Breast cancer awareness charity turns to creative agency Milk & Tweed to help spread its checking message

YOUNG peoples’ breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel! has worked with web designers at Wiltshire creative agency Milk & Tweed, to update its online checking tool, The Self-Checkout.

The charity, set up by twins Kris and Maren Hallenga in 2009 after Kris was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer aged 23, aims to educate young people aged 18 to 24, on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and make chest checking part of their regular routine.

CoppaFeel! came up with the idea for a self-check education tool, available through its website, to take young people through a chest checking routine, and what to do if they find anything unusual. It also allows them to set up a monthly checking reminder to follow up.

“There are many misconceptions of breast cancer, and one that we see often is that it’s a disease that only affects older women, but that isn’t the case,” said CoppaFeel! PR and Marketing Manager Poppy Brady. “So Kris and Maren started a charity to try and combat the inequalities in healthcare and provision.

“The self-checkout itself was created as a way of helping young people to learn how to check themselves. Having open conversations about chest checking helps to normalise adding it to your routine. We know that young people can be fearful of what might happen if they notice something different to their normal, but we are here to ensure everyone is educated so they are in the right position to seek medical advice if they feel they need to.”

The charity carried out extensive research with young people to understand how they used the self-checkout and what could be improved to make the user journey as easy as possible. It worked with Milk & Tweed’s designers at its Huxley studio in Brighton to make it more engaging and user friendly. The agency, which specialises in website, branding and logo design and digital marketing, developed new branding, a smooth user journey and new ways to provide inclusive and accessible chest-checking information

Becca Yates, the charity’s Digital Marketing Executive, worked closely with Milk & Tweed’s Huxley team. “Our education team and marketing team worked with the team at Huxley who were able to bring their digital first expertise,” she said. “It was great to come together to ensure that young people’s  wants and needs for chest-checking was at the forefront of the self-checkout revamp.”

“We want to continue to improve the self-checkout as we learn more about our users and how we can continue to promote regular chest-checking among young people.”

She said working with Milk & Tweed has been a positive experience. “Every step of the way it felt super collaborative and really empowering,” she said. “They really listened and understood our  brief, and also challenged our thoughts about how we could rework the self-checkout.”

Liz Ide, Head of Operations at Milk & Tweed’s Huxley office, said: “CoppaFeel! are a dream client to work with so it was a pleasure to undertake a big project like this with them. We redesigned and developed the site and then the important self-checkout tool and we are delighted with the result. I’m really proud of the team and hope that CoppaFeel! reach their audience to deliver their vital message more easily as a result.”

Becca added: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women under the age of 39* and we see the statistics telling us that young people do get breast cancer, and are often misdiagnosed. For us, the self-checkout is about making sure young people are adding chest checking into their monthly routine, having the confidence to check their chest and making sure that they’re getting to know their body.

“We want them to be aware enough that, should they notice something that doesn’t look or feel right, to be empowered to go to the doctor and seek medical advice. Working with Milk & Tweed is helping us achieve that.”

See the self-checkout at self-checkout.coppafeel.org/. Find out more about Milk & Tweed’s services at its offices in Chippenham and Brighton at milkandtweed.com.