Stroke Foundation launches the towel challenge to raise awareness

There are beanies, pink ribbons and the ice bucket challenge, now “the towel challenge” is supporting a cause fighting 2000 deaths a year, and a whole heap of celebrities are on board. SEE WHO DISROBED

Stroke kills about 2000 Queenslanders every year and now the foundation tasked with fundraising for the cause is stepping up their fight to secure a slice of the shrinking charity pool.

Brain cancer gets their message out with beanies, ASL with the ice bucket challenge and breast cancer with the pink ribbon.

Now The Stroke Foundation has it’s towel challenge, where celebs, sports stars, musicians and stroke survivors pose in nothing but a towel for an annual calendar.

It is the second year the challenge has been held and looks to become a fixture to get people to pay attention to the cause and open their wallets.

Former reality TV contestant and Stroke Foundation advocate Lee Carseldine says many Australians were unaware of the foundation, with other causes like cancer receiving more attention and awareness.

David Genat

Lee Carseldine

“I didn’t even know there was a stroke foundation,” he said.

“Cancer seems to get more publicity as it’s a common enemy and an enemy everyone wants

to beat.

“Whereas stroke usually will take someone’s life instantly and there isn’t that hatred there

like there is for cancer.”

Bond University marketing and trends expert, Professor Stephen Holden, said many charities were competing for relevance.

“I think people are not connecting to the charity so much as they’re connecting to the

event, it’s the same with people riding for a charity and collecting money for it, we connect

to the event rather than the charity itself,” he said.

Natalie Roser

Sophie Monk

He said charities like Movember and Beanies for Brain Cancer were a good example of companies who use creative campaigns to attract donations, rather than traditional methods like mail drops.

The towel challenge, which went viral on social media last year and reached four million Australians, is another example of an engaging campaign designed to stand out.

The towel challenge features prominent Australian figures like actor Hugh Sheridan and

Olympic swimmer Emily Seebohm in just a towel, encouraging the Australian community to

also do the same and post it on Social Media with the hashtag, #towelchallenge.

Holly Ferling, Danielle Scott, Emily Seebohm and Courtney Hancock. Photo Mark Cranitch.

“Stroke can take away people’s physical abilities, so the photos promote people feeling

comfortable in their skin,” Mr Carseldine said.

“It went viral on social media (last year), with kids, dogs and donkeys posing in a towel.)

The campaign was targeted at the younger demographic according to the Stroke

Foundation Executive of Marketing, John De Rango.

Maria Ventutti with daughter Bianca

Hugh Sheridan

“It was important to educate younger people about how to recognise the ‘FAST’ signs of a

stroke, so they can call triple 0 and potentially save that person’s life,” he said.

“What people don’t know is 24% of strokes occur in people 54 years and younger.”

CHARITY CAMPAIGNS:

ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE - To raise money and awareness for ASL (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PINK RIBBON - To raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

BEANIES FOR BRAIN CANCER - To raise money and awareness for brain cancer.

BLUE RIBBON - To raise money and awareness for prostate cancer.

FIREMEN CALENDAR - To raise money for the firefighters.

MOVEMBER - To raise money and awareness for men’s health.

#YOUCANTALK - Campaign for awareness for suicide and mental health.

WORLD’S GREATEST SHAVE - Raising money and awareness for leukemia.

CUT FOR A CURE - Raising money and awareness for all forms of cancer.