Public Relations Adaptation Plan for Avon's Breast Cancer Campaign

This report details Avon's public relations adaptation plan for its 'Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer' campaign, specifically focusing on its implementation in South Africa. The report begins with an introduction to the campaign's global objectives, which center around raising awareness and funding for breast cancer research and support. It then analyzes the current situation, highlighting the need for adaptation due to cultural differences between the Philippines, where the campaign originated, and South Africa. The report explores cultural dimensions like individualism, power distance, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance, as well as social, political, and economic contexts. The target audience, media strategies, ethical considerations, and campaign objectives are outlined, emphasizing a twofold approach: increasing awareness and raising funds for breast cancer patients and research. The report also details the strategies and tactics employed, including celebrity endorsements, collaboration with cancer support organizations, and the use of various media channels. It concludes by discussing the importance of effective communication and language adaptation to ensure the campaign's success in South Africa.

Running Head: PUBLIC RELATION ADAPTATION PLAN
PUBLIC RELATION ADAPTATION PLAN
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Introduction
True in the corporate social responsibility as one of the main benefactor of women
health and empowerment, Avon, one of the known brands in women’s cosmetics and
products launched a Global program known as “ Kiss Goodbye to breast cancer” in the year
of 2001. The key objectives of the programs was to create awareness and raise funds to
improve provide better support to the cause of breast cancer as well as support for the
research of breast cancer cure.
Over the last 25 years and with the support of Avon’s six millions customers,
representatives, Avon walkers and employees have donated more than $800 million to the
breast cancer causes as well as educating about 180 million women about the disease.
Avon is supposed to debut its campaign in South Africa in partnership to the South
African Cancer Society. Avon, South Africa launches its own Kiss Goodbye to breast cancer
campaign on November 2017. The awareness program will uphold the significance of the
campaign stating the significance of awareness and early detection of the disease through
celebrities, charitable events, walk for cause and media relations from the different
departments of public, private and entertainment world. The fundraising part of the
campaign would feature the sale of limited edition lipsticks from November through
December until January 2018. Ten South African rand to be donated on every lipstick that is
to be sold for the support and welfare of cancer patients and support the cancer research
initiative to benefit the South African women and come from the less privileged segregation
of the population (Hendrix, Hayes & Kumar, 2012).

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Current situation:
The ‘Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer’ campaign by Avon had launched in the year
2001for the first time. The campaign has emphasized on the significance of raising awareness
in women and early detection of the disease as the best cure. In Philippines this campaign has
collaborated with the Philippine General Hospital Cancer Institute and established a breast
care centre there along with purchasing a new mammography machine for the centre. Taking
this program to South Africa would require some changes in the policy due to the cultural
difference in both the countries.
Cultural Dimensions:
Individualism
This is a fundamental issue that has been addressed in the cultural dimension. The
Philippines is a country with a score of 32 which is considered to be a collectivistic society. It
indicates that there is a close knit commitment with all the group members and there is a
sense of loyalty in the culture as well (Mazodier & Merunka, 2012)). On the other hand,
South Africa has a score of 65 and it is considered as an individualist society. This indicates
that the social framework in the country is loosely knit and most individuals are expected to
look out for their own selves (Ijabadeniyi, Govender & Veerasamy, 2015). Therefore, this PR
campaign should be targeted mostly towards the individual development in place of mass
development in Philippines.
Power Distance
With the score 94, the Philippines is considered to be hierarchical society. People in
this country tend to accept the hierarchical order where each person has a certain place and no
justification is provided. However, South Africa has an entirely different power distance

