Client
Lance Armstrong Foundation

Objectives
Launch of the LIVESTRONG International Global Campaign in Italy and introduction of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit which will be held in Dublin at the end of August 2009.

Target
Italian Government, NGO and press.

Strategy
To take advantage of the participation of Lance Armstrong in the past Giro d’Italia, in oder to:

• sentitize the Italian Government so that the fight against cancer could be declared as a National priority and undertake initiatives to support the oncological patients
• create a grassroots to support the fight against cancer

Activities
Aida Partners Ogilvy PR organized and supported the Foundation in all the activities which have been held in Italy along the Giro d’Italia.

For example, Aida Partners Ogilvy PR organized a press conference at the hospital Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” of Rome to launch the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign. Lance Armstrong, as testimonial and cancer survivor, took part to the event together with prof. Carlo Barone, Director of the Unità Operativa of Oncologia Medica at Policlinico Gemelli, and the oncological surgeon prof. Paolo Magistrelli, Preside of the Facoltà di Medicina e chirurgia dell’Università Cattolica, Doug Ulman, President of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and he is also a survivor of 3 cancers, and Elisabetta Iannone, Vicepresident of AIMaC.   
Lance Armstrong met some cancer patients and introduced the Campaign LIVESTRONG in order to sensitize the Italian Government so that the fight against cancer could be declared as a National priority.

After the press conference Lance Armstrong met the Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini at Farnesina with a private meeting and invited him to take part to the event in Dublin.

Dough Ulman, President of LAF, had the pleasure to meet Prof. Umberto Veronesi, founder of the Umberto Veronesi Foundation and lay the foundations for future collaborations.

On occasion of the centenary of the Giro d’Italia, Aida Partners Ogilvy PR followed the design and the realization of two cars LAF branded and of a booth which distributed LAF wristbands and yellow chalks at each stage of the race. The chalks invited the public to write on the asphalt personal messages in order to support and encourage the fight against cancer.

Moreover, Aida Partners Ogilvy PR organized several meetings with Italian NGO such as AIMaC, AIRC and LILT, taking advantage of the presence of some LAF representatives.