Pink Power Hour: A National Genetic Screening PR Campaign Case Study

jscreen.org, a national nonprofit advancing access to genetic testing and education, in collaboration with Myriad Genetics and Mount Sinai Cancer Center, created a defining national moment for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

To drive participation in hereditary cancer screening and elevate awareness, Bender Group PR developed a campaign that combined live broadcast media, public health activation, and national outreach — positioning genetic testing as both urgent and accessible.

Watch the Campaign in Action

jscreen genetic screening logo on pink bg

Client Overview

jscreen.org is a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to genetic testing and education for hereditary diseases. Through partnerships with leading healthcare organizations and laboratories, jscreen provides accessible screening solutions designed to empower individuals with critical health insights.

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, jscreen sought to elevate hereditary cancer screening as a public health priority while expanding participation nationwide.

The Challenge

Despite growing awareness of genetic testing, participation in hereditary cancer screening remains limited due to barriers such as cost, accessibility, and lack of public urgency.

The campaign needed to:

  • Create a defining national moment that would drive immediate participation
  • Position genetic screening as urgent, accessible, and actionable
  • Reach a broad audience beyond traditional healthcare channels
  • Establish jscreen as a leading authority in public health and genetic testing

The goal extended beyond a single event — it aimed to create a nationwide ripple effect, encouraging individuals and families to pursue genetic testing.

jscreen national media campaign article and photo of volunteers, with text ' jscreen Marks a major milestone for breast cancer awareness month'
jscreen national publication screenshot of article and photo of Jill Martin and women wearing pink, with headline 'Jill Martin says she wouldn't be sitting here today if not for genetic testing: I've been through hell'

Strategic Approach

Bender Group PR developed a campaign centered on real-time public engagement and alignment with national media.

The strategy focused on:

  • Creating a live, time-bound activation to generate urgency and participation
  • Leveraging national broadcast media to maximize visibility
  • Aligning with Breast Cancer Awareness Month to anchor relevance
  • Integrating healthcare, nonprofit, and media partners into a unified campaign
  • Converting awareness into immediate action through accessible screening opportunities

This approach reflects how a modern PR strategy is structured, where media, messaging, and real-world engagement work together to drive measurable outcomes.

Campaign Execution

To bring the campaign to life, Bender executed a multi-channel strategy combining live activation, media placement, and coordinated outreach.

Pink Power Hour Live Activation

The campaign centered around Pink Power Hour, a first-of-its-kind public health activation hosted at Rockefeller Plaza in collaboration with the TODAY Show.

This live event created a high-visibility moment in which awareness and action occurred simultaneously.

On-Site Screening Registration

Attendees were able to register on-site for at-home hereditary cancer screening kits, removing traditional barriers to access and enabling immediate participation.

Broadcast & Media Integration

The campaign included:

  • A live broadcast feature on the TODAY Show
  • National digital media coverage across major outlets
  • Targeted outreach to health and medical trade publications

This ensured the campaign extended far beyond the live event itself.

Philanthropic Support & Collaboration

Philanthropic funding helped make screening accessible to participants, while collaboration with Myriad Genetics and the Mount Sinai Cancer Center reinforced credibility and medical authority.

Media Strategy & National Outreach

Bender Group PR developed a multi-layered media strategy designed to extend the campaign’s impact far beyond the live TODAY Show broadcast.

The approach included:

  • Advance media outreach to drive awareness and event participation
  • Embargoed press distribution to secure early coverage
  • Targeted pitching across national, regional, and vertical-specific media
  • Coordination with TODAY Show and Mount Sinai PR teams
  • Post-event amplification to sustain momentum and expand reach

The campaign targeted a wide range of outlets across:

  • National news and health publications
  • Lifestyle and women’s media
  • Regional New York media
  • Healthcare and medical trade outlets
  • Technology and innovation publications
  • Business and finance media

This tiered outreach ensured the campaign reached diverse audiences while reinforcing its public health relevance.

Multi-Angle Storytelling Strategy

To maximize coverage, the campaign was pitched across four core narrative angles:

  • Human Story: Jill Martin’s personal breast cancer journey, highlighting the importance of genetic testing
  • Technology & Innovation: Advances in hereditary cancer screening
  • Public Health & Prevention: Early detection and accessibility of testing
  • National Moment & Visual Impact: A record-breaking live activation

This multi-angle strategy allowed the campaign to resonate across different media categories and audience segments.

jscreen genetic screening pr campaign news graphic

Spokespeople & Expert Voices

The campaign featured a strong lineup of credible voices, including:

  • Jill Martin, TODAY Show contributor and breast cancer advocate
  • Dr. Elisa Port, Chief Breast Surgeon at Mount Sinai
  • Dr. Matt Goldstein, CEO of jscreen
  • Genetic counselors and outreach specialists

These voices helped translate awareness into trust, reinforcing the campaign’s credibility and public health impact.

Strategic Collaboration

Pink Power Hour was powered by a collaboration between leading media, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations.

Key collaborators included:

  • NBC’s TODAY Show — delivering national broadcast exposure and amplifying awareness across millions of viewers
  • Mount Sinai Cancer Center — providing clinical expertise and philanthropic support to enable screening access
  • Myriad Genetics — supplying the genetic testing technology behind the campaign

These collaborations ensured the campaign combined visibility, credibility, and accessibility — essential elements for driving real public health outcomes.

jscreen event with mount sinai cancer research, women wearing pink tshirts

Pink Power Hour generated 350 hereditary cancer screening registrations in a single hour — demonstrating how strategic PR can convert awareness into immediate public health action.

jscreen national media highlights photo from the Today Show with pink power activists

Featured Media Coverage

The campaign achieved widespread national visibility across broadcast, digital, and industry-specific media outlets.

Coverage included:

  • TODAY Show (live broadcast feature)
  • Yahoo News
  • People
  • AOL News
  • Precision Medicine Online
  • Inside Precision Medicine

This multi-channel coverage positioned jscreen at the center of the national conversation around genetic screening.

Campaign Highlights

  • Live public health activation at Rockefeller Plaza
  • National broadcast integration with the TODAY Show
  • On-site registration for at-home screening kits
  • Strategic alignment with Breast Cancer Awareness Month
  • Partnerships with leading healthcare institutions
  • National media coverage across consumer and health outlets

Results and Impact

Pink Power Hour delivered both immediate and long-term impact.

Key outcomes included:

  • 350 hereditary cancer screening registrations in one hour
  • Nearly 550 million total audience impressions
  • National media coverage across broadcast, digital, and trade outlets
  • Increased awareness of genetic screening as a public health priority
  • Strengthened the positioning of jscreen as a national authority

Beyond the event itself, the campaign demonstrates how PR success should be measured — not just by reach, but by meaningful action and sustained engagement.

The campaign significantly exceeded initial PR goals, which targeted a minimum of 10 high-quality placements and 5 million earned impressions.

Bender Group PR surpassed these benchmarks by nearly 10X, demonstrating the effectiveness of a coordinated strategy that combined media, partnerships, and real-time activation.

jscreen media campaign on national television, with 'pink power' and 'the importance of genetic testing' text

Related Public Relations Services

This campaign integrated multiple PR disciplines, including creative PR campaign development, public relations event planning, strategic media relations, and healthcare-focused earned media outreach.

Each of these elements plays a role in building a structured PR strategy that aligns storytelling, timing, and media execution.

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