SunSmart’s new skin cancer prevention campaign ‘Don’t Let Cancer In’ launched in November, with support from the Victorian Department of Health.
With skin cancer being Australia’s most common and costly cancer, this new campaign played an important role in calling on Victorians not to be complacent when it comes to sun protection. Driving home the serious consequences of skin cancer, the campaign also included strong messaging to raise awareness of when to cover up by checking the UV.
Targeted to Victorians aged 30-49, including those at higher risk, such as men and those living in regional areas, the campaign highlights the need to make sun protection part of your daily routine and cover up during everyday outdoor activities, such as gardening and walking the dog.
Two taglines underpin this important messaging; ‘When you go out, don’t let cancer in’ and ‘When the index hits 3, cover up from UV’.
“Skin cancer is preventable. As you can’t see or feel UV you can’t rely on the weather or temperature to determine when you should use sun protection,” said Emma Glassenbury, Head of SunSmart Victoria.
“We’re urging Victorians to check the UV level before going outdoors and if the UV index is three or above, cover up using all five forms of sun protection.”
Over 95 per cent of melanoma skin cancer and non-melanoma cases are a result of over exposure to the sun’s radiation. More than 2,800 melanomas are diagnosed in Victoria each year with it considered the most serious and dangerous form of skin cancer due to its likelihood of spreading to vital organs if not found early. Maintaining vigilant messaging, therefore, is vital to ensuring these risks are never forgotten.
Slip! Slop! Slap! A ‘Sound of Australia’
Who could forget the iconic 1980’s ‘Slip! Slop! Slap!’ ad campaign featuring the jingle sung by Sid the Seagull. In November, the unforgettable sound was added to the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA), which recognises cultural, historic, and aesthetic sounds of Australia. The campaign itself remains as one of Australia’s most successful health campaigns and is credited with increasing community awareness about the risks of sun exposure.
Updated in 2007 with the new slogan ‘Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide’ the campaign encourages five forms of sun protection, to seek shade and slide on sunglasses, in conjunction with slipping on a shirt, slopping on sunscreen, and slapping on a hat.
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