In NSW, Australia, 18–24-year-olds spend more time in the sun and protect their skin less than older adults, placing them at high risk of developing life-threatening skin cancers.
In response, Cancer Institute NSW delivered a behaviour change campaign to motivate this hard-to-reach group to protect their skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Guided by audience research, the campaign transformed UV radiation into a tangible and ever-present threat – millions of arrows descending from the sky. The campaign centred around the key message: “If You Could See UV, you would protect your skin”.
High-reach channels such as cinema, outdoor advertising, online videos, audio apps and social media were used to reach the audience.
The campaign was evaluated through an online tracking survey (n = 927, 18–24-year-olds) measuring prompted recognition, message take-out, key diagnostics, and self-reported sun protection intentions and behaviours.
Campaign evaluation found that 55% of survey participants recognised the campaign when prompted. Among those that recognised the campaign, 70% said they had used sun protection when outdoors over the summer campaign period (vs 61% of non-recognisers, p < 0.05), and 46% said they had adopted at least three of the five sun protection behaviours (Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide) ‘always’ or ‘often’ (vs. 39% of non-recognisers, p < 0.05).
The If You Could See UV campaign demonstrates the value of using audience research to tailor a combination of approaches suitable to young people.