CASE STUDY - Dangers of skin cancer to a cynical youth audience

Provided by UM
Case study - How UM London used a media hoax to help client, Skcin, promote the dangers of skin cancer to cynical youths

What was the Challenge / Background of the Campaign?

Research from the Teenage Cancer Trust found 41% of teens never used sun cream. 50% of teens admitted not being concerned re: skin cancer! The big idea - was to give our target audience exactly what they wanted (ie. the newest and most effective way of getting a tan), so we developed and promoted a revolutionary piece of software that enabled people to tan themselves from the comfort of their very own desks by simply logging on to www.computertan.com. The concept that a 'tan' was dangerous formed the foundation for the campaign.

What was the Campaign Objective?

We sought to develop a campaign that would actively engage cynical teens; to communicate to them the dangers of skin cancer and, importantly, point them in the direction of those qualified to provide guidance to help avoid it. The message had to target youth and focus on the dangers of repeated sun exposure.

What was the Solution?

A multi-platform campaign using online, out-of-home, mobile and direct mail, aimed at driving clicks to the www.computertan.com website in order to educate young people on the dangers of skin cancer. We developed an informercial offering free online tanning sessions seeded across key blogs with extensive national PR. 25k flyers were distributed offering free tanning and the film was shown on X-Track panels in 10 underground stations. The second wave introduced an iPhone app and emailed to a database with supporting online display.

What were the Results?

30,000 hits in the first 24 hours! 200k hits in the subsequent 4 weeks and has now eclipsed 1m. The campaign received massive PR coverage from the national press, and was critically acclaimed, making AdAge's top 5 ads globally; also voted the Indy's 'Best in Show' and appeared as Contagious Magazine's 'Most Contagious' feature.

What were the Key Learnings of this Campaign?

We found all the above routes worked well with each other to deliver a successful campaign

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BudgetReach & FrequencyTarget AudienceMedia Used
£251k to £500kTeenagers
10 - 15
16 - 24
Both
ABC1
C2
Students
MOBILE
ONLINE
OUTDOOR
UNUSUAL
Campaign LocationCampaign DurationMarketing ObjectiveCampaign Type
NATIONALAll YearEDUCATE CONSUMERSPUBLIC RELATIONS
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