City Cancer Challenge

Before working with us, C/Can had a more traditional comms approach, by sharing a wide range of content across platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook and X, LinkedIn being their more strategic platform), from city-level updates to institutional milestones and event recaps. But given the global scope of their work, their current comms didn’t necessarily fully showcase their spirit of innovation and unconventional approach. They had a number of key messages around cancer care and broader goals that they wanted to communicate in a clear and cohesive manner, but it was also key to express their differentiation factor and unique value proposition.

At that point, C/Can had already been working internally on a refreshed narrative that aimed to better reflect their systems-level innovation and local-to-global impact model. Our collaboration thus began as a way to bring this renewed narrative to life, visually, editorially, and strategically. As such, we partnered with them to launch this narrative, which we titled: “From the ground up. Uncover the gaps. Power the system.”

This new narrative directly addressed the key goals of C/Can’s comms strategy: to position C/Can as a thought leader in equitable cancer care, to drive new partnerships & projects, and to highlight their unique city-oriented approach. We focused on the idea of their “gaze”: one that is both hyperlocal and systemic, a gaze that can zoom into the complexities of a single hospital system and zoom out to see patterns across countries. We compared this to the dual precision of a microscope and a macroscopic lens, referencing the world of oncology and scientific research, but just as relevant to their social impact mission. We framed C/Can’s perspective as, above all, “caring and fair”: rooted in data, shaped by diverse voices, and fundamentally human.

This multi-scale way of seeing shaped the visual identity as well. We built a visual language anchored in the motif of the lens, round shapes, zooming gestures, layered imagery. This motif appeared throughout the year's content pieces, in videos, infographics, and post layouts, evolving with each campaign while maintaining coherence. This approach became a recognisable asset for C/Can, and has even been adopted by other partners like the ICC since then. 

Across 2025, our collaboration with C/Can unfolded through five major content efforts: three campaigns and two ongoing editorial series. The first campaign, launched on World Cancer Day, was titled “From the Ground Up”. It introduced the new narrative, combining data, short editorial framing, and visual storytelling to highlight the urgency and complexity of equitable cancer care. The campaign spanned three platforms (X, LinkedIn, Instagram) and included a short social-format video summarising C/Can’s approach. We followed this with The Cancer Glossary, a long-form monthly series redefining what “C” could stand for in the context of cancer care: City, Care, Community, Collaboration, Customised, Criteria, Capacity, Commonality, Commitment, Change. Each concept was unpacked in two posts: one conceptual, one real-world example (“in action”), using storytelling to bridge policy and practice.

In parallel, we developed two other campaigns: one centred around C/Can’s CEPF framework (focusing on systemic approaches to cancer equity), and another on Women and Health, set to launch in early 2026. We also supported the rollout of the CAD Indicators content series, helping to communicate C/Can’s impact through data-driven visuals and storytelling, and altogether assisted in launching and shaping their Instagram presence. 

Overall, it was less about isolated campaigns, and more about building a shared narrative and visual logic that could be further explored and developed over time. As an ongoing collaboration beyond specific posts, the work with C/Can continued throughout the year. We developed templates to support other types of posts, such as event recaps, project milestones, or participant introductions, but also adapted current formats, and adjusted tone and rhythm based on insights, helping C/Can’s social presence feel more consistent, legible, and human. As we rolled out content month by month, we incorporated regular reviews and refinements based on performance insights. All of this helped unify their visual language and maintain consistency across different content types. The partnership lasted through the full 2025 calendar year and included support in launching and building out their Instagram presence, which became an active part of their communications from early 2025 on. 

Data Impact (all results obtained through organic reach):

• From The Ground Up campaign: 10k views, 242 reactions total 
• Cancer Glossary content pieces: 52 posts across 3 platforms, 25k views, 643 reactions