Don’t let a spot become a full stop: Melanoma NZ and TBWA\NZ launch awareness campaign hidden in plain sight
For the past few weeks Melanoma New Zealand and TBWA\NZ have been demonstrating how easy it is for people to miss changes to spots on their skin as part of a new campaign.
It has been labelled New Zealand’s cancer because we have the highest incidence rate in the world. More than 4,000 Kiwis are diagnosed with melanoma every year and for many, melanoma starts life as a single spot hiding in plain sight.
Noticing new or changing spots and getting a diagnosis and treatment early gives the best chance of survival, however the problem is many New Zealanders simply don’t notice the changes.
All around New Zealand campaign supporters OOHMAA (Out Of Home Media Association Aotearoa – oOh!Media, JCDecaux, QMS, Media5, Ad-Vantage and Bekon), Lotto Powerball, No Ugly, L&P and MetService have had full stops in their advertising change to mimic the way melanoma spots change over time. Designed with Melanoma New Zealand, the changing full stop represents the seven visual signs of melanoma.
OOHMAA supported the campaign by donating sites all across New Zealand and special builds where the melanoma full stop reacted to live UV levels. Lotto Powerball supported the campaign updating their weekly OOH jackpot executions, social and in-store digital signage across their national retail network. L&P donated large format OOH from their latest brand launch campaign ‘Drink Chilled’. MetService updated live weather templates across social with the melanoma full stop and No Ugly supported the campaign on their social channels and on products available at summer festivals.
Revealed on Monday through the NZ Herald and a range of media outlets, the initiative has sparked important conversation about melanoma and how easy it is to miss changing spots on your body.
The full Melanoma New Zealand awareness campaign ‘Don’t let a spot become a full stop’ is now live, using the melanoma full stops to continue driving awareness of how important it is to regularly check your skin for changes. Kiwis are also encouraged to visit the Melanoma New Zealand website (melanoma.org.nz) to find out what to look for.
The melanoma full stop has been designed to reflect the seven visual signs of melanoma across the entire campaign. A series of executions with quotes from melanoma survivors, a video and donation mechanic complete the full suite of campaign assets delivered by TBWA\NZ.
To further raise awareness of the issue, the melanoma full stop has been turned into a font which is available for designers to download to tell their own melanoma full stop stories.
Says Andrea Newland, chief executive, Melanoma New Zealand “Although it was deliberately easy to miss the spots in the initial advertising, we want it to be a clear message to all New Zealanders that missing new or changing spots on your skin could be deadly. It’s heartbreaking to hear melanoma patients share that they didn’t notice a change until it was too late. If melanoma is caught and treated early enough, then a spot doesn’t have to become a full stop.”
Shane Bradnick, TBWA\NZ chief creative officer is grateful to the wide range of partners involved: “It’s been amazing that so many big Kiwi brands and media partners got involved and donated their resource and time for such a worthy cause. It has meant so much to Melanoma New Zealand and made us proud to be working in an industry with so much generosity. A big thank you to everyone for being part of it.”
The initiative is supported by a fundraising drive where New Zealanders are invited to text a . (i.e., a full stop) to 2923 to donate $3 to Melanoma New Zealand.
Client: Melanoma New Zealand
Agency: TBWA\NZ
Video Production Partner: Assembly
Media Agency Partners: OMD & IKON
Font Designer: Alistair McCready
Brand Partners: OOHMAA, Lotto NZ, L&P, MetService and No Ugly
Media Partners: NZME, Stuff, Trade Me, OOHMAA and MetService
16 Comments
Would the public have noticed this until the PR release? Will make a good case study I guess. Self-congratulations all round.
As the above. The answer’s almost definitely no. But yeah, nice idea for the creative’s book I guess.
People don’t pay much attention to ads.
So why would anyone notice this?
You didn’t notice, until it was pointed out. Point made. I like it.
So, what you’re saying is that the PR team deserve the kudos for pointing something out about an ad campaign that a vast majority of people would have
missed.
It was mostly an OOH campaign (two seconds, fewest words etc) so I’m guessing most people driving by at 50kph might have missed it.
Pointing out the idea sounds like a desperate measure to make sure a KPI was hit. Hope Melanoma NZ got this for free.
But hey, it’s award season. Who cares if it worked.
Huh? we made a campaign that no one noticed until we told them to notice it?
“If nobody notices your ad, everything else is academic” Bill Bernbach.
It’s not just the press release that will draw attention to it. It looks like there’s a stream of “don’t let a spot…” media which will draw attention to it. Once someone knows enough to notice it once, they’ll notice it in all of the placements. Cool idea, good plan, could definitely have an impact.
But the general public don’t read campaign brief or watch award case studies.
The reality is that melanoma prevention should be funded by the govt to the same level as road safety. It’s not and until it is, stunts that might work/hopefully will work are all these charities can afford. This is the best I’ve seen so far for achieving something with nothing, so very well done to TBWA.
…is the best so far: https://digitalcasestudies.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/melanoma-likes-me/
Nobody is making anything good in NZ right now. literally nobody.
Instead everyone is on her telling each other how shit they are.
Maybe we should all focus on making some good work again and support each other along the way.
TBWA are trying to create fame here, and trying to find a creative way to spark a conversation in the media about an important issue.
It’s an attempt at pointing creativity towards a problem there is no money for solving.
Fame is the point of what we do, you amateurs.
And you can’t nail it every time.
But try.
Stop making meak, middle of the road crap – everyone.
It’s boring and ineffective.
We’re becoming a shit market for advertising, which is breaking new ground for NZ.
So well done there, I guess.
10 out of 10 for that.
Dead right. I haven’t seen a good Kiwi-made ad since Roy Meares jacked it in.
I’ve been paid a packet for making shit thanks… that’s professional not amateur. And you mixed up meek with meat, just saying. 🙂
A slick case study video for average (albeit well intentioned) work isn’t the recipe for the ‘fame’ that you hold in such high regard.
Wasn’t the plan that the spot would change according to UV levels, so it would grow over time becoming more obvious? In any case, the spot looks ugly and out of place which would make a lot of people look twice.
It’s a cool idea. And great that other clients and agencies supported the campaign by offering up their ads. Wouldn’t it be great if our industry had more of that spirit, in places like, say… the campaign brief comments. Cheer up pals, we’re just making ads.