yannick Giffard, editor; Alex Petropavlovsky, editor assistant. Color Grading Company 3 Jean Clement Soret, colorist. Sound Research Maxime Rouge Gregoire Bucaille; Olivier Vehert, sound engineer. Postproduction/VFX The Mill Paris Christophe Huchet, exec producer; Vincent Venchiarutti, VFX supervisor; Damien Canameras, shoot supervisor; Guillaume Ho Tsong Fang, CG supervisor; Kahina Lamblin, VFX producer. Clotilde Blondel, animation; Marine Sisnaki, rigging; Karim Lachaize, FX; Marouan El Bekri, Matthias Barday, lighting/compositing; Vincent Ewald, Alexandre Tarquini, motion design; Alain Descamps, concept design; Valentin Gigembre, Flame. Music “Divenire” Ludovico Einaudi, composer; Chester Music Ltd./courtesy by Premiere Music Group, publisher; Ludovico Einaudi & Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ziegler, performers. Recorded at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall--2006. Ponderosa Music Records, label/producer. Cast Hanane Belhouari, Jackson Bews, Erika Kuttner Perreau, Genevieve Dunne; Sami Amber, Tim Bartholomew, Patricia Thibault, Isabelle Hurtin.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More