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dimension with the score 49 which indicates that in the hierarchical order, the subordinates
are expected to be instructed and expect an autocrat culture within the organization. Mostly it
has been found out that with the higher power distance such as the Philippines, the
government has a major control on the society, therefore the campaign should also make a
close relationship with the government officials. However in case of South Africa, the PR
practitioners should not have to take such initiatives.
Masculinity
Scoring 64, the Philippines is a masculine society that is driven by achievement,
competition and success. The managers in such a society are expected to be assertive and
decisive. In a similar way, South Africa also scores 63 in this cultural dimension and
considered to be a masculine society too. Therefore, in this respect, there will be no such
changes in the PR campaign.
Uncertainty Avoidance
The Philippines scores 44 on this cultural dimension, therefore it has a low
performance of avoiding uncertainty. Therefore, it is evident that the country has a relaxed
approach while working with the principles. South Africa also scores similar in the
dimension, therefore the schedules are flexible, punctuality is not necessary and innovation is
not considered to be a threatening approach. However, it should also be mentioned that in
such a culture, the individuals may have to work hard for convincing the clients in terms of
addressing the potential and urgent issues.
Long term Orientation
The Philippines has a low score (27) in this dimension which indicates that the
country is more normative than being pragmatic. In a similar way, South Africa also scores

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low (34) in this dimension showing that people have a strong concern in such a society in
order to establish the truth.
Social Context
Filipino women have a higher mortality rate out of breast cancer than any other
country. However, it has been observed that they lack in knowledge regarding the
significance of breast cancer. On the contrary, in South Africa, around 49.7% women know at
least three breast cancer symptoms. However, larger sections of women are still unaware of
the disease and its cure. Therefore, through Avon’s campaign, the PR professionals have
targeted the women through the help of television, radio and other print media for raising the
awareness.
Political Context
In the Philippines, the government has started few cancer control programs and cancer
control centers. Avon’s campaign has been critically approved from the public relation
industry in the country as well. On the contrary, South Africa still does not have much
government support in the public relations industry for raising awareness for breast cancer
(Mazanec et al., 2015). Therefore, the PR professionals in South Africa will also require
gaining the trust of government officials for making it an official awareness raising
campaign.
Economic context
The Philippines has one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. Therefore, it is
much easier for raising any awareness program in the country. On the other hand, South
African economy is suffering from different adverse factors. The unemployment rate is
higher; therefore raising such an awareness program may face several issues at the initial

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stage. The rate of breast cancer is also higher in the women coming from a lower poverty
line. Therefore, the PR program may face difficulties at the initial stage as these women may
not avail Avon’s lipstick. Therefore, the campaign should make effective steps for targeting
all women in the country.
Public relations context
The Public Relations Society of Philippines has received award of excellence, which
indicate that the government is also making effective steps for reaching the general
population. However, the scenario is entirely different in South Africa, therefore the PR
program should approach to the government officials as well.
Target Public:
The target audience is mostly the women who are coming from middle and lower
income group as the breast cancer rate is higher within this class. The campaign may include
local celebrities for gaining the attention of the target group.
Media
The PR campaign should involve all the available digital media such as television,
radio and the print media. Other than that, the campaign should also involve social media for
raising more awareness amongst women.
Ethical issues:
Push selling the lipsticks may be considered to be unethical sometimes, therefore
while raising the awareness for breast cancer programs, the PR professionals should ensure
that the program should not turn into a mere push selling program, rather it should focus
more on the awareness raising program.

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Objectives
The campaign that has been scheduled to make its debut in south Africa would be a
twofold program campaign. The primary objective is to create an increased awareness
amongst the South African women about the complications and occurrence of breast cancer.
The second objective is to raise funds for every breast cancer patient both able and under-
privileged as well as fund the research to mitigate the occurrences and create an alternative
cure for the disease to diminish the after effects of the usual cancer treatments on the external
appearance of women. The campaign is programmed to be operated in collaboration with the
South African Cancer Society (Grunig, 2013).
The Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer is a multiple year campaign. The project is a
segment of the overall positioning of Avon as a socially responsible corporate organization
that actively supports women health and women empowerment. The reason adopting these
objectives being, breast cancer is a worldwide concern and millions of women suffer the
aftermath of cancer diagnosis. This initiative has been taken with a motive to help such
women in urgent need of both moral and financial support.
Strategies
The strategies that are supposed to be used are more or less similar to the previous
campaign that had taken place. The reason for using such strategies being, the effectiveness
and having the potential to grab the attention of the targeted audiences as well as reach to
over to a larger segment to spread the message as well as impact effectively.
For the optimal impact of the awareness part of the campaign, Avon, South Africa
would target the opinionated leaders in the media and shall used known faces as well as

