Merck is enlisting hockey icon and physician Hayley Wickenheiser for body checks of another kind: empowering people to take early action against lung cancer.

Developed to coincide with November’s Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the “Change the Odds” campaign uses a misdirect: it appears that Wickenheiser, a new spokesperson, is drawing up a play hockey players until it’s revealed she’s showing them a screen with a chest X-ray.

The work is a joint effort between Manic Pixie, a Toronto-based content agency, and CloudRaker, a longtime Merck strategic and creative partner, and is the latest iteration of the latter’s “Be the MVP” platform.

“The big pivot this year was creating more of a call to action, [which is] where ‘Change the Odds’ developed,” says Mark Rozeluk, founder and chief narrative officer of Manic Pixie. “Wickenheiser is a perfect fit, [is] obviously an accomplished Olympian, has an association with the Maple Leafs and has recently become a physician – a nice way to tie these worlds together.”

Rozeluk tells strategy that the work is heavily informed by the alarming statistic that 50% of lung cancer diagnoses are made at Stage 4, and the aim is to sway that percentage in a positive direction and spur early detection.

The campaign is based on the insight that the best defence is a good offence, in both hockey and health, with the spot cleverly combining Wickenheiser’s medical and hockey knowledge.

Manic Pixie, founded in 2021, oversaw creative ideation, development and production for this year’s campaign.

The work is intended to bring about awareness, drive people to the “Be the MVP” microsite and serve as a reminder that everyone has to advocate for their own health.

The campaign is running nationally across OOH and digital OOH, supported by online pre-roll, social and a truck equipped with a digital screen that will be parked outside Scotiabank Arena for Leafs’ home games.

Media for the campaign was handled by Cloudraker’s internal media team.