Public education campaign

Problem Statement 20% of all cancer cases and 8% of all cancer deaths in young Australians aged 1539 years old are caused by melanoma, making the most common cancer in this age group. Melanoma kills more Australians between the ages of 20 and 34 than any other single cancer (Melanoma Institute Australia, 2011). Goal Reduce rates of melanoma mortality and morbidity in young Australians. Audience Analysis 17-25 year old Australians. This is the group exhibiting the most risky behaviour, and is also highly affected by the issue. This age group is often studying at a tertiary education level, at universities and TAFEs. They also spend a lot of time on social media sites. A large numbe r are catching buses. Objectives Increase awareness, prevention and detection of melanoma by young people by creating a teenager/early twenties-targeted sun-safety message and providing instructions on how to check themselves for melanoma tumours. Additional Information Prognosis and Sun Exposure Melanoma is the mostly deadly form of skin cancer Disfigurement and death can result from melanomas, but the earlier a skin cancer is identified and treated, the better the prognosis is and the higher the chance is of avoiding surgery. Exposure to the sun causes between 95 and 99% of skin cancers 95% of melanomas are caused by sunburn A large amount of Australians are sunburnt on an average weekend in summeralmost 14% of adults, 24% of teenagers and 8% of children. UV radiation is just as strong on cooler and overcast days, and sunburn can still occur Even if the sun exposure does not result in sunburn, it can still cause damage to the cells and increase the risk of skin cancer. (Cancer Council Australia, 2013). It is worth noting that checking for melanoma is not something that can occur in a public place without violating indecent exposure laws. The challenge will be to remind them to selfcheck hours after the party when they get home. Messages Our main messages are: Be sun-safe- wear sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat, cover up in the sun or stay in the shade. Check yourself regularly using ABCDE, including areas that arent directly exposed to the sun.

If you find something, GO SEE A DOCTOR. Dont put it off, the earlier its caught, the better your chances are. With the side messages (background, why the other points are relevant messages) being: People in their teens can get skin cancer. The most common cancer in young Australians is melanoma, and it leads to death. Dont get sunburnt. It increases the risk of cancer. Message Delivery Methods Beach party events at universities, TAFEs and Tertiary Education Centres around Australia. This may expand into schools and other places teenagers frequent eg. Concerts, skate parks, shopping centres. This will raise awareness, and teach vital skills related to melanoma detection. Photos taken at the beach party events will be uploaded to Facebook, linking them to the Sun Safety Skilled (S3) page, where more safety messages can be found. The Facebook page will have entertaining photos and memes, hopeful causing those who visit to like the page, and continue receiving sun-safety awareness and detection instruction messages. Posters will be posted at bus stations or on buses. This will be the split healthy/unhealthy picture created by Jack Rainey. Audience Suitability Melanoma is the most common cause of cancer in young people 15-39 years old. Our audience has been further narrowed down to 17-25 because this is the age group that engages in the most risky behaviour. Our target group does not cover the entire age group at risk, but the age group we have chosen is entirely within the group at risk. People between 17 and 25 are often attending tertiary education, or are about to. This is why we have targeted universities and TAFEs, where the majority of the attendees are within the age group. As of 2012, approximately 2,664,895 Australians between the ages of 18 and 24 use Facebook (Swoop Digital, 2012), and it is accessed in many places, including the home, where they would need to be to self-check.. This massive number of people in our target market using Facebook, as well as the nature and services provided by the company, indicates that this would be a good resource to use. Posters gain peoples attention and are relatively easy to make and distribute. Placing them in areas often used by teens (eg. Bus stations, as many university students dont have cars), would reinforce the message and remind them to be aware of the issue and what they can do to prevent it protection and detection. Media Choice and Design Real world (e.g. tents at unis, posters) Social media (Facebook) References Cancer Council Australia (2013). Skin Cancer. Accessed from <http://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/types-of-cancer/skin-cancer.html> Melanoma Institute Australia (2011). Melanoma facts and statistics. Accessed from <http://www.melanoma.org.au/about-melanoma/melanoma-skin-cancer-facts.html>

Swoop Digital (2012). Facebook Australian Statistics. Accessed from <http://www.swoopdigital.com.au/social-media/facebook-australian-statistics/>