2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

When you’re 18, worrying about skin cancer is the last thing on your mind. Yet, it’s young people who love spending time outdoors, tanning at the beach, and rarely use sunscreen. So how do you get them to listen?

Creative Execution

We allowed students themselves to unknowingly demonstrate how skin can be damaged by excessive exposure. This allowed them to willingly engage with the medium. So when the message was revealed - the skin cancer is the result of a similar kind of exposure - there was no ignoring the communication that they have helped to create.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

It began by picking an unusual medium – the wooden surface of coffee tables in universities. These are commonly vandalized, doodled on, carved with sharp objects, dirtied and used as ashtrays. Young people were made part of the message. Especially designed tabletops were created, each featuring a close-up picture of human skin. These were left them exposed to university students, who naturally damaged them. After three weeks, a sticker was placed on the tables, revealing a message that the students themselves have helped to create: “If You Think This Is Bad, Look Up Skin Cancer.”

Results

The message sparked a conversation about skin cancer among American University in Dubai’s 3,000 students. The buzz prompted the staff to include lectures on skin cancer as part of the mandatory orientation given to all new enrollees. A regular seminar hosted by a dermatologist will also now take place periodically in the university.