Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 1. Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement Evaluation: Liga Contra el Cancer of Peru.

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1 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 1 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement Evaluation: Liga Contra el Cancer of Peru Alexa Hebert Louisiana State University Morgan Mills Louisiana State University Andrea Pillaro Louisiana State University Olivia Wajda Louisiana State University

2 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 2 Abstract Medical research and real life experiences have shown that testicular cancer is easily treated and has one of the lowest death rates of any form of cancer especially when detected in it s early stages through self-examination. This study uses two focus groups to examine the effectiveness of a recent ad campaign created by the Peruvian branch of Y&R advertising agency sponsored by Liga Contra el Cancer of Peru that focuses on self-examination and awareness of testicular cancer. The focus groups included one male group of subjects and one female group of subjects. The focus groups concentrated on the emotional appeal and overall message of the advertisement. The results of the focus group revealed that the subject s gender greatly affected the results even though both groups were shown the same ad campaign. Males mentioned that the ad was memorable but not informative. They concluded that because they already knew about testicular cancer self- examination, the ad would help them remember to perform self- examinations. Overall our female participants found the ad campaigns interesting and funny. They commented mostly on the physical appearance of the male models in the ads. The female focus group concluded that they would not share the ads with the men in their lives because it would be too awkward and embarrassing. KEYTERMS: Awareness, Ad Campaign, Testicular Cancer

3 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 3 Introduction Testicular cancer is a form of cancer that develops and attacks the male sex organ. The most prevalent form of testicular cancer, germ cell tumors, forms in the cells responsible for the production of sperm. Testicular cancer can also form in the cells that produce hormones in the testes and can also spread from other areas of the body to the testicles (American Cancer Society, 2012). According to the National Cancer Institute (2011) approximately 8,590 new cases of testicular cancer will be diagnosed this year and 360 men will die from the disease. This form of cancer can develop in men of any age including infants and older men but is most common in men aged between 20 and 34 years of age. Nearly half of all men who develop testicular cancer will fall somewhere in this age range. Unfortunately, the number of cases being diagnosed each year is increasing (American Cancer Society, 2012). According to doctors testicular cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer; the expected 5-year relative survival rate for all men with this cancer is 95 percent (National Cancer Institute, 2011). When testicular cancer does turn deadly the culprit is, more often than not, late detection. Late detection of testicular cancer is a problem that can easily be fixed if more men become aware of self-examination techniques and commit to checking themselves regularly. Lack of awareness is a hurdle that men must jump in the battle against testicular cancer, a battle that can be won only through knowledge. With the help of billboards, magazines, social media and television we can educate men on the health risks that testicular cancer can cause and how to properly check themselves for signs of the disease.

4 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 4 By examining existing testicular cancer awareness research literature and ad campaigns we can gain a better understanding of how to clearly communicate the self check message to the affected audience. Our study examines both male and female preexisting knowledge about testicular cancer and their impressions of a chosen awareness campaign. By discussing this subject with Louisiana State University students, our research will reveal preliminary qualitative information about how to best engage the public about the risks of testicular cancer. The study is significant because it explores fundamental aspects of testicular cancer awareness efforts effectiveness by discussing the issue with people within the age group most affected by the disease. Literature Review Testicular awareness and self-examination amongst adolescent males Although testicular cancer awareness is very important, many young men remain unaware to the seriousness of the disease. There have been many interventions intended to promote awareness. However, of these interventions, few men perceived vulnerability, value of health promotion, or had preferences for informational materials as viable predictors of behavioral change. In one study, a survey was conducted using 300 college males. The subjects were surveyed on perceptions of vulnerability, perceived value of health promotions, previous knowledge of testicular cancer, as well as their preference for promotional information regarding the disease. The survey concluded that men are unaware of testicular cancer as well as their risk to develop the disease. The subjects responses to the survey questions were positive and revealed that they would be more likely to perform self-examinations. Also, the study concluded that males respond best to information that is directly applied to their specific audience.

5 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 5 Promoting awareness and practice of testicular self-examination The study was conducted on men at 14 different places. Of the 14 places, 10 received testicular cancer awareness interventions and the remaining 4 acted as control groups. Each man was given a pre-test questionnaire and a post- test questionnaire. In the study, 518 pre- tests and 356 post-tests were evaluated. The study concluded that by exposing the experimental group to information promoting awareness increased their knowledge of testicular cancer improved from a 3 to a 4 on a scale of 1 to 5. In addition, there was no change in the control group. Following the intervention, the study showed that participants would increase self- examination from 58.4 percent to 68.3 percent. Again, there was no change in the control group. A survey of breast cancer awareness and knowledge in a Western population: lots of light but little illumination The purpose of this study was to determine the level of knowledge people have about breast cancer. Of the participants (n=2355) 53% were female. The study concluded that 81% of females who participated in the study had recently been exposed to breast cancer awareness promotions and had a good understanding of symptoms and treatment. Also, 66% of females overestimated the likelihood of the ability to develop breast cancer, 56% underestimated a 5-year survival rate and 88% underestimated the age at which the disease could be developed. Interestingly, male participants had a higher knowledge of breast cancer issues. Research Question Given the abundance of information that states that the majority of the male population are uninformed about testicular cancer and the subsequent lack of information on what

