Crohn’s & Colitis Australia launches national bathroom ad campaign for IBD Awareness Month, via Houston Group

The latest campaign from Crohn’s and Colitis Australia and Houston Group uses convenience advertising to educate Australians about inflammatory bowel disease.

The announcement:

In time for May, which marks Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Awareness Month, Crohn’s & Colitis Australia (CCA) has launched a nationwide convenience advertising campaign via media agency Houston Group. Aligning with World IBD Day on 19 May, the campaign features a series of ads in bathrooms around Australia to highlight key symptoms and help educate Australians who may be unknowingly suffering from IBD.

Collectively across 30 venues—including universities and airports—the campaign is set to reach 5 million visitors per week over a 9-week duration.

In CCA’s recent State of The Nation Report, it was revealed that the incidence of IBD is rising globally, with Australia expected to outpace similar nations. The number of Australians living with IBD is projected to grow from 100,000 to 179,420 in 2025. The report also found that more than one in ten people endure symptoms for over five years before receiving a proper diagnosis, highlighting the urgent need for increased national awareness.

Crohn’s & Colitis Australia CEO, Leanne Raven, said: “It is important for us to flush the stigma around IBD, so when the opportunity arose to work alongside Houston Group to create a convenience marketing campaign across the back of toilet doors, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to raise awareness.”

The campaign’s creative, developed by Houston Group, features real people from the CCA community living with IBD. One of the five faces of the campaign is Harrison Kefford, 30, who lives with Crohn’s Disease.

“Living with Crohn’s disease has taught me the importance of visibility and support,” Kefford said. “I’m proud to be included within this campaign with Crohn’s & Colitis Australia because it helps to start conversations and remind others like me that they are not alone.”

The ads will appear in high-traffic venues such as the University of Sydney, RMIT University in Melbourne, Brisbane Domestic Airport, and Sydney’s Qantas (T3) and Virgin (T2) terminals.

Stuart O’Brien, CEO of Houston Group, said: “Convenience advertising allows us to meet Australians in real, everyday moments—where we can cut through and connect on a personal level. Working alongside Crohn’s & Colitis Australia on this campaign allows us to use media for good and normalise conversations around IBD to drive much-needed awareness across the country.”

The out-of-home advertising campaign goes live from 30 April, across 30 venues nationwide for a duration of 5 weeks.

Source: Maven PR