The Cancer Institute NSW has appointed OMD to develop a fresh approach to its latest summer campaign for skin cancer prevention.
The campaign Your Time in the Sun will run until February 2019 to encourage young people in NSW to protect their skin against harmful UV radiation.
Research commissioned by the Cancer Institute NSW found that young people underestimate their personal risk of developing skin cancer and how melanoma can enter the bloodstream to cause fatal secondary cancers in bones and vital organs.
Cancer Institute NSW manager of social marketing and campaigns Shane Sinnott explained the campaign’s approach.
Sinnott said: “Our research highlights that young people often feel bullet-proof when it comes to melanoma, believing it can be simply cut out later in life.
“In reality, melanoma is the most common cancer diagnosed among Australians aged 15 to 29, causing a significant number of deaths.
“By showing melanoma is serious and affects young people in the prime of their life, combined with prompts to protect their skin, we hope to improve the sun protection behaviours of our young target audience before their life is cut short by skin cancer.”
Media agency OMD were selected to give the campaign a renewed strategic approach and deliver campaign messages across a mix of channels tailored to the rapidly evolving media consumption behaviours of the young target audience.
OMD chief executive officer Aimee Buchanan said: “We are proud to be working with Cancer Institute NSW to drive a critical behavioural change among young people in NSW.
“We solved this brief together by tackling the barriers head on – building education, creating relevance and driving people to be prepared.”
Isobar executive creative director Brad Eldridge has led the creative development and execution of the Your Time in the Sun campaign.
Eldridge said: “The campaign works on multiple levels, mixing emotional and rational messaging.
“It resonates with young people because it’s about how precious life is while presenting advice in a clear and factual way.
“We hope this campaign makes young Australians realise they must protect themselves against UV.”