6 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 6 characteristics would make a testicular cancer awareness campaign most effective we have developed this research question: RQ1: Will the composition of the current Liga Contra el Cancer testicular cancer awareness campaign be effective in raising awareness about testicular cancer and selfexaminations among male and female Louisiana State University (LSU) students? Method Focus groups were chosen as a starting point for preliminary research on our unique advertisement campaign and its effectiveness with different demographics. The unique content of the advertisement campaign was opportune for in-depth qualitative research. Morgan Mills conducted two focus groups of three persons to explore the effects of the advertisement campaign on subjects. Due to the sensitive nature of the advertisement, the focus groups were split into an all female group and an all male group. The male focus group took place in a library conference room with an additional researcher to record the findings. The female focus group was conducted in a researcher s apartment with the whole research group

7 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 7 present. The exclusively male and female focus groups were gathered by convenience sampling. Both focus groups were asked identical sets of initial questions and followed the same format of questioning and exposure to the advertisement. Five categories of preliminary questions were asked before exposure to the advertisements. The first category of questions discussed memorable advertisements as well as the defining characteristics of these memorable campaigns. Participant s knowledge on testicular cancer was then gauged through a series of questions to approximate their knowledge on the topic prior to exposure to the advertisements. The final three question topics discussed the quality and success of other health awareness ads. Advertisements for cancer, drugs and smoking were discussed, focusing on what aspects did and could make these campaigns memorable and successful. Due to the dichotomy of the two groups, the discussions in the groups evolved differently, prompting different follow-up questions between the two groups. This development occurred in both the pre exposure and post exposure discussions, yielding unique, topical information from both groups. After the five preliminary questioning categories were complete, all of the advertisement images were displayed twice to the focus groups one at a time. The images were displayed for a few seconds then shown again for a slightly longer time to ensure complete exposure. The post exposure questions discussed the content of the image, the potential audience as well as intellectual and behavioral impact. The initial impressions of the advertisement, message effectiveness, aesthetic quality and potential medium of the advertisement were initial questions on the content of the images. Suggestions and critiques of the image content were discussed in detail to determine optimal clarity and consequence. Sequentially, the potential target audience was discussed. Who is this message intended for, does it effectively speak to a male audience,

8 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 8 should another audience be targeted were the initial questions to determine the ideal audience for premium ad efficacy. Perceived effectiveness and personal behavior affects were questioned. Behavioral impact varied between the male and female groups. Results Participants opinions on the ad campaign varied greatly according to their gender despite the fact that both focus groups were shown the same ad campaign and asked the same series of questions. The researchers recognize that the female participants opinions on the subject and campaign vary from the male participants opinions due to the fact that this disease does not affect females and so the results have been separated accordingly. Males Male participants were all somewhat informed about testicular cancer and the health risks it can cause before our focus group. Our participants stated that they had been informed about the disease in various high school health classes and college biology classes but admitted that little time was spent on the subject. The participants stated that they had been previously instructed in the proper method to perform a testicular self-examination. Male participants also credited some of their knowledge about testicular cancer to professional bicycle racer Lance Armstrong s personal battle with the disease and his formation of the LiveStrong foundation for cancer awareness. Our male participants were more knowledgeable than we expected but they were unaware of the fact that they all fell into the age range (20-34 years of age) when men are at the highest risk for developing testicular cancer. When asked about ad campaigns that were memorable to them the male participants cited that ads that were funny, involved pop culture references, or alluded to topics they were familiar

9 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 9 with the ads became more memorable than those that did not use these tactics. The participants also found that political ad campaigns and other overly wordy and informative ads were not memorable or interesting. In discussing cancer ad campaigns our participants were able to easily call to mind seeing breast and lung cancer awareness ad campaigns but could not remember ever seeing an ad campaign focused on testicular cancer awareness. After being shown our chosen ad campaign male participants found the images funny and attention grabbing. Participants called the ads attention grabbing due to the small amount of clothing on the model featured in the campaign. They found the campaign funny because of the phrase on the waistband in conjunction to the graphics on the model s boxer briefs. The participants all found the message to be clear and understood the campaign s promotion of testicular self-examination. The participants found the overall campaign interesting and pleasing to the eye, but they did have a few suggestions on how to make the campaigns better. The group members all felt that the logo of the organization sponsoring the ads should be bigger and the phrase on the waistband moved or made bolder to be more readable. They also thought that the addition of a website with information about testicular cancer and how to perform a selfexamination would beneficial to the ad campaigns total effectiveness. Overall our male participants found the ad campaign to be eye catching and memorable, but not informative. The male participants did say that because they already knew about self-examination that the ad campaign would help them to remember to perform self-examinations and the ad would stick in their minds.

10 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 10 Females Our female focus group participants knew what testicular cancer was by putting together the words testicular and cancer but apart from that they were uninformed about the disease. One of our participants even admitted that she knew nothing about the disease, and several of them confused testicular cancer with prostate cancer. The participants in this focus group also did not connect any celebrities with the disease, they knew that Lance Armstrong had cancer but did not know that it was testicular cancer. The females were also unaware of the process of selfexamination for testicular cancer and which age groups of men were most likely to develop the disease. When we asked the female participants about ad campaigns they enjoyed we found that they recalled funny ad campaigns with the least difficulty and were the most excited to discuss ads of this nature. Another aspect that our female participants found memorable in advertising was controversy; campaigns that were shocking and unexpected were memorable to them. Our female participants all agreed with each other that the most prevalent awareness campaigns they could recall were breast cancer awareness campaigns. Initially after being shown our chosen ad campaigns our female participants found the ads to be awkward, shocking, and only mildly funny. Our female participants focused more on the actual picture of the model than the phrase on the waistband. They found the models to be average looking and extremely hairy which made the ads less appealing to them but they did think that a perfect model could be intimidating to the men the ads are trying to impact. The female participants were actually distracted by the model when initially viewing the

11 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 11 advertisements and had to look at them a second time before noticing the sponsor s logo and the phrasing on the waistband of the boxer briefs which led them to comment that the logo and waistband phrase should be larger and bolder. They also felt that a website with information about testicular cancer and self-examination should be added to the campaigns. Our female focus group participants found that the use of color was exciting and made the ads lighthearted. Upon further probing on what could make the ads more effective our participants decided that the ads needed to be more informative and could also be used as a fundraiser. This fundraiser would be similar to LiveStrong bracelets; a person could donate money to the ads sponsor and receive a pair of boxers and a pamphlet with information about testicular cancer and self-examination. Overall our female participants enjoyed the ad campaigns and found them interesting and funny but said that they would not share the ads with the men in their lives because it would be too awkward and embarrassing. Discussion This study, drawing on the opinions provided by male and female Louisiana State University students enhances our understanding of the elements that make testicular cancer awareness campaigns effective. New cases of testicular cancer are being diagnosed each day; self-examination cannot prevent testicular cancer but it can contribute to successful early detection, which leads to a less rigorous treatment and recovery process. Our male and female focus group participants considered our chosen ad campaigns funny and memorable. Our research supported existing literature on the subject of preexisting testicular cancer knowledge and the best methods to promote the disease: information and humor. According to researchers the average male in the year age range (those most likely to

12 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 12 develop TC) lacks a general knowledge about testicular cancer and the proper method of selfexamination. Our male participants did have a good base knowledge about testicular cancer and self-examination but were still unaware of some key facts of the disease and early detection. Overtime this lack of knowledge could cause an increase in late detection and an increasing death rate in men with testicular cancer. Limitations One of the limitations of this study was that we used a convenience sampling of participants. Several of the participants knew one another, which could have caused them to align their opinions with the participants they knew. This also gives our research very little external validity because our sample does not represent the population of the nation or even Louisiana State University. The male focus group was held in a library meeting room with a glass wall that faced the hallway, which could have caused feelings of anxiety and embarrassment keeping our male participants from getting comfortable with discussing the subject matter. Further researchers might find it beneficial to conduct a focus group of this type in a more comfortable home like setting so that participants will feel relaxed and speak freely. Expansion Expansion on our research could be very interesting and could look into several different aspects that make awareness campaigns successful. Surveys and focus groups could be conducted to ascertain what specifically causes men to be embarrassed about discussing testicular cancer. Preexisting information tells us that breast cancer awareness campaigns are so salient that they have made women generally overestimate the severity of the disease and that the abundance of breast cancer awareness promotions has resulted in extreme relevance. This knowledge could be

13 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 13 used to perform a content analysis on breast cancer awareness campaigns and informational pamphlets to see how organizations made it easy to discuss the topic and then apply similar concepts to the discussion of testicular cancer. Final Thoughts Based on the reactions from our participants this ad campaign is eye catching and memorable. Our male participants said that their initial viewing would call them to action and that the humor of the ads would later help them to remember to perform self-examinations. This research suggests that humor is an excellent tool to bring light to this subject but that humorous ad campaigns should also include serious information in order to spread true knowledge and awareness about testicular cancer.

14 Testicular Cancer Awareness Advertisement 14 References American Cancer Society. (2012, May 14). Testicular Cancer: Detailed Guide. National Cancer Institute. (2011). SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Testis. Rovito, M., Gordon, T., Bass, S., & DuCette, J. (n.d). Perceptions of Testicular Cancer and Testicular Self-Examination Among College Men: A Report on Intention, Vulnerability, and Promotional Material Preferences. American Journal Of Mens Health, 5(6), McCullagh, J., Lewis, G., & Warlow, C. (2005). Promoting awareness and practice of testicular self-examination. Nursing Standard, 19(51), McMenamin, M., Barry, H., Lennon, A. M., Purcell, H., Baum, M., Keegan, D.,... & Mulcahy, H. (2005). A survey of breast cancer awareness and knowledge in a Western population: lots of light but little illumination. European Journal of Cancer, 41(3),