To be sick and tired of the sight of tv Cancer ads???

[TillyMW]

I don’t mean to be dismissive of all the good work these cancer organisations undoubtedly do, but I am sick of the sight of the ubiquitous TV cancer ad!

I’m not sure if it’s just that they are more noticeable to me now I’ve been through the cancer treatment mill - 6 months of chemo and 2 ops followed by daily radiotherapy etc etc, but there seems to be no respite from cancer ads. Have they increased in number/frequency of airing, or is it really just me?

It is difficult enough to have some time free of thinking about cancer because of the anxiety such a diagnosis and the treatment itself causes, and because of the lingering ongoing pain, as well as the havoc it has wreaked on my body, but watching afternoon tv makes it all but impossible to get it out of my headspace.

I think I might be being just a bit extra ranty as my poor much loved dog was put to sleep yesterday and I’m feeling overwhelmingly sad with regular doses of fed upness with these damned ads.

OK, rant over (until the next ad anyway)!

Am I the only one who finds them depressing / irritating / too pervasive? Thanks in advance for your time.

I have been through the mill cancer wise. I HATE the cancer adverts, mainly because of the way they are presented. ' we are going to kick your arse cancer' attitude seems to prevail.
'We are going to work to try and find the best possible, kindest cure' would get my money.
Being strong, coming to 'find' cancer and kick it into touch is fecking nauseating. If only I had fought harder, if only I could 'stand up to cancer', perhaps I would not be sitting here with no breasts, no ovaries and a poor prognosis.

No problem with them advertising, but ffs, choose your language wisely. I will die earlier than most, I accept that. But its not because i did not fight.

And before anyone jumps in and says it, i KNOW they are not saying that on an individual basis, but thats how it feels when you are me..

Advertise, appeal - but consider the effect on the viewing public

^^THIS^^
Thank you, Toooo.

strawberry How about an ounce of empathy for those that want to sit and watch some light entertainment and then having these ads remind them of their illness or that their husband/wife/mum died last week or whatever?

I bet the ads don’t bring in as much money as you hope they do.

How much then?

I can understand the feeling. I really can. But I tend to think that the good that comes from these adverts outweighs the bad; they clearly work because people donate. I find the adverts upsetting too, but I think they have their place.

If it was something that triggered me (and there are people who have clearly suffered horrific losses in this thread ) I think I would stay away from advert TV and watch Netflix, iPlayer and listen to podcasts instead of listening to the radio in the car.

I agree the ones shown are appalling in attitude, and I'm lucky enough to have not been affected by cancer. The ones showing someone being told they have cancer are the worst, and imo are unfair on the patient. How can you possibly give informed consent to being filmed when you have literally no idea how you'll feel if you get the worst news.

I understand that they must make money or they wouldn't keep making them, but I agree there are better ways of making these adverts.

stawberry of course fundraising is vital.

But this forum is a small sample of the public who are telling you that these adverts are putting them off donating. We aren’t unique on this forum, many households will feel the same.

I don’t donate to cancer charities now anyway, I’m afraid.

The adverts are very distressing when you have just lost someone to cancer , I hate them and especially Macmillan who refused to help my father

@Strawberrypancakes , I can’t believe I actually need to spell this out to you but as you apparently lack even one trace of empathy, I will:

Do not come on to a thread full of cancer sufferers and tell them that their feelings are invalid.

As it happens I agree with most of what you have said, however There are sympathetic ways of pointing out research into cost/benefit of fundraising, psychological studies of the best motivator to get people giving money etc; without looking like a massive cunt.

I really, truly hope you are not patient facing.

ziggiestardust it's getting to the point where you even come across these adverts on iPlayer and podcasts because they still run adverts.

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask cancer charities to rethink their advertising strategies so that they can be more considerate whilst still successfully raising funds. As stated previously, the language isn't appropriate in some cases and can be upsetting, and should therefore be changed.

One of the reasons I only watch things on catch up, / Netflix, listen to audiobooks or a podcast or specific programme and turn down any speaking parts in the car.

It feels like its coming at you from all angles. I do my bit to support a couple of charities that I can afford, and that's that. Most people I know do the same. I know they have to push for donations but it's just overwhelming at times- all of them - designed to make you feel guilty for existing!

Then why are you being so aggressive?

What’s more likely?

A) Everyone here is a terrible person that wants future generations to suffer and die.

B) People are having a vent that on a bad day they feel like their one form of escapism is being seemingly ‘invaded’ by yet more reminders of their grief or struggle.

June and the parsnips, having a cup of tea with your equity release, and just about every funeral plan ad annoy me more (latter being all about death and some ads are quite triggering) plus talk of everything disgusting that grows on your CPAP mask!

Yes, the cancer ads can be a horrible jolt. I have a particular loathing of all the ones that use the ‘fighting’ metaphor. Some others I don’t mind at all. Nor do I mind when there’s a reminder that things like The Calendar Girls and Waistcoat Wednesday (during last World Cup) were cancer fundraisers,

Not every ad is going to appeal to me. Ads which I find upsetting might be fine for other people, and vice versa. For example, the ‘lover with cancer is still a lover’ ad resonates with me because of how I realised there was no future in my marriage - others might find it comforting though.

And research cost money - it would eat up limitless streams of it, those living with cancer may also benefit enormously from services in addition to NHS ones.

The big charities have sophisticated marketing/fundraising teams, and the ‘return’ on each campaign will be monitored for effectiveness. They wouldn’t stick with one that didn’t perform well. And they’re aiming to reach younger people (you can guess the target population from the ad content), plus a current drive towards encouraging gifts in Wills (which are ads I don’t like at all)

So I’m firmly on the fence - I completely understand how bad it is when a cancer ad hits you badly at just the wrong time. But i’m also kind of glad they exist - we need the money and it would be even worse if cancer couldn’t be mentioned

@MachinicianMagician ah okay to be fair; I haven’t come into contact with an advert using those services so far, but I may well do in the future.

For me; the adverts that are in your face and more hard hitting have made me change some of my habits and take care of myself a little bit better going into my 30s. I drink much much less, I’m super careful in the sun, quit smoking and I’ve switched to a mainly plant based diet. Not that that’s going to make me immune, but it’s made me think ‘holy shit; this could happen to me and I need to take care of what I can.’ You know? Maybe shock tactics need to be used to make people like me wake the hell up and listen.

Yes I hate them two!! I especially hate it when it says 1 in 2 people will get cancer and I just think well there's not a fat lot I can do to change that as like they say cancer doesn't discriminate or care about how well you're doing in your job or how old you are etc.. It makes me so scared and just makes me depressed whenever it comes on to the tele..

Did not realise there was no government funding... surely that can’t be right? I’m not doubting you, you clearly know what you’re taking about but that’s really surprised me tbh.

Well I'd assumed that they ask permission before they film, and then again before airing it. I don't know exactly how they go about it, but if they do what I've assumed then my point still stands. I'm not talking about the ones that say yes to it being aired, I'm talking about the ones that realise after they wished it had been private.

If it's actors then tbh that's worse. That's just trying to cause a reaction, and they should think about the huge percentage of the population that it will trigger awful memories for.

I hate them too, and was coming on to say what Dyrne has already said.

They've even ruined Bake Off! I'm sitting there with the kids, enjoying watching some celebrities fuck up a biscuit, then the Horrible Cancer Story comes on, and 8yo DD starts crying because I have cancer.

As for June and her funeral parsnips...