Brazil has the highest rate of solar radiation in the world. On top of that, over 70 million Brazilians work under the sun all year long. It’s not surprising that skin cancer is the most common cancer in Brazil, with melanoma causing 75% of skin cancer deaths.

And 99% of these deaths could have been prevented with an early diagnosis. This is not difficult, because it is possible to identify melanoma with only the eyes. In fact, a visual inspection of suspicious skin lesions by a clinician using the naked eye is usually the first of a series of 'tests' to diagnose melanoma.

Even though it is an easy and simple test, people die from melanoma simply because they don’t have the knowledge to identify the odd moles effectively.

The objective was to make people aware of the importance of self-examination and knowing how to identify odd moles.

Have you ever noticed that a melanoma mole looks like a cookie? We decided to turn Brazilians’ undying love for cookies into something that saves lives. We created DiagnostiCookies, the easiest guide to identifying melanoma. Each box contained a side-by-side comparison of cookies resembling healthy moles and melanoma moles, showing the differences in size, color, shape, and texture.

Melanoma moles might have uneven borders, be bigger than 6 millimeters, be asymmetrical, have a variety of colors, or evolve their characteristics over time. Besides the cookies, the box also came with a guide to identifying these signs, and motivated people to perform a visual skin cancer screening on themselves, friends, and their loved ones. The guide also explained that if a mole changes characteristics, it could be a sign of malignant transformation and motivated people to seek a doctor for consultation if needed.

Helping people identify melanoma moles and seek earlier medical care to avoid progression or death are the most important steps in fighting skin cancer. Education is key. Patients die from melanoma simply because they don’t have the knowledge to identify the odd moles effectively.

Since Brazilians are obsessed with cookies and because of cookies’ resemblance to moles, we thought this could be a simple and fun idea that could finally break through the clutter.

We distributed the boxes in cookie stores and clinics so people could learn about self-examination. We also distributed the boxes to doctors across the country who needed an easier guide to teach their patients.

Starting a month before Melanoma Awareness Month in Brazil, we partnered with one of the most influential dermatology clinics in Brazil: Horaios.

DiagnostiCookies boxes were sent to dermatologists (KOLs) so they could use them to teach their patients. The cookies were also placed in stores and distributed in the streets of Brazil. We also sent boxes to influencers and celebrities so they could help to spread the word. And to make it even more scalable, we created a site that would have the same information as the box, and we recorded doctor interviews so people could learn even more.

Each box came with a guide to identifying these signs, and motivated people to make a visual skin cancer screening on themselves and their loved ones. The guide also explained that if a mole changes characteristics, it could be a sign of malignant transformation and motivated people to seek a doctor.

The idea was launched on social media and almost immediately became a social hit, garnering 60 million views in less than 24 hours.

And then the impossible happened. With no paid media, more than a dozen Brazilian celebrities and even a CNN reporter showed their support online. One celebrity is a very famous TV host named Sabrina Sato with 31.5 million followers and the other is a very famous singer named Simaria with 27.9 followers.

The CNN journalist said that "DiagnostiCookies is an idea that will help many people discover melanoma in time to treat it safely!"

We also had 320% increase in clinic website views.