The ‘90s sitcom “Full House” documented many of the ups and downs of growing up, including the often-excruciating experience of “The Talk” between parents and tweens about puberty. Now, many viewers who grew up with the Tanner family might be in need of another serious talk, this one about the importance of colorectal cancer screening.
Thanks to a new Cologuard campaign, some “Full House” alums are here to have that conversation, too.
“The (Second) Talk” campaign launched Tuesday, the same day medtech giant Abbott closed its $23 billion acquisition of Cologuard maker Exact Sciences. The new initiative stars Jodie Sweetin and John Stamos, who played Stephanie Tanner and her Uncle Jesse on “Full House,” having a candid chat about starting colorectal cancer screening at age 45.
In a video featuring all the trappings of a ‘90s sitcom, Stamos stops by Sweetin’s house on the day after her 45th birthday (which, in reality, will occur early next year). With “sappy music” playing in the background, they settle in on the kitchen counter to talk through the embarrassment associated with talking about colon cancer and its invasive testing options.
After Stamos notes that the Cologuard test is “simple, noninvasive, no prep” and can be done far from a studio audience, a relieved Sweetin heads off to get her first colon cancer screening started.
Elsewhere on the campaign site are ‘90s-inspired graphics and quips—billing Cologuard as “a totally rad way to stay ahead of colon cancer”—as well as a trio of “answering machine” messages from Stamos encouraging listeners to get screened.
In the campaign launch announcement Tuesday, Abbott pointed to recent statistics showing colorectal cancer rates are on the rise among people under the age of 50, while adding that the disease has a survival rate of more than 90% when caught early with screening methods like the Cologuard test.
“We’ve all had awkward conversations with our loved ones,” Jeremy Truxal, VP of marketing for screening at Abbott, said in the release. “It’s time to lean in on conversations about colorectal cancer because skipping or delaying screening can have serious consequences. Our goal with this campaign is to remind people that screening can be simple and accessible—and that taking this step is important.”
Abbott isn’t the only company leaning into ‘90s nostalgia to encourage regular cancer screening among those entering middle age. Recent colorectal cancer-focused campaigns for Cologuard and for Guardant Health’s blood test have featured beloved Gen X and millennial actors like Matthew Lillard, Patrick Dempsey and James Van Der Beek—the last of whom died earlier this year at the age of 48 due to colon cancer. Van Der Beek’s “Dawson’s Creek” costar Joshua Jackson just signed on with AstraZeneca’s long-running “Get Body Checked Against Cancer” push, as well.