Journalists have justified the controversial American Eagle ads.
Katie Couric is replacing hospital gowns with “Great Jeans.”
The self-proclaimed “Screen Queen” revisits the legendary moment when she underwent an on-air colonoscopy on the “Today” show, two years after her husband Jaymonaghan passed away from colon cancer.
Journalists entertained with Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle ads, working with the Colon Cancer Alliance and the Ryan Reynolds producer to encourage people to be screened for colorectal cancer, whether genetically vulnerable to the disease.
The cheeky place begins with Coolick in a hospital bed, wearing a Sweeney-inspired jan jacket, “Speaking of jeans, did you know that the majority of people who develop colon cancer are genetically free? That’s why doctors recommend everyone over the age of 45.” Coolick adds with the slightly suggestive tone of “meaning to air” before denying the clinician’s request to revert the camera crew.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvhkifq4oes
Courick says he enjoyed filming the ads with Reynolds’ “smart and talented” team, and he enjoys teasing himself in the process. “I probably had more makeup than I’d worn for five years,” she said. “I tried to fetch a little and be a little seductive. This was also pretty interesting.”
Looking back at the screening of the “today” show 25 years ago, Courick said he wanted to go there because the importance of screenings is “repeated.” She said the screening, referring to the 2003 study, increased by 20% to an increase in colonoscopy, known as the “Katy Couric Effect.”
She called the impact on public consciousness “incredibly satisfying.”
“I think it was the first time a journalist or public figure actually had medical procedures on national television,” she said. “I hope that you have contributed to fate both the illness and the fact that you can get screened for colon cancer. It’s one of the very preventable cancers if caught early.”
Coolick’s late husband, lawyer and legal analyst Jay Monaghan, NBC News, passed away in 1998 after being diagnosed with colon cancer in early 1997. She has since been a spokesperson for Colon Cancer Recognition. Her advocacy has spread to other cancers. She received her mammogram “Today” in 2005, almost 20 years before her breast cancer diagnosis. She also helped the Alex Trebeck Fund launch the late Alex Trebeck Fund to fund research on pancreatic cancer.
Looking back at that initial “pretty rare” screening, she said she was drawn to the segment as the audience recognized her integrity amid her loss.
“My motivation was very pure and I think people understood that I had experienced this huge loss and that I had prevented it from happening to other families and added an additional level of importance to messaging.”
In addition to leading from campaign ads encouraging viewers over the age of 45, the co-founder of Katie Couric Media adds that she is also concerned about an increase in diagnosis among young people.
“By 2030, the number of people under the age of 50 with colorectal cancer will double. So, we need to make sure that people over the age of 45 are screened, but we need to try and understand what is happening with these young people,” she said. “And perhaps they developed a less invasive test that they can do because when young people are diagnosed with the disease, they have no chance to get screened and prevent it from spreading, that’s such a tragedy.”
Couric’s ads follow the equally comical campaign spots of Reynolds, Rob Mack and Terry Crew. She considers it particularly strong for her use of humor.
She adds:
