We found an issue most Australians can identify with... melanoma... and put Watson to work.

Melanoma kills 1 Australian every 6 hours. It is our deadliest skin cancer but, ironically, one of the easiest to treat... survival rates can top 98%. The key is identifying melanoma early.

In partnership with the Melanoma Institute and Molemap, IBM is working to help skin cancer experts detect melanoma sooner and more accurately.

How accurately?

Currently clinicians can successfully detect melanoma at about 60% with the naked eye. That improves to 80%+ through dermoscopy. The target for IBM Watson? 91% accuracy. That’s 13,000 lives every year that could be directly affected.

But Watson needed data. Lots of data.

We engaged all Australians to tell Watson their melanoma story. A tweet, a post, a photo, or even an interaction without the Watson Smart Mirror would help. By sharing their stories, Australians can help save lives.

Melanoma doesn’t discriminate.

It affects everyone the same. Men and women. Young and old. Famous and unknown. Different ethnicities and religions. So creatively our executions featuring a range of Australian faces and voices.

We started the conversation on social media with survival stories from Australian celebrities:

- Mack Horton... Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer

- Deborah Hutton... Media personality

- ‘Deano’, ‘Harries’ and ‘Kerrbox’... Lifeguards featured on ‘Bondi Rescue’ TV Show

This was followed by pre-roll video, display and print advertising featuring eight everyday Australians adding their perspectives to the conversation.

In the week before the event we ran radio spots featuring three melanoma stories and the voice of Watson himself asking listeners to join in, with extra campaign participation driven by live reads.

And finally Bondi Surf Bathers’ Lifesaving Club, the venue for the activation, was dressed in the livery of IBM Outthink Melanoma and calls made to local media.

Every benchmark was smashed:

- We generated 4.88 million engagements from 45.6 million media impressions

- Our celebrity films attracted 4.25 million views.

- Twitter generated approximately 8.2 million impressions.

- Facebook posts reached 4.4 million.

- Australian Financial Review ran our story on page 3, addressing our C-Suite audience.

- Tech AU extensively covered the story for our IT professionals.

- Bondi activation was listed as the day’s top event on high traffic sites including EventFinda and Experience Sydney.

- All 4 national broadcasters covered the story… including Channel 7, Australia’s highest rating news.

- Generated 6 in-depth radio interviews… including the ABC which doesn’t take commercials.

- 22% of people who met Watson had an on-site skin check

- 40% were then referred onto a dermatologist.

- Some had suspicious moles identified then removed – like Ian Kelsall.

- And we’re just getting started.