The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (PMCF) is aiming to make its brand “eminent,” according to Melanie Johnston, its chief marketing officer, which is a big part of the reason it has selected Broken Heart Love Affair (BHLA) as its new AOR.

BHLA’s founders include Carlos Moreno and Jay Chaney, two of the people behind SickKids’ much-celebrated “VS” brand platform, and the shop has also created anthemic and transformational brand work for the likes of the Royal Ontario Museum and Air Miles, among others.

It now takes on work for the fundraising arm for one of the leading cancer centres in the world at a time when it is looking to “clearly connect” its brand to “world-class cancer treatment and research,” says Johnston, who joined PMCF as its CMO last year after stints leading DDB Canada and Forsman & Bodenfors.

“Not enough people are aware of the incredible breakthroughs in cancer care and treatment that are happening [at the Princess Margaret] on a regular basis,” she adds. “As one of the top five cancer research centres in the world, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is well positioned to transform cancer survival rates and the cancer experience. But we need people to think differently about cancer, the same way that people thought differently about pediatric health after SickKids’ ‘VS.'”

As its new agency of record, BHLA is tasked specifically with developing new brand positioning and a corresponding campaign for the PMCF, and is responsible for the brand’s awareness and donor acquisition objectives on a mass scale. The PMCF had previously been working with Rethink.

BHLA’s assignment is open-ended, Johnston says.

“Cancer is a monumental challenge affecting people of all ages and backgrounds, in every country,” says Denise Rossetto, partner and CCO at BHLA. “The Foundation team demonstrated a transformative ambition and a deep belief in the power of creativity to propel them forward. We jumped at this opportunity and are honoured to be chosen.”

According to Johnston, there is “an opportunity to really differentiate ourselves, and to build a strong and successful brand on which to build and fundraise from.”

“We’re on the cusp of transforming cancer outcomes and experiences through our research and care at The Princess Margaret, including detecting cancer radically earlier, years before symptoms occur, and eradicating toxic chemotherapy,” she adds. “Our partnership with BHLA will help us communicate these exciting breakthroughs, and get Canadians to join us in transforming the trajectory of this disease and how we deal with it. Over the next decade, we have a unique opportunity to chart a totally different path for people at risk of developing cancer and for those already experiencing it. And there isn’t a person in Canada or around the world whose life won’t be directly impacted in some way as a result of cancer.”