The Melanoma plaster transforms an everyday item into one that could save lives, with just one simple modification. And it creates a strong emotional reaction – the kind that results in action. The product is also the medium, delivering a potentially life-saving message to people where and when it matters most: on their skin, right as they are caring for their skin. Technology has found more and more ways to intercept our lives, but when it comes to taking care of our bodies, sometimes the simplest solution is the most powerful.

Skin cancer is common. 1 in 5 people will have it at some point in their lifetime. And of all the types of skin cancer, melanoma is the deadliest. If it’s treated early, melanoma is 99% curable. But if it’s detected and treated late then it could be too late, as the survival rate drops to around 27% if it spreads.

Survival depends on early detection. But hardly anyone checks their skin, so how will they detect it?

There are thousands of health apps designed to help identify the signs, but when only 4% of people in Germany say they actually use disease prevention apps, technology is not the answer.

NIVEA Sun stands for healthy, protected skin. And they wanted to make more people aware of melanoma and, most importantly, to get people to check their skin.??So they stuck melanoma directly onto people’s skin.

The Melanoma Plaster: simple plasters printed with melanoma – creating a powerful reminder for people to check their skin each time they use one. Melanoma can affect anyone, so an everyday product that people keep in their homes was the ideal medium to deliver this life-saving message. And as people stick it directly onto the skin, it reaches them in a way that technology does not – intercepting in a moment of self care.

?NIVEA Sun is committed to protecting skin, and wanted to create real behavioural change to tackle a major threat to skin health – melanoma. Because very few people check their skin regularly, despite knowing the risks.

So NIVEA Sun put the solution in the hands of customers with an everyday, household item. People use plasters in moments of self care – the perfect time to reach them with this message. Plus they’re visible, so people talk about them and the message spreads further.

The Melanoma Plaster was given to customