RULE Prostate Cancer

Overview

RULE Prostate Cancer and Marlin partnered to create the Protect a Legend Appeal, a community-led fundraising and awareness campaign designed to meet men where they already gather. In local pubs, surrounded by mates, stories and shared rituals.

The ambition was to transform pubs into places that do more than serve drinks. Places that spark conversations, encourage early detection and help fund fast, free access to prostate cancer care. Working closely together, we created a bold campaign identity, a dedicated microsite, and a complete fundraising toolkit that empowered publicans and their communities to take part with confidence and pride.

Protect a Legend was built to feel familiar, inclusive and deeply local. A campaign that invites pubs and patrons to look after the legends they know and love.

Problem

Create a community campaign that encourages early detection and fundraising without stigma, fear or formal health messaging.

Solution

A flexible community fundraising campaign combining identity, microsite, materials and journeys to support awareness, participation and community pride.

Results

A scalable community fundraising model that builds awareness, encourages early detection and strengthens local pride through pub-led action.

The Challenge

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian men, yet many delay checking their health or avoid the conversation altogether. Awareness remains low, stigma persists and early signs are often ignored.

RULE needed a way to reach men who might not actively seek out health information, while also mobilising the people and places that already influence them. The challenge was to create an appeal that felt natural in pub environments, spoke with honesty and warmth, and encouraged both fundraising and health action without judgement or fear.

The campaign also needed to engage publicans as leaders within their communities, giving them the tools to host fundraising activities and champion awareness in a way that felt authentic to their venue and their locals.

The Solution

Together with RULE, we developed Protect a Legend as a dual-purpose campaign that combines community fundraising with life-saving awareness.

Marlin created the campaign identity and messaging framework, supported by a microsite that acts as the central hub for donations, information and action. From there, we built a complete fundraising ecosystem designed for pubs, including posters, coasters, bunting, stickers, merchandise and a practical fundraising toolkit that venues could easily deploy.

The campaign was supported by two tailored eDM journeys. One to invite and register pubs, and another to guide participating venues through onboarding, activation and momentum-building across the campaign period. Messaging was deliberately conversational, encouraging and mate-led, helping pubs feel supported rather than instructed.

Every element was designed to work together, turning everyday pub visits into opportunities for conversation, contribution and care.

The Results

Protect a Legend reshaped how prostate cancer awareness and fundraising can live within local communities.

By placing the campaign in pubs, RULE created new opportunities for men to engage with their health in environments that feel familiar and trusted. Publicans were empowered as community leaders, while patrons were invited to take simple, meaningful actions that could make a life-saving difference.

The campaign delivered a scalable framework that RULE can continue to grow year after year, strengthening community fundraising, increasing early detection awareness and reinforcing the role of local pubs as places that look after their own.