Make Seconds Count: A Powerful Awareness Campaign

Challenge

Secondary breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women aged 40–59, yet awareness remains alarmingly low. Two in five people in the UK have never heard of the condition, despite metastatic (secondary) breast cancer affecting more than 61,000 people nationwide. Misconceptions persist, with almost half of men unaware that they, too, can be diagnosed. Our male case study for this campaign is one of the very few men in the UK speaking about secondary breast cancer and has experienced significant stigma and misunderstanding.

To address this lack of understanding, Make 2nds Count launched Truth Be Told, a powerful awareness campaign featuring a series of portraits of people living with secondary breast cancer. Our brief was to secure high-impact national and regional media coverage to amplify the campaign’s message and drive greater public awareness.

Approach

We curated a diverse group of 14 case study spokespeople, each willing to share their personal experience of living with secondary breast cancer. This breadth of voices enabled us to offer regionally relevant stories, helping to secure extensive BBC regional radio coverage across the UK.

Alongside this, we positioned the charity’s CEO on LBC to articulate Make 2nds Count’s mission and underline the urgent need for greater national understanding of the disease. To directly tackle the misconception that men cannot develop this cancer, we prioritised securing prominent coverage for a male case study, using his story to raise awareness and encourage men seek medical advice.

Impact