Influential has recruited local children to help spearhead a campaign designed to make us rethink our sun safety habits.
Launched this month, Block the Sun, Not the Fun is the latest initiative from North West Cancer Research, shining a spotlight on the importance of wearing sunscreen – even in cloudy weather.
In-depth interviews carried out by Influential found that parents in the region are not as stringent with their own sun safety measures as they are with their children’s – leaving them exposed to the risks of skin cancer.
So, in a bid to change attitudes and shift behaviours, the team created a mini news report-style video to sit at the heart of the campaign, featuring three local youngsters starring as a newsreader, a weatherman and a roving reporter.
The light-hearted film highlights the importance of everyone wearing SPF during both sunny and overcast days, telling the audience: “…even you, grown-ups!”
Karen Swan, director at Influential, said: “After speaking with parents from across the North West, it was clear that, while they place great importance on applying sunscreen to their children, they were less likely to apply it to themselves.
“Some parents acknowledged that they didn’t realise the risk of skin damage can be just as high on cloudy days, so their responses helped us shape our campaign and gave us a clear goal – to change the perception around sun protection.
“Our campaign video is the centrepiece to the campaign and helps deliver our message in a playful way, while maintaining the strong call to action and encouraging people to rethink how they protect themselves from the sun.”
Block the Sun, Not the Fun will run throughout the summer, with both PR and paid media campaigns scheduled to be in place over the coming months.
Cara Newton, head of marketing and fundraising at North West Cancer Research, said: “In the North West, there is a clear pattern of cancer rates being higher than the national average, something which we are dedicated to changing through our research.
“Skin cancer is 13% more likely in the North West, but this is a figure that can be reduced for future generations if we all take the necessary steps to be safer in the sun.
“We run a sun safety campaign every summer but, this year, wanted to do it differently, so we’re really excited to see this concept come to life and hopefully make a difference.”
