Don’t let a spot become a full stop: Melanoma NZ and TBWA NZ launch awareness campaign hidden in plain sight

For the past few weeks Melanoma New Zealand and TBWA NZ have been demonstrating how easy it is for people to miss changes to spots on their skin as part of a new campaign.

It has been labelled New Zealand’s cancer because we have the highest incidence rate in the world. More than 4,000 Kiwis are diagnosed with melanoma every year and for many, melanoma starts life as a single spot hiding in plain sight.

Noticing new or changing spots and getting a diagnosis and treatment early gives the best chance of survival, however the problem is many New Zealanders simply don’t notice the changes.

All around New Zealand campaign supporters OOHMAA (Out Of Home Media Association Aotearoa – oOh!Media, JCDecaux, QMS, Media5, Ad-Vantage and Bekon), Lotto Powerball, No Ugly, L&P and MetService have had full stops in their advertising change to mimic the way melanoma spots change over time. Designed with Melanoma New Zealand, the changing full stop represents the seven visual signs of melanoma.

OOHMAA supported the campaign by donating sites all across New Zealand and special builds where the melanoma full stop reacted to live UV levels. Lotto Powerball supported the campaign updating their weekly OOH jackpot executions, social and in-store digital signage across their national retail network. L&P donated large format OOH from their latest brand launch campaign ‘Drink Chilled’. MetService updated live weather templates across social with the melanoma full stop and No Ugly supported the campaign on their social channels and on products available at summer festivals.

Revealed on Monday through the NZ Herald and a range of media outlets, the initiative has sparked important conversation about melanoma and how easy it is to miss changing spots on your body.

The full Melanoma New Zealand awareness campaign ‘Don’t let a spot become a full stop’ is now live, using the melanoma full stops to continue driving awareness of how important it is to regularly check your skin for changes. Kiwis are also encouraged to visit the Melanoma New Zealand website (melanoma.org.nz) to find out what to look for.

The melanoma full stop has been designed to reflect the seven visual signs of melanoma across the entire campaign. A series of executions with quotes from melanoma survivors, a video and donation mechanic complete the full suite of campaign assets delivered by TBWANZ.

To further raise awareness of the issue, the melanoma full stop has been turned into a font which is available for designers to download to tell their own melanoma full stop stories.

Says Andrea Newland, chief executive, Melanoma New Zealand “Although it was deliberately easy to miss the spots in the initial advertising, we want it to be a clear message to all New Zealanders that missing new or changing spots on your skin could be deadly. It’s heartbreaking to hear melanoma patients share that they didn’t notice a change until it was too late. If melanoma is caught and treated early enough, then a spot doesn’t have to become a full stop.”

Shane Bradnick, TBWANZ chief creative officer is grateful to the wide range of partners involved: “It’s been amazing that so many big Kiwi brands and media partners got involved and donated their resource and time for such a worthy cause. It has meant so much to Melanoma New Zealand and made us proud to be working in an industry with so much generosity. A big thank you to everyone for being part of it.”

The initiative is supported by a fundraising drive where New Zealanders are invited to text a . (i.e., a full stop) to 2923 to donate $3 to Melanoma New Zealand.

Client: Melanoma New Zealand
Agency: TBWANZ
Video Production Partner: Assembly
Media Agency Partners: OMD & IKON
Font Designer: Alistair McCready
Brand Partners: OOHMAA, Lotto NZ, L&P, MetService and No Ugly
Media Partners: NZME, Stuff, Trade Me, OOHMAA and MetService