Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

Bringing Awareness to the Table

Prostate cancer remains one of the most common cancers among men, with early detection being crucial for better health outcomes. However, awareness and action among men, particularly older demographics, often lag due to stigma, lack of information, or reluctance to discuss health concerns. Delivered in partnership with the local NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB), this campaign aimed to engage men in a setting where they feel at ease—pubs—by using beer mats to deliver life-saving messages about prostate cancer awareness.

Objectives

• Ensure men understand how prevalent prostate cancer is and the importance of getting checked early.
• Target locations with historically poorer prostate cancer outcomes to help improve early detection.
• Encourage men to take private action by seeking further information or getting checked.

Strategy and Execution

The campaign leveraged beer mats as an innovative, low-pressure medium for health messaging. Areas across Hull and Scunthorpe were selected based on data indicating later-stage prostate cancer diagnoses, ensuring the campaign reached those who would benefit most. The relaxed atmosphere of a pub allowed for repeated exposure to the message, increasing the likelihood of men absorbing the information and acting on it.

By placing essential awareness messages directly in front of them while they socialised, the campaign removed the need for proactive engagement from the audience, making the information unavoidable yet non-intrusive. 250,000 beer mats were distributed across a network of 25 pubs in targeted postcodes, ensuring widespread reach and repeated exposure to the message. The beer mats featured a QR code, allowing the target audience to effortlessly engage and access a webpage where they could assess their risk of developing the disease in just 30 seconds.

Lasting Impact

This campaign successfully brought prostate cancer awareness into everyday conversations without forcing the topic. By meeting men where they naturally gather and providing discreet yet impactful messaging, the Beer Mat Campaign helped break down barriers to discussing men’s health and encouraged proactive steps toward early detection. The campaign’s targeted approach ensured it reached those who needed it most, potentially leading to improved health outcomes in Hull's at-risk areas.