Changing how people think about bone health
Despite being the fourth leading cause of premature death and disability in the UK, osteoporosis is still poorly understood. It’s often overlooked by GPs, rarely diagnosed early, and widely underestimated by the public. The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) set out to change that, with their first ever multi-channel national campaign.
We were engaged to help increase awareness and drive traffic to the charity’s five-minute online risk checker, with a focus on encouraging women aged 45–54 to take action.
Engagement
– Engaged and managed input from stakeholders throughout project
– Planned and led discovery workshops for people with osteoporosis
Strategy
– Campaign strategy and planning
– Media planning
– Workshop insights and behaviour change rationale
– Planning and build of online surveys
Creative
– Campaign concepts and messaging
– Radio ad planning and scripting
– Social videos
– Responsive search ads
– Posters and leaflets for fracture clinics
Delivery
– Campaign toolkit
Third Sector Excellence Awards 2023
Winner: Marketing Campaign of the Year: Osteoporosis risk checker campaign
116,500
116,500 people checked their osteoporosis risk in just five months (versus a target of 52,000).
86%
86% made lifestyle adjustments to improve their bone health.
Driving early intervention through awareness and action
Hip fractures, spinal breaks and height loss from vertebral collapse are often dismissed as part of getting older. But fractures caused by poor bone health can be life-limiting – or even fatal. Delays in diagnosis and treatment mean that around 90,000 people in the UK each year miss out on life-changing therapies.
The campaign aimed to tackle these misconceptions head-on, targeting women in midlife – an age group more open to health messaging due to increased awareness around menopause and long-term wellbeing. Our strategic and creative approach focused on one key message:
‘1 in 2 women over 50 will break a bone due to poor bone health. Check your risk’.
Creating a breakthrough moment for bone health
The campaign centred on a simple, urgent call to action: visit the ROS website and use the five-minute risk checker. People found to be at higher risk were given personalised advice on how to speak to their GP and all users received lifestyle recommendations to help protect their bones.
All creative development was shaped by insight – with volunteers who had lived experience of osteoporosis playing a key role throughout the process.
The campaign launched around World Osteoporosis Day and ran across a broad range of channels, with digital at its core. We produced and directed both video and radio spots, including a powerful radio ad comparing bone fractures to lower-risk, higher-awareness events like being struck by lightning. We also developed creative for the London Underground, alongside print assets for fracture clinics and a regional radio test.
Flexibility baked in
The campaign was created with flexibility in mind. In Spring we created a Mother’s Day burst expanding on the 1 in 2 theme with the messaging ‘That’s every other mother’.
As part of the Mother’s Day burst we took to the streets with a PR stunt encouraging the public to check their bone health.
We also planned and scripted video and radio ads, resulting in the campaign securing 288 pieces of press coverage, 17 of them national – including a segment on ITV’s Lorraine.
Longevity for the win!
The campaign lives on, with visuals and messaging evolving to ensure the campaign continues to achieve the best possible performance.
ROS’s evaluation data indicates that over 9,000 people have been diagnosed early following their risk checker results.
ROS has also beaten their target (70%+) for inspiring behavioural change, with 86% making lifestyle adjustments to improve their bone health following the risk check.
