Ogilvy Health The Melanoma Law skin cancer uk

Skin Cancer UK calls for change to outdated sunbed legislation

The 'Melanoma Law' campaign, created by Ogilvy Health UK, advocates for a change to the Sunbed Regulation Act

By creative salon

11 April 2024

Skin Cancer UK has unveiled a powerful campaign advocating for a change to the outdated Sunbed Regulation Act, now thirteen years old. Just as regulations have been updated to remind consumers of the dangers of nicotine on cigarette packaging, the campaign calls on the UK government to mandate showing the risks of UV exposure on sunbeds and in salons. The campaign asks for people to sign a Skin Cancer UK petition for the issue to be raised in parliament hosted on www.TheMelanomaLaw.com.

The campaign by Ogilvy Health UK includes OOH, PR, Influence, VOD and social. The striking creative films the process of placing a physical copy of the Sunbed Regulation Act on a sunbed emitting the same amount of UV rays legally allowed. The progressive damage to the paper is used as a stark reminder of the cancerous effects of UV exposure on skin. The burnt legislation will also be used in OOH placements. The OOH goes nationwide today.

The progressive damage to the paper becomes a stark reminder of the cancerous effects of UV exposure on skin, regular sunbed use increases the risk of skin cancer by 60 per cent - and UV radiation is the third biggest cause of cancer in the UK. The campaign includes case studies such as Ross Robinson, a regular sunbed user who found a lesion on his back, as well as other cancer sufferers who’ve been impacted by sunbed use. In one of the executions Ross holds up the crisp paper after being exposed to UV rays in the sunbed.

Skin Cancer UK’s work was driven by an urgent need as sunbed trends tap into a new generation through social media. There have been over 200m TikTok searches on #sunbed in the last 12 months and the hashtag also boasts more than 718 million views, with videos including tanning cream and nasal spray reviews, viral hacks for a deeper tan, ‘GRWM’ style videos for the tanning salon, tips for sunbed newbies and even creators sharing alternative tips for sunbed. This is coupled with household names like Kim Kardashian jumping on viral trends – most notable ‘I’m... of course I...’ - to then show a tanning bed in her home office.

John McPartland, ECD, Ogilvy Health said: “So much has changed in society in the last 13 years, the Sunbed Regulation Act as it stands simply isn’t fit for purpose. The huge spike in social media trends around using sunbeds in the last year is a reminder why we need to act now. Young people are seeing all the perceived benefits of using sunbeds on social media but aren’t being reminded of the dangers their use presents in later life.”