Movember Funded Research
The funds raised during Movember’s 2007 and 2008 campaigns in the US went directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. For the 2009 Movember campaign and beyond the funds raised will be split evenly between our two beneficiary partners - the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.The Prostate Cancer Foundation has used the Movember funds raised from the 2007 and 2008 campaigns to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.
"Movember is helping to support three vaccine research programs and move 12 new medicines from the laboratory to clinical trials. These may alleviate pain and suffering for the nearly 2.5 million men and their families who are currently facing prostate cancer in the U.S. How else can we say thank you from the bottom of their hearts and ours?” said Dr. Jonathan Simons, Prostate Cancer Foundation President and CEO, "Without Movember, the progress of those projects would have been hindered."
To see the impact Movember is having on prostate cancer research please click on the video image below:
Raising the awareness and understanding of prostate and testicular cancer
Movember's first campaign objective is to raise the awareness and understanding of men's health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer.
We want everyone to know that men over the age of 50, and those over 40 with a family history, are at risk of prostate cancer and encourage them to be tested annually. Prostate cancer is curable if detected and treated early, however, there are normally no early symptoms underpinning the necessity of regular screening.
We also want everyone to know that testicular cancer is the most common cancer affecting men aged 18 – 35.
Movember’s awareness campaign aims to increase the understanding of the health issues faced by men, facilitate early detection and diagnosis, which allows for more effective treatment. This will ultimately reduce the number of deaths from prostate and testicular cancer.
Based on our campaigns to date, Movember has conducted research with our registered Mo Bros, Sistas and donors based on previous campaigns. This research was conducted by an independent third party and is one of the key ways in which we track the efficacy of our awareness campaign. It is our intention to continue with this research in order to assess and report back on the progress made each year.
The 2008 findings revealed the extent to which participants are listening and acting on the men’s health messaging they receive.
The latest research produced some extremely encouraging statistics concerning the changing behavior of Mo Bros. As the statistics below highlight, as a direct result of Movember, men are beginning to change their attitudes and habits relating to their health.
- 82% of Mo Bros talked about men’s health with friends, family or work colleagues
- 55% of Mo Bros did some of their own research into the causes Movember supports
- 13% sought medical advice
- 38% encouraged someone else to seek medical advice
How we Raise Awareness
Raising awareness is Movember’s number one objective and we take every opportunity to highlight men's health issues each year. In 2008, our efforts resulted in a significant increase in participation numbers and generated media coverage - both of which contribute significantly to community recognition of men's health issues.
Movember looks to maximize all cost-effective means of raising awareness leading up to and during the campaign period. Awareness of men's health was achieved in the following ways during the 2008 campaign:
01 Word of Mouth
During the campaign, each of the registered Mo Bros effectively became a walking billboard promoting men’s health. The growth of a new moustache forces each Mo Bro to explain his new look throughout the month of Movember – to family, friends and colleagues – thereby creating discussion around the topic of men’s health.
02 Media Coverage
Leveraging our partnerships with our beneficiary and sponsors, Movember generated important media coverage to help spread awareness for the campaign and men’s health. Across the US, Movember stories appeared in broadcast, print, and online publications such as CNN, CNBC, CBS, “The Early Show,” “The New York Times,” Nylon Magazine, OK! Magazine, PerezHilton.com, Yahoo.com, and AOL Stylelist.com.
03 Events
Movember culminates at the end of the month with a series of Gala Partés. They are held to thank Mo Bros and Sistas for their fundraising efforts during the month. Mo Bros (dressed to suit their Mo) and Mo Sistas (dressed to suit their Mo Bro) come together to celebrate the Mo and compete for a number of category titles.
In addition to the official Gala events organized each year, there are thousands of smaller events, Mo Parties, organized by participating Mo Bros and Mo Sistas outside of the official Gala areas.
04 The Website
Movember is an online campaign. As a result, Movember.com is the hub of Movember. It is where participants and supporters go for details on participation, men’s health issues, charity partners, campaign news, ambassador updates and events.
05 Ambassadors
Each year, Movember is lucky enough to be supported by a number of high profile figures who have a genuine interest in promoting men’s health and embrace the campaign. The ambassadors – official Mo Bros and Sistas - willingly take part in media interviews, radio appearances, photo-shoots, stunts and campaign events. None of the Movember ambassadors are paid for their time or efforts and we are hugely grateful for their support as it provides a tremendous boost to the campaign in terms of the awareness we are able to generate.
