The cancer charity wants to get people to rethink the ways they talk about the ‘taboo’ subject, and the euphemisms they use to avoid it.
The ‘Whatever You Call It’ campaign uses a series of animations and graphics to highlight those euphemisms, including “Kick the bucket” and “Meet your maker”.
The campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi London, follows research from Marie Curie suggesting that a lack of willingness to talk about death leaves many people unprepared and even more distressed at the death of a loved one.
Launched yesterday, the campaign will see activity across TV, radio, social, and PR.
Dan Treichel, Executive Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi London, said: “As a culture, we avoid talking about death so much that we invent really creative euphemisms to avoid saying the D-word.
This seemingly endless list felt like a really interesting way to get people talking and planning for when they ‘meet their maker’.”
Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of Marie Curie, added: “When we are bereaved we can experience avoidable regret, guilt, confusion, family conflict, and negative financial and legal impacts.
“While most of us say we are comfortable having these conversations, the reality is that many of us are not making any preparations as it feels a long way off or something that will cause unnecessary upset both for us and the people around us.
“But we need to plan more for the end of life, while there is still time to do so. Having these conversations early can be easier than having them when we, or someone we love, is dying.
“At Marie Curie we have been caring for people at the end of life for over 70 years. With our expertise and experience we have developed some wonderful resources to help people start these important conversations.”
