Melanoma remains the only preventable cancer for which the mortality rate has not declined over the last few decades. People know about the signs of potential skin cancer but they are simply unwilling to take the leap of a systematic and regular mole check, being self- or dermatologist provided. How to get them to finally take that leap? By setting a good example. Boring? Not when you use an unexpected yet dramatically cute role model like puppies. We chose Dalmatians… for their beauty spots. We designed an integrated campaign around the ABCDE Method, a referent dermatological skin-checking tool, leveraging a strong insight “you do more for the health of the people you love than for your own health” and using a family of Dalmatians as ambassadors, with the objective to recruit an “army” of Skin Checkers.

The campaign began with a seeding and teasing phase on social media and amongst digital influencers. On the day of the launch, the video was released and redirected users to the Skin Checker landing page where they could : watch the full version of the video, find information about skin cancer, share the word with friends, follow the progression of the campaign on an interactive map, book their appointment to a free skincheck with a dermatologist and most importantly : discover, read and download the ABCDE method.

At the same time, POS material, press articles and print advertising also redirected people towards the landing page and the ABCDE method.

So far, this integrated campaign has been rolled out in 32 countries, in 20 languages and through more than 7 different media.

Around 18,7 million skin checkers have been recruited through social media despite a limited media budget. With more than 14 million views and counting, the video drove massive traffic to the campaign’s landing page and generated conversations with an average of 1 tweet every 5 minutes, for 7 months. In some countries, the sharing rate of the video went up to 21,40% on Facebook.

This campaign got a lot of attention on the web and increased the number of Facebook fans by 20% (+ 300 000). Hundreds of articles on blogs and in the press talked about the campaign, and the video even made it to the most viewed morning show in Australia!