Minneapolis-based agency Martin Williams, fresh off rebranding Mall of America, has teamed up with Mary Beth Mueller (widow of Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller) in a campaign launching Kill Kancer, “a nonprofit aimed to raise awareness for preventable types of cancer.”
Following her husband’s death approximately nine years ago, Mueller started The Karl Fund at the University of Minnesota “to support breakthrough cancer research.” Kill Kancer is an extension of The Karl Fund, “a nonprofit positioned to inform the younger generation to take proactive measures on preventing cancer.”
“Cancer is the leading cause of death in Minnesota and since I have been personally affected by the terrible disease, I’ve made it my life’s mission to support the fight. After much research, I found there is a lot information on diagnosing cancer but limited information about prevention,” explained Mueller. “Through Kill Kancer, I hope to give our younger generation information that is useful to them concerning prevention as well as an outlet to have open dialogue about the illness.”
The backbone of Martin Williams’ campaign is the Kill Kancer website the team designed providing cancer prevention information and a community portal where visitors can post content. At the center of the site (and the campaign) is the above video, directed by Dan Huiting. The video features appearances from Minneapolis-based artists such as Slug from Atmosphere, Ashley Dubose from NBC’s “The Voice,” street artist HOTTEA, and rapper/community activist and teacher Toki Wright. Martin Williams will also be hosting a benefit concert for Kill Kancer today at The Cedar Cultural Center, including performances by by Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum, Silverback Colony, Communist Daughter, Willie Murphy & Special Guests, and Taj Raj. Irksome intentional misspelling of “Kancer” aside, this is an important campaign that differs from countless other cancer awareness campaigns by providing important information about preventative measures people can take to reduce the risk of certain cancers. Since most people don’t even realize there are cancer prevention methods, this is an invaluable cause that could do a lot of good.
“Pro Bono work is extremely important to us,” said Tom Moudry, CEO and chief creative officer, Martin Williams. “Working on Kill Kancer from the ground up has been an unforgettable experience, especially for someone who gave the Minneapolis music scene so much and was such a lovely guy.”