Skin Memories
Euromelanoma
Issue 44 | September 2017
Agency
BBDO Belgium
Creative Team
Creative Directors Klaartje Galle, Sebastien De Valck, Arnaud Pitz Art Directors Klaartje Galle, Gertjan Desmet, Toon Vanpoucke Copywriters Frederik Clarysse, Morgane Choppinet
Production Team
Production Print Producer Dominique Salvo Video Editor Jasper Vanhauwaert Montage Ben Billen Social Team Kim Leunen, Britt De Valck, Frederik Clarysse, Gertjan Desmet
Other Credits
Client Service Director Isabel Peeters Account team Lore Desmet, Evelyn Savels, Axelle Cannaert, Juliette Dugardyn Strategy Klaartje Galle
Date
From April 12th 2017
Background
Skin cancer was the easiest form of cancer to avoid because it could be seen and detected in the earliest stages. Still, despite decades of awareness campaigns, somebody died of skin cancer every 54 minutes.
Euromelanoma, a European skin cancer prevention organization, wanted to do more than raise awareness, they wanted to remind people when the time was right for them to check their skin.
Idea
Facebook had a feature that showed people the pictures they had shared on this day a year ago and more, Facebook Memories.
This feature was used as the tool to remind people to check their skin.
Transparent stickers were distributed to pharmacies across the country. People were asked to place the sticker over a mole, then photograph it and upload it to Facebook.
In a year's time, they could look at the photo and see from the grid whether the mole had grown. Year after year, people could keep track of their moles.
Key influencers shared their moles with their followers, asking them to do the same.
Results
The message was picked up by the national media as well as the digital community, resulting in nationwide reach. 100,000 stickers were picked up at pharmacies within a week. 80% of people posted their picture in private, making it only visible to themselves. However, the other 20,000 posts reached an audience of about four million people, raising awareness and generating thousands of reminders to people to check their skin.
Our Thoughts
Hardly a week goes by when one of the big media companies (Facebook, Google, Twitter or Snapchat) doesn't come up with a new feature for their users.
Juries may mock awards entries that boast the idea is a "first" or a "never-been-done-before" but the truth remains, the brands that are on their toes and among the first to exploit these innovations don't just get kudos, they acquire relevance. Especially with that hard-to-influence group, millennials.
A Facebook feature that is, dare I say it, only faintly interesting has been used here for real purpose.