Many donation-appeal campaigns take a hat-in-hand approach when soliciting funds.   

But a Finland cancer foundation and its agencies are challenging Black Friday consumerism and appealing for pledges as if they were sought after consumer goods with added incentives like “limited time only” and “your chance to save.”  

Save a life that is.   

The “Cancer For Sale” campaign was created for the Aamu Foundation, Finland’s leading nonprofit supporting children’s cancer research, by agencies United Imaginations and Ivalo. 

The campaign flips the script on language and visuals used to hawk products on Black Friday and the leadup to the holidays into a call for life-saving donations.   

One video has the bouncy upbeat music and cute kids that frequently appear in children’s apparel ads. They’re seen together giggling, dancing and whispering to each other, generally having a good time. Take a closer look and one of the kids appears to have an intravenous drip needle taped to the back of one hand while another is wearing a head covering that many chemotherapy patients wear to cover hair loss while undergoing treatment.  

One graphic in large type across the screen reads “Cancer For Sale,” and underneath in smaller letters is the appeal, “your chance to save.” In the upper right corner of the screen a “Limited Time Only” button appears surrounded in smaller type with the words “Without you they have.”  

The spot ends with the call to action: “Make The Wisest Purchase Of The Season: Donate To Children’s Cancer Research,” followed with a website where donations can be made.  

“We’re using the same tactics that trigger consumers to shop—to see if they can trigger them to donate instead,” says Laura Paasio, Executive Director of Aamu Foundation. “Children’s cancer treatments in Finland rely almost entirely on private funding. Without sustained donations, we risk losing access to the most advanced treatments.” 

The campaign will run via out-of-home and social media through the holiday season.