There is no knowing what being diagnosed with cancer will make you feel until you’re in that situation. Anger, fear, confusion; the sheer number of emotions you might be feeling in that moment can be completely overwhelming.

During research conducted by Macmillan Cancer Support, the charity found that people who have received a cancer diagnosis felt severely overwhelmed due to the intense volume of information and opinions shared by both doctors and family or friends. This is only exacerbated by social media platforms which offer yet another avenue for information, whether accurate or not.

Macmillan worked with MRM//McCann to highlight the charity’s new offering, an ongoing programme offering tailored support and information from the point of diagnosis onwards. This programme is personalised to each individual’s circumstances, from the illness itself through to financial support and employment rights and benefits.

The agency teamed up with Blinkink animation studio to bring this moment, and the emotions that accompany it, to life. The animation conveys the emotional confusion that an individual can feel on hearing their diagnosis, depicting the amount of information they’re bombarded with. It animates both the new information they’re having to learn surrounding their illness, as well as the everyday problems that don’t go away like paying the bills, handling childcare, or simply trying to navigate the workplace.

The colourful animation conveys the holistic guidance that Macmillan provides to those addressing their own diagnosis or that of a loved one or family member. It offers Macmillan’s services to quieten the noise and help each individual navigate the situation before directing people to sign up to ongoing support, either online or over the phone.

The use of animation helps Macmillan to communicate a clarity of message to people; showing how the charity is there when everything seems too much. The build up of the noise in the ad reaches breaking point before it drops when Macmillan step in. It’s a lesson in how a charity can compassionately but directly tell people who need them about their services, while also conveying the emotional turmoil people experience when they are first confronted with their diagnosis.