SunSmart campaign history

Building on the work carried out in 2008, Cancer Research UK’s 2009 SunSmart campaign again targeted teenagers and young adults aged 12-24 years. The campaign aimed to raise awareness of the dangers of sunbeds and sunburn, as well as offering practical tips for protecting skin in the sun.

Teenagers and young adults were chosen as the key target group for the 2009 SunSmart campaign because:

• Excessive sun exposure and sunburn during early life affect melanoma risk later on in life.
• Malignant Melanoma is the third most common cancer in 15-24 year olds, accounting for 12% of all cancer cases diagnosed in this age group.
• Teenagers and young adults are a key sun-seeking group and less likely to stay safe in the sun.
• Using a sunbed significantly increases your risk of skin cancer, particularly when you start at a young age.

The campaign launched with the news that melanoma skin cancer is now the most common cancer in women in their 20s. Almost every day of the year in the UK a woman between 20 and 29 is diagnosed with the deadliest form of skin cancer. Furthermore, Cancer Research UK statisticians predicted that melanoma will be the fourth most common cancer in men and in women by 2024.

Campaign activity in 2009

• Understanding Views of Sunburn - Qualitative Research: We commissioned some research to better understand attitudes to sunburn among a range of different people. The findings were instrumental in the development of targeted messages and resources. Read the findings of this research.
• Sunburn resources: Two new resources were developed to illustrate the long-term damage caused by sunburn. The ‘sunburn fades / sun damage lasts’ postcard and poster highlighted the fact that getting a painful sunburn just once every two years can triple the risk of the most serious type of skin cancer.
• iPledge aimed to help young people to bridge the gap between awareness and sun protection behaviour. Users made a pledge to be SunSmart over the summer, and points were awarded for making and completing pledges online. At the end of each month three lucky people were entered into a draw to win an iPod; the more points that a user had, the greater their chance of winning an iPod. iPledge was shared between users online through peer-to-peer social networking on Facebook Connect. The project was evaluated to assess its impact on awareness and behaviour change, and results are currently being analysed. For more information contact the SunSmart team.
• Skindividualism was an online youth-focused PR campaign. The aim of the campaign was to encourage 16-18 year olds to protect their skin from sun damage. Skindividualism was populated online via peer-to-peer social networking and the largest social network won a private gig to see Ladyhawke in London. The campaign was effective in promoting SunSmart messaging across a number of youth-focused media channels. Results from pre- and post-intervention testing also showed a positive shift in self-reported attitudes towards sun protection. For more information contact the SunSmart team.
• Skin cancer case study videos: We developed six new videos people from across the UK speaking about their personal experience of malignant melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.
• Sunburn animation: We developed an animation to illustrate the long-term damage done to skin by sunburn. The video was promoted virally on the social networking website Facebook and has proven to be a popular resource on the Cancer Research UK YouTube page.
• SunSmart schools competition: This competition provided schools with an opportunity to get pupils thinking about SunSmart in a creative way. Twelve winning schools received grants to build shade structures on their premises.
• Early Detection of Melanoma in Men - Awareness Pilot: Launched in partnership with Merseyside and Cheshire Cancer Network, this project targeted men aged 50-plus with information about the signs and symptoms of melanoma. Evaluation of the project indicated that it was an effective way of raising awareness of early detection issues amongst a high-risk group. For more information contact the SunSmart team.

In 2008 we focused on teenagers and young adults aged 12-24 years. The key messages were the importance of avoiding sunburn and the dangers of sunbed use (especially by those under 18).

Teenagers and young adults were chosen as the key target group for the 2008 SunSmart campaign because

• Excessive sun exposure and sunburn during early life affect melanoma risk later on in life.
• Malignant melanoma is the third most common cancer in 15-24 year olds, accounting for 13% of all cancer cases diagnosed in this age group*
• Teenagers and young adults are a key sun-seeking group and less likely to stay safe in the sun.
• Using a sunbed significantly increases your risk of skin cancer, particularly when you start at a young age.

* excludes non-melanoma skin cancer

The SunSmart website was updated to reflect the campaign’s strategic focus on young people and sunbed users, and new social media forums were established on Facebook and MySpace.

