Rothco Enlists 'Most Famous Boobs in Ireland' For Breast Cancer Awareness

If one of the most touched and photographed breasts in the world suddenly developed a lump, would anyone notice?

It's a question that Irish cancer charity the Marie Keating Foundation and Irish creative agency Rothco set out to answer in a new campaign, Take Notice, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month - and they chose an interesting star to 'front' (so to speak) the stunt: fictional Irish heroine Molly Malone.

The subject of a famous folk song, Malone was immortalised as a bronze figurine in Dublin, which has gone on to become one of the city's most recognisable and Instagram-ed monuments, attracting hordes of tourists daily. Perhaps inevitably, her impressive decolletage has resulted in people getting a bit, well, handy in their social media snaps - so much so that the bronze has actually started to wear off, a la St Peter's much-kissed foot in the Vatican.

Clocking that people seem to be more aware of Molly’s breasts than their own, the agency decided to leverage the public’s obsession to spark a discussion about breast health. This month, they created and placed a small lump on one of the statue's boobs, to see if anyone would notice. "We knew there would be huge production challenges in creating and covertly attaching a lump to a bronze statue - especially one that has the amount of attention that Molly Malone has," commented Stephen Rogers, creative director, Rothco. In order to make the effect as subtle and authentic as possible, they worked with Ireland’s leading VFX specialist, Emmy-nominated Joe Fallover, to create, apply and bed in the lump. 

So, did any of the hundreds of selfie-seekers pawing at Molly's bazookas notice? Well, as you can see in the campaign film [top] - which is soundtracked to a rendition of Molly’s song by Irish singer Imelda May - no-one did. Which highlights the fact that if a lump on the most famous and watched pair of breasts in Ireland can go without detection, women have to be extra vigilant and thorough with their breast examinations.

“One in ten women will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime, and in Ireland alone, there are currently 3,516 new cases diagnosed annually," concludes Kathy Troy, head of strategy, Rothco. "The first symptom of breast cancer in many women is a lump on their breast. Early detection can save lives as it can make the cancer easier to treat - but unfortunately, women still aren’t paying enough attention to their breasts. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is critically important in raising awareness but we know sometimes the message to form the habit of checking yourself is lost in the sea of pink. We knew that to make people take notice was going to require a really simple idea to genuinely cut through. Using an iconic bust like Molly Malone seemed to be the perfect starting point to highlight how easy it is to miss something when you’re not looking for it.”