Background:
SunSmart campaigns, including mass media advertising, have likely contributed to a decline in melanoma rates for Victorians under 50 years1. Despite progress in skin cancer prevention, formative research for the Don’t Let Cancer In campaign identified complacency towards skin cancer and sun protection in Victorians aged 30-49 years. In response, a hard-hitting campaign was developed to increase the perceived threat of skin cancer by highlighting the serious consequences; and providing new information to increase efficacy to cover up from UV radiation.
Methods:
The evaluation included online tracking surveys with 1900 Victorian adults (30-49 years), conducted two weeks before and throughout the campaign period: November 2023 to February 2024 (16 weeks). The surveys assessed campaign reach, recognition, message take-out, cognitive and emotional responses to campaign materials.
Results:
Overall, the digitally focused campaign demonstrated strong performance, reaching its peak weekly prompted recognition goal of 45% for the campaign video. The campaign also elicited reactions towards personal susceptibility to skin cancer; with 84% of respondents agreeing the campaign had made them concerned about the serious consequences of skin cancer. In addition, 72% of respondents agreed the advertisement ‘taught them something new’ and almost all survey respondents reported they had already increased their level of sun protection after seeing the advertisements.
Conclusions:
The initial results of the campaign evaluation highlight the effectiveness of advertisements in prompting reactions towards personal susceptibility and efficacy to drive sun protection behaviours. Final results will also assess the impact of the campaign on sun protection attitudes and intentions.