Elite Media

As Social media has changed the way that people communicate all over the world, it has also turned into a very important way of spreading and informing people about important topics including Breast cancer awareness. Chapter 4 is a case study of “Breast Cancer Meme.” This meme was a very important issue that ended up being released on social media and became a viral post making millions of people aware of its meaning.

The meme was simple and mysterious which made people more curious to investigate it further. They encouraged women to post these mysterious status updates to help spread the word and start the conversations. This was a great way to have users involved in spreading the information and learning more about the important issue.

The end users sort of became the marketer themselves. Using the vague meme and allowing them to customize the content to make it their own allowed the end user to create the marketing content and distribute it across social media. Each consumer that posted it would expose the information to their followers and depending on their count that could be thousands. Than there are the reposts from those follower accounts.

Just because the information is becoming more known doesn’t necessarily mean that it creates a action item such as donate money to the cause, schedule a mammogram, research and learn more, or be supportive of a loved one affected by the disease. This was simply copy and paste or a share button and ended there which shows the difference between engagement and meaningful behavior and outcomes.

Unlike traditional marketing methods social media has a difficult time determining if the campaign is successful with analytics. While a campaign on social media might appear to be successful because it grabbed a lot of attention, likes, and share but did it boost sales or change anything?

The Breast Cancer meme was considered to be a playful social campaign. But Breast cancer itself is a very serious disease that has affected millions of households around the world. Loved ones have passed and others have painful scars. This could have been a worse campaign due to the ethical issues that surround the disease. When creating this content people need to be mindful and sensitive to those who are suffering and those who have family or friends suffering. Since the consumer was also the content creator and distributor that was difficult to ensure that the campaign had accurate information.

The campaign got the word out which was one of the main goals. Although we may not have seen a action item related to it that was measurable. Who is to say one consumer or hundreds of consumers began researching or got checked early. It is a serious topic that the campaign helped open a door to start a conversation with friends and family.

The viral meme was not the end of the campaign it was just the beginning. The meme itself attracted attention and made consumers aware and encouraged them to learn more. The second part of the campaign would be having fundraiser schedules, information about free screenings, and real life testimony from survivors.

This case study showed that there are benefits and negatives to viral content. That the content itself can not be the end of the marketing campaign. There has to be a actionable item that follows. If this meme went viral yet there was no fundraisers or information or community events associated with it the meme would be just that a meme. To be successful within a campaign there needs to be some sort of connection with the consumer that helps teach and motivate them to do more.

If you would like more information on how you can help visit https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/?form=donate.

American Cancer Society. (2025). Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2024 – 2025. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures/2024/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures-2024.pdf

Breast Cancer Research Foundation. (n.d.). Donate. Breast Cancer Research Foundation. https://give.bcrf.org/campaign/584695/donate?c_src=topbuttonnav&c_src2=2607-Evergreen-topbuttonnav-general&utm_medium=website&utm_source=topbuttonnav&utm_content=Evergreen&utm_campaign=fundraising&utm_term=general&_gl=1*1u321ia*_ga*Njk5ODY5MjQ3LjE3ODUyNDUxMjQ.*_ga_61MQ2V46X2*czE3ODUyNDUxMjQkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODUyNDUxMjYkajU4JGwwJGg4MDY1NjQwMTI

Mahoney, L. M., & Tang, T. (2016). Strategic Social Media: From Marketing to Social Change. Pg. 72. Wiley Global Research (STMS). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781118556900

National Breast Cancer Foundation. (n.d.). Donate. National Breast Cancer Foundation. https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/?form=donate

Susan G. Komen. (n.d.). Donate Now. Susan G. Komen. https://www.komen.org/?form=fy27_wacoal_july_4x&s_src=komen.org&s_subsrc=how_to_help_donate_now