Rugby League legend Johnny Raper’s melanoma wake up call inspires Publicis Mojo Sydney creative team’s campaign for National Shade Day
A new awareness campaign for Melanoma Institute Australia has launched, fronted by rugby league great Johnny Raper, a member of the St George Illawarra Immortals, to highlight the dangers of melanoma, and the importance of being sun-wise as the warmer weather approaches.
The community service announcement (CSA) was conceived and produced by Publicis Mojo Sydney after its creative team were personally inspired by Johnny‟s skin cancer survival story. Upon hearing of Johnny‟s close call at an MIA fundraising event in 2010, they immediately began working up ideas for television, radio and print.
With the highest recorded incidence in the world, melanoma can sadly be considered Australia‟s national cancer, with many thousands of Australians touched by it. The aim of the campaign is to provide heightened community awareness in order to help raise much-needed funds around National Shade Day on Friday, September 2, when we are all reminded to take care of our skin in the sun. Money raised will go towards vital research into finding a cure for deadly melanoma.
Lead by Mojo, a core team was mobilised to develop, produce, promote and place the CSA spot. Undertaken as a pro-bono project, Mojo was also supported by the team at Toyota thanks to its ongoing relationship with MIA, and joined by the following partners who donated their time to bring the campaign to life: Cutting Edge, The Finch Company, Song Zu, The Media Store, Haystac Public Affairs, and of course Johnny Raper himself.
Set on the beach, the creative depicts a pensive Raper looking out to sea while his voice-over recounts his ‘attack’. It becomes apparent that the melanoma is being likened to a shark attack, highlighting the sudden way the cancer can strike, without warning. Many people might worry about shark attacks at the beach, but in reality, there is a far greater danger to fear from the sun‟s potentially harmful UV rays.
Says Mojo team leader Davin Power: “Too many Australians, young and old, lose their lives to melanoma. Many of these deaths are preventable and so we felt very passionate and privileged to support this initiative and to help advance the work of Melanoma Institute Australia”.
Visit the site for more information about National Shade Day on Friday, September 2 or to make a donation; make a pledge to wear a hat on National Shade Day, or sign up to hold a fundraising event.
Credits
Mojo: Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer: Craig Davis
Writer: Roy Faulkner
Art Director: Paul Battye
Team Leader: Davin Power
Account Executive: Danielle Davies
TV Producer: Penny Brown
Art Buyer: Alison Dunlop
Toyota:
Wayne Gabriel
Amanda Dillon
Rosa Palibrk
Cutting Edge:
Editor: Joe Morris
Colourist: Yoomin Lee Flame
Artist: Hugh Seville
Producer: Abby Buick The Finch Company:
Director: Alexander Roberts
Producer: Camilla Denhert & Michael Hilliard
DOP: Jules O’Loughlan
Song Zu:
Producer: Larssa Coupe
Engineer: Alex Mills
Composer: Ramesh Sathiah TMS
Andrew Lamb
Sandra Wiles
Peta Heinsen
Tanya Thaw
Karen Brennan
Haystac Public Affairs
Megan Kirkcaldie
Matt Ellenby
8 Comments
nice work boys
Great spot.
I hope that it gets on TV as a CSA or whatever. It won’t do much good on a website or in social media. A great story for everyone, but those at greatest risk 55+ don’t spend that much time online.
I wonder what the drop off is in demographic for those that remember Johnny for the legendary bloke he is.
Please get it on TV!
Go the dragons!
Nice work Roy and Paul. Good on you.
Nice one gents.
This is a fantastic CSA and I agree, it should be on TV. But it is important that a broad younger people see this as well. It’s not just the 55+ age group that are at risk of melanoma – in fact melanoma is the most common cancer in Australians aged 15-44.
i think I saw this on the telly but I did’n get it was Johhny Rapper. Poor bastard.
A great effort by everyone.