The last thing a typical teen wants in the summer is to appear pasty white. So last spring, when the Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA) decided to target teens on the
dangers of ultraviolet radiation, they knew it would be no sunny walk in the park. "Sun Awareness Campaign 2000," a summer-long campaign developed and launched last May for the
CDA by GCI Group's Canadian offices, educated teens on health risks associated with sun exposure, which can include the sometimes-fatal skin cancer melanoma.
According to the CDA, approximately 60 to 70 percent of cancers in Canada could be prevented if Canadians adopted healthier lifestyles. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates
that cases of melanoma, the most common type of cancer for Canadians aged 15-35, have nearly doubled since 1989. But it wouldn't be easy to get teens to slather on sunscreen and
cover up with hats and long sleeves.
Teens are notorious for two things: their sun-worshipping ways and their deep-seated belief that they are teflon-coated with respect to anything health threatening.
Unfortunately, traditional PR tactics (i.e., news releases and primetime PSAs) have little impact on their behavior. "Getting a bunch of articles in the papers is nice," says
Nancy Croitoru, president of GCI Canada. "But teenagers don't read the papers, their parents do. And it's not like teens listen to their parents."
"Kids listen to kids," emphasizes Suzie McMeans, senior consultant for technology with the GCI group, who helped direct the campaign. "We were going to make this cool and fun,"
she says, "throwing in a little sex appeal."
Satirizing Sun TV
Cool, fun and sexy it was, though CDA's budget was far too meager to hire Christina Aguilera. GCI went for the next best thing and spoofed a show featuring David Hasselhoff.
Several young athletic, pale actors were recruited to be on the "Raywatch" team ("Raywatch" is a play on "Baywatch," the long-running series about beautiful lifeguards who never
seem to worry about being in the sun ad infinitum.).
A photo shoot on Toronto beaches to launch Sun Awareness Campaign 2000 was followed by the "Raywatch" kids making the rounds at music festivals, youth-oriented conventions, and
sporting events, from Halifax to Vancouver. Dressed in bucket hats, wrap-around sunglasses, lightweight khakis and red shirts emblazoned with the "Raywatch" logo, the team worked
the crowds with bottles of sunscreen and information on sun safety tips, spreading the message that "it's cool to cover up." A bona fide dermatologist accompanied them for all
appearances to provide advice and lend staid perspective to the goofy campaign.
Music Underscores the Message
The GCI team also knew that reaching out through pop music would be a sure hit with the under-20 crowd. So they teamed up with what GCI's McMeans calls "the fastest way to
reach the youth in Canada," or Much Music, the Canadian version of MTV. A 30-second spot was produced, featuring a 16 year-old girl who's lovely, youthful hand time-lapses into a
wrinkled, unattractive hand, visually exposing the dangers of unprotected time in the sun over many years.
McMeans says Much Music gave them a "good deal" on the spot, costing roughly$40,000 to produce and air. It ran for three weeks, playing three times more than expected because
it was used as filler for overnight unsold ad space -- a time when the most likely TV watchers are midnight-oil burning teens.
Carrying through with the idea that music can bridge the gulf between teens and adults, the GCI team developed promotions with Much Music plus eight major pop radio stations
and Canada's top fashion magazine, Flare. They sent each media outlet five "sun safety kits" to give away as contest or promotional prizes. The kits were filled to brimming
with the same pants, hats, and sunglasses sported by the "Raywatch" team. They also contained sunscreen, safe sun information and coupons for Starbucks coffee, movie theaters, and
other products related to indoor activities. The outlets could use the shwag in any away they wished, provided they adhered to a set of guidelines that McMeans and her team drew
up that communicated the campaign's key messages.
Sunny Results
Says Dr. Lynn From, head of dermatology for Women's College Hospital and National Director for the campaign, "We didn't expect teenagers to change their minds overnight... But
we've reached an awful lot of people."
A great volume of media hits indicate the campaign's success. The Much Music spot had a three-week run that exceeded a measured audience of 11,660,000. Radio, print, and
broadcast news coverage of all the campaign's targets totaled 17,000,000. This is very respectable given both Canada's population (roughly 30 million) and the campaign's modest
budget of roughly $80,000 (about $120,000 Canadian.)
The Raywatch team handed out 100 pounds of sunscreen at five major events around Canada. Two team members were chosen as The Toronto Sun's "Sunshine Girl" and "Sunshine
Boy". To top it off, the campaign recently won the 2001 Fifth Annual Gold Triangle Award from the American Academy of Dermatology, which recognized the campaign for excellence in
a non-profit communications campaign. From says she believes it's the first time the award has been given to Canadians.
"We were extremely efficient as a team, looking for as much sponsorship as we could..." says McMeans. "And we had a lot of fun doing something fulfilling and for the greater
good."
Case Study
One of the GCI Group's best PR coups of the Sun Awareness Campaign 2000 was made using an unusual tactic, even for PR: guilt. The Toronto Sun features a daily "Sunshine
Girl" and "Sunshine Boy," photos of scantily-clad young adults supplemented with information about their social lives (i.e., likes long walks on the beach, cuddling, saving small
furry animals from euthanasia, etc.) "We guilted them into featuring [two Raywatch models as "Sunshine Boy" and "Girl"] because they were sending the wrong message," says McMeans.
It wasn't easy to convince the paper that they were spreading "unsafe sun" practices, but McMeans says when they finally caved it was well worth the effort, getting free press in
one of Canada's biggest dailies.
Contacts: Nancy Croitoru, GCI Group, 416/486-7218; Suzie McMeans, GCI group, 416/486-7229; Dr. Lynn From, CDA Campaign Director 800/267-3376
Facts & Figures
Campaign Time Frame: May-September, 2000
CDA Campaign Budget: Total: $112,000, includes consulting fees of $37,000
CDA Key Players: Dr. Lynn From GCI Key Players: NancyCroitoru; Suzie McMeans; Francine Beck
Campaign Battle Cry: "It's Cool to Cover Up"