In Serbia, 37,000 people get cancer every year, and more than 4,000 women and men contract breast cancer. The country is second-ranked according to cancer mortality in Europe.

Golin’s client, Roche, wanted to find a way to raise awareness specifically for breast cancer in men and women in partnership with Europe Dona Serbia, a cancer survivor association for women.

From a majority of testimonials, Golin found that many cancer patients – especially those in rural areas – aren’t informed about importance of self-examinations and preventive testing; nor believed in correct therapy, opting instead for “natural” therapy; while those who were aware of self-exams and preventive testing methods simply didn’t do it. Golin found the common thread throughout all of these behaviors: fear.

Fear of diagnosis. Fear of disease. Fear of telling their partner, children and family. Fear of death.

To provide information about cancer and to support patients and their families, Golin created the Stronger Than Fear campaign to empower men and women to conquer their fears and be proactive about their health through education, access to doctors and survivor testimonials. The campaign provided prevention, knowledge and support against fear of the disease, and showed that together, we are stronger than fear.

After 10 months, Stronger than Fear secured over 5.1M impressions and reached 3.7M people. Not only that, but policymakers in the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia decided to prioritize cancer for 2018 – then creating their own “Cancer is Curable” campaign. Today, Golin expanded the Stronger than Fear campaign to encompass other types of cancer as well.