TBWA Team Up with TikTok to Tell You That Tanning Is Cooked

Australia has many claims to fame: the world's best beaches, sporting prowess… and the highest incidence of skin cancer anywhere in the world. It's our national cancer. 

To begin to reframe Australians’ perception of attractiveness when it comes to tanning, TikTok Australia has partnered with Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) to inspire Gen Zs to lose the tan this summer. 

'Tanning. That's Cooked' will use humour to throw shade at tanning, highlighting not just the dangers of lying in the sun, but the absurdity of the act itself. 

TikTok general manager, Brett Armstrong said research shows humour works with this demographic rather than serious health messages.   

"The campaign is inviting TikTok creators to use humour to throw shade at tanning in their own authentic way, helping spread the word and change the behaviour this summer. 

"We've seen first-hand the impact TikTok can have on driving cultural change with younger demographics through campaigns with the United Nations and Movember. To further this work on our platform, we'll be kicking off a world-first initiative in 2023, the TikTok for Good Launchpad, focused on helping not-for-profit organisations and their creative partners get world- class CSR campaigns off the ground."

Melanoma Institute Australia CEO, Matthew Browne said TikTok was the right partner to help deliver its message to young Australians. 

"Our medical directors put out a plea about the urgent need to stop the glamourisation of tanning, to save young lives, and we are delighted TikTok provided its support, led by our creative partner, TBWA.

One Aussie is diagnosed with melanoma every 30 minutes; and melanoma claims more lives than the national road toll. Tanning is actually skin cells in trauma. There is no safe way of sun tanning, including the concept of getting a protective ‘base tan’ at the start of summer. That’s like saying smoking a few cigarettes a day will protect you from developing lung cancer. We encourage people to seek shade."

Evan Roberts, TBWA Sydney chief creative officer, says, “Tanning is deeply ingrained in our culture, arguably more than any other country. We believe this peer-to-peer approach to highlighting the absurdity of tanning is the key to changing those perceptions. We hope that this generation can deliver a new era of sun safety.”

TikTok will actively promote the creator content, which means everyone aged between 20 and 39 will see the campaign. It will also ban the #sunburn challenge  and the #tanning challenge. Both will feature a pop-up link to Melanoma Institute Australia to educate its community.    

"We're humbled to work alongside talented individuals from both Melanoma Institute Australia and TBWA to bring this campaign to life and help save lives." Brett Armstrong said.

Tanning. That's Cooked will begin on the first day of Summer, 1 December. 

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