“One Save Changes Everything,”
declares oncology pharma firm BeOne Medicine in its first-ever corporate campaign, a global awareness effort tied to soccer.
Iconic U.S. Soccer goalkeeper Tim Howard, who got much more than
one save — a record 16 of them, in fact — during a 2014 match against Belgium, is the “launch voice” of the campaign, which is currently “finalizing the details on our European
partner,” BeOne tells Marketing Daily.
“In soccer, one save can be the difference between a win and a loss,” says Howard, explaining the campaign’s
rationale on its landing page. “BeOne knows that when you’re up against cancer, one save changes
everything.”
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But an analogy to multiple saves, such as Howard is known for, is also top-of-mind, per a statement from BeOne Co-Founder and CEO John V. Oyler: “Just like soccer is
defined by save after save, progress in cancer is built moment by moment: in the lab, in the clinic, and in the communities where patients and families face it every day.”
To drive not
only cancer patients and caregivers, but also oncologists, to the campaign’s landing page, Howard and BeOne have posted campaign messages on social media that are also running as paid ads
targeted to those audiences. In a post late last week, Howard noted that BeOne’s work for “people facing cancer….is a purpose
near to my heart.”
That’s a reference to a personal connection: Howard’s grandfather battling cancer when he was just 11 years old.
Also on social media, BeOne is
also doing campaign-related posts on LinkedIn, as are company execs and employees.
BeOne has 12,000 of the latter worldwide, and they’re also getting involved via a fund-raising
campaign. The company says that every hour an employee volunteers to support cancer-fighting efforts in their communities will go toward a $300,000 commitment to support the U.S. Soccer Foundation and
other nonprofits across the world.
The U.S. donation will involve installation of mini-pitches (soccer fields) near cancer treatment centers, .
BeOne, founded 2010 as BeiGene, changed
its name to BeOne in 2024. Since 2019, Amgen has owned about 20% of the company.
Current BeOne products include Brukinsa (for blood cancer), Tevimbra (esophageal and gastric cancers),
and Sonrotoclax (lymphoma).