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celebrities to spread the message amongst the masses. The Avon employees, especially the
women would be deployed along with the South African Cancer Society volunteers to have a
face to face interaction with the target audiences.
The action strategies includes the maintenance of the same corporate culture without
making any major change in the approach with regards to the Kiss Goodbye to Breast cancer
campaign. The company has already positioned itself as a cultivator of corporate social
responsibility since the 1990s. Therefore, it would not be a difficult to establish itself in the
advocacy of women’s health and empowerment. The campaign is not a do alone project so
Avon would be forming collaborations with the media moguls, celebrities, cancer support
network agencies and the South African Cancer Society. With this joint venture, Avon would
ensure an authenticity in the adopted cause.
The communication strategies would ensure a high rate of visibility in the conducted
campaign. The communication strategy that would aware about the setbacks due to the lack
of effective communication can be achieved with proper implementation and use of strategies
to efficiently transfer the message to the masses. Careful selection of the media and the target
audience would ensure the success of conducting the awareness program and the campaign.
Although South Africa is a diverse country in its cultures and diversity, English is the
common understandable language that can be used to propagate the message. In other parts of
the region where there are different cultural division, the respective lingual translation can be
helpful for understanding the campaign message and the awareness program. It should also
be taken into consideration that the effective knowledge in the language does not necessarily
means the possession of effective subject knowledge, in this case knowledge about breast
cancer. The precise and medicated terminologies that are to be used should be made by bout
knowledgeable as well as well communicative health workers, who are to be accompanied by

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the Avon employees to explain and discuss about the purpose of the campaign and its
advantages.
Tactics
The effective tactics that can be used in this campaign is to use the celebrities and
well recognized faced in the television who are going to support the campaign all throughout
the three months long duration. The special celebrity endorse products with specific and
customized designs related to use of attractive colors, mostly pink can be used to attract the
attention of the masses. The redesigning of the fliers with effective message in catchy phrases
and added on colors would ensure a better customer reach. Catch lines such as “A LIPSTICK
can change your life”, would be helpful to keep a ambiguity and curiosity amongst the
masses, who would be eager to know more about the matter in concern. Effective knowledge
dispersion related to the self-examination methods can be well illustrated since the methods
are similar and do not have much change in nature.
Evaluation
However, no formal evolution method can be conducted except for the feedback form
that can be used to understand and analyze the effectiveness of the entire campaign conducted
by Avon. Although, the Avon South African senior public relations manager can do look
forward to check the effective dispersion of the message and the campaign as well as the
efficient use of the medium of propagation. This evaluation can be done to understand and
analyze the necessary changes that can be done on the same campaign, in the future.

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References
Grunig, J. E. (Ed.). (2013). Excellence in public relations and communication management.
Routledge.
Hendrix, J. A., Hayes, D. C., & Kumar, P. D. (2012). Public relations cases. Cengage
Learning..
Ijabadeniyi, A., Govender, J. P., & Veerasamy, D. (2015). The Influence Of Cultural
Diversity On Marketing Communication: A Case Of Africans And Indians In Durban,
South Africa. International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER), 14(6),
869-882.
Mazanec, J. A., Crotts, J. C., Gursoy, D., & Lu, L. (2015). Homogeneity versus heterogeneity
of cultural values: An item-response theoretical approach applying Hofstede's cultural
dimensions in a single nation. Tourism Management, 48, 299-304.
Mazodier, M., & Merunka, D. (2012). Achieving brand loyalty through sponsorship: the role
of fit and self-congruity. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(6), 807-
820.