In the summer of 2008 we launched targeted PR activity to raise awareness of the dangers of sunbed use amongst young people. Sunbed Trauma was a piece of street theatre carried out on the streets of Leicester, Manchester and Newcastle to address some of the common misconceptions around sunbed use (see video below). The activity helped contribute to the continued success of SunSmart in the local media, with at least 27 pieces of coverage during the week of the activity.

2008 was also a great year for developing our relationship with other key organisations involved in raising awareness of skin cancer and sun protection. SunSmart strengthened links with Cancer Networks across England and presented material at a number of international conferences.

A key achievement of the 2008 campaign came in the summer when the Scottish Government agreed to legislate to better regulate sunbed salons. This decision followed a concerted lobbying campaign by Ken Macintosh MSP, supported by Cancer Research UK and a number of other stakeholders.

In 2007 we focused on offering sun protection advice to people going on holiday. We identified holidaymakers as a key audience for the campaign because:

• 40% of people were abroad the last time they had sunburn. Sunburn can double your risk of skin cancer.
• As a nation, we are taking more holidays abroad. In 2005 we took a record 44.2 million holiday trips overseas.
• Intermittent intense sun exposure, such as the sun exposure you get on holiday, increases your risk of malignant melanoma by up to 70%.

To help holidaymakers reduce their risk of skin cancer we stressed the importance of avoiding sunburn. New website pages offered tips for how to have a SunSmart trip and we visited airports and beaches around the country to raise awareness of the importance of sun protection.

In summer 2007 we also developed new resources explaining the dangers of using sunbeds. The leaflets and posters show 'before and after' images of skin which had been damaged by sunbed use. They explain the truth behind common tanning myths give facts sunbeds and skin cancer.

In 2006 we changed our focus to skin cancer prevention amongst men and outdoor workers. Although fewer men than women develop malignant melanoma, melanoma survival rates are worse in men than in women. We raised awareness of the importance of early detection with a new skin cancer kills poster and flyer. This was accompanied by a SunSmart strategies for the workplace factsheet for outdoor workers.

At the end of September 2006 we moved the SunSmart web pages to their current location within Cancer Research UK's News and Resources website. This move made the website technically more flexible and will help us to offer interactive services in the future.

In September 2006 we also organised a Sunbed Symposium at our offices in London. At this meeting we discussed the latest evidence and research regarding the use of sunbeds in the UK. This will remain a focus in 2007.

Developing our contacts with schools, in 2005 we developed a range of resources for teachers to use in the classroom. These included worksheets and activity plans for both nurseries and primaries. That spring we wrote to all UK schools with a copy of our SunSmart school policy guidelines and links to teaching resources.

We had an enthusiastic response to our resources and thousands of entries into our "draw a SunSmart me" nursery and primary competition. Most schools returned an evaluation form with their competition entries and these were used to evaluate our activities alongside online feedback forms.

During 2005 concerns about vitamin D deficiency began to hit the headlines in earnest. We responded by re-examining our evidence base and continuing to provide balanced and accurate information on skin cancer and sun protection. Cancer Research UK pointed out that we never advised people to stay out of the sun completely. However we did recognise the need to provide tailored advice to people at high risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Building on the publicity generated in 2003, in 2004 we focused on children and young people. We produced a new poster showing two little boys going red on a beach with the slogan Kids cook quick! Both professionals and the public told us the poster was eye-catching and thought-provoking. You can still order copies today!

Alongside our public communication campaign about the dangers of burning when young we began to develop resources for schools. We wrote the SunSmart school policy guidelines for nursery, primary and secondary schools with the help of teachers and parents. We developed the guidelines to enable schools to devise a sun protection policy that was right for them.

In 2004 we ran the first SunSmart primary school competition to design a SunSmart hat. We also spoke to older pupils at 'popwatch' events around the country. To evaluate these activities we visited schools in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and talked to teachers about what they wanted from our campaign.

After receiving funding from the UK Health Departments, Cancer Research UK launched the SunSmart campaign in March 2003. We began with a  press release about how Britain has more skin cancer deaths than Australia, which generated coverage from major newspapers, radio stations and television channels.

In this first year we also developed the SunSmart code with the help of skin cancer experts. To promote the code we distributed postcards and posters free of charge to health professionals working with local communities. We also created a website to help communicate our messages and ran sun awareness events around the UK.