Every week, three children in Finland are diagnosed with cancer. Research for more effective treatments is urgently needed, but funding relies entirely on private donations. These wallets are targeted by countless others – every appealing brand product and sales campaign. Consumerism has created carnival-like shopping events, where advertisers pull out all the stops, and Black Friday stands as the most iconic of them all. But what if those same sales tactics were harnessed to address matters of life and death? By utilizing the visual and verbal language of promotional advertising, “Cancer For Sale” transformed familiar images, headlines, and model poses into a plea for children’s cancer research. Soon, slogans like “limited time only” and “chance to save” took on a whole new meaning.

Agency: United Imaginations
Art Director: Johanna Vierimaa
Awards: Gold in Vuoden Huiput 2024 (Category: Advertisements)