MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER | Working with Cancer | 2023
When the fear of losing your job collides with the fear of losing your life / Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center "Working with Cancer"
We're living in an age where one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. But what's truly frightening might not be the disease itself—it's being found out at work. The fear of losing your job gets tangled up with the fear of losing your life.
The problem
Half of all cancer patients never tell their company about their diagnosis. At the same time, more than nine in ten feel that understanding from their workplace would help them recover. It all started in 2022, when Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe, went public with his own cancer diagnosis. Afterward, he heard from countless people carrying the same fear. In response, he teamed up with major cancer organizations including MSK to launch a cross-industry coalition aimed at ending workplace stigma around cancer.
The insight
Most cancer-related advertising focuses on the stories of patients and their families. This campaign chose a different angle: the impact on work itself. A CEO revealing his own illness and saying there's nothing to fear—that alone took real courage. The film "Work/Life" quietly portrays the daily grind of hiding an illness from coworkers while pretending everything is fine.
The idea
Sadoun launched the initiative at Davos in 2023. Publicis itself pledged to guarantee employment for at least one year to employees diagnosed with cancer, and extended support to caregivers as well. The campaign debuted that year during the Super Bowl, directed by Haya Waseem. In the outdoor ads, a face split in half carried the line: "Half of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime. All of us should be there to support them."
What happened
More than 600 companies signed the pledge, reaching over 20 million employees. Signatories included Google, Disney, Meta, Microsoft, rival agency Omnicom, and even the French government. At Cannes, the initiative won the Lions Health Grand Prix for Good, and the ad itself took Gold in the Health & Wellness category.
Afterthought
One CEO's confession sparked thousands of voices, which grew into a promise kept by 600 companies and 20 million employees. That scale is genuinely astonishing. You don't have to hide if you get sick. You don't have to be afraid. Workplaces that can say that are already starting to move.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2023
