Lung Force - CVS Health and American Lung Association
In 2014, CVS and the American Lung Association launched Lung Force, a program designed to educate Americans on the high rate of lung cancer in American women, improve detection and treatment of the disease in women, and bring awareness of the disease to all Americans.
The American Lung Association, seeking to reinvigorate the organization, attract new supporters, and make a long-range plan for the organization, partnered with CVS Health, which boasts 7,800 pharmacies, 900-plus walk-in medical clinics and 65 million members in its pharmacy benefits program. CVS, which announced in 2014 that it would no longer sell tobacco products in its store, became the National Presenting Sponsor of Lung Force.
Unveiled in May 2014, Lung Force utilized celebrity spokeswomen Valerie Harper and Kellie Pickler, both personally touched by lung cancer, and the pop singer Jewel, who wrote a song to promote the program. During the second week of May, CVS launched Turquoise Takeover, in which Americans were invited to “turn turquoise,” which the movement was naming the “color of lung cancer in women.” During that period, 100 plus landmarks, including Niagara Falls, the Rhode Island State House, and Chicago’s Willis Tower were illuminated in turquoise.
The program got a boost from the Boston Red Sox, who dedicated Fenway Park ball game to the cause, and again from Pickler and Harper who turned out during November, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, to talk about lung cancer in several media appearances.
CVS customers were invited to donate $1 to $3 at the time of purchase. Turquoise paper icons showing donors’ names were pasted behind cash registers, effectively turning the stores themselves turquoise.
The results were impressive: 1.78 + impressions were generated, including coverage on ABC’s World News Tonight, Good Morning America, CNN, Forbes.com, NPR and NBC. Following CVS Health’s sponsorship, several other sponsors signed on, bringing the total amount of sponsorship to $7.5 million. More than 35,000 people have joined Lung Force since its launch.
ALA has designated $10 million for lung cancer research with an addition $5 million for education and advocacy.
CVS Health estimates its in-store promotion reached 5 million customers each day, raising awareness of lung cancer as the number 1 killer of women. The promotion was CVS Health’s most successful ever during that time of year—and is being repeated again in 2015. CVS Health employees have already participated in 18 Lung Force walks, raising more than $141,000.
The ALA has been able to start additional programming around smoking cessation as well as adding additional quit lines operations across the country.