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'Nutiquette' Video Promotes Testicle Cancer Awareness, Makes A Lot Of Penis Jokes

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Comparing Apples
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Comparing Apples

These days, cancer awareness is sung loudly — and rightfully so — in headlines every day of the year.

There's a month dedicated to childhood cancer awareness — a time to raise the profile of a disease that knows no age.

And the long-running campaign for breast cancer awareness has kept the issue high in the public mind (and purse).

The oft-overlooked prostate gets to shine in November, a month better known as "Movember," thanks to the legions of crusading men who grow mustaches to support the battle.

It all leaves just one dangling question: Where's the beef?

It would seem testicular cancer still has a way to go before it's top of mind for Canadians, but that could change shortly, thanks to a bold new campaign from the Canadian Cancer Society, crowned by this jewel:

Sure, the video is chock-full of the same silly gonad jokes that plague public service announcements about our private parts ("No, not those nuts") and, um, news stories.

But September is Men’s Cancer Health Awareness Month and the organization is pushing to get the word out about testing the testes.

Nutiquette: A Dude's Guide To Checking His Nuts boils down to three pretty basic steps:

  • Find a place that is warm and safe, like your bathroom after a shower
  • Gently feel around for anything unusual
  • If you’re feeling any lumps, swelling, bumps, discomfort or pain, see your doctor

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, between 1992 and 2005, testicular cancer made up nearly a quarter of new cancer cases in in men aged 15 to 29. But in the years after that, the survival rate surged to 97 per cent. That's a testament to early prevention -- and a key reason the foundation is looking to get the message out.

All the same, the stats also tell us that 29 of the 960 men who get testicular cancer this year will die.

So, why all the jokes?

Simple, explains, Matt Sepkowski, National Marketing Director for the Canadian Cancer Society. The campaign's focus groups felt more engaged -- even with an undeniably sobering topic -- when they laughed.

"The key insight from that was that it needs to be relevant to the group and humorous," Sepkowski told Marketing Magazine. "The best way to reach these folks is to be funny and to be shareable."

So go ahead, gentlemen. Let 'em hang out. And do check your balls.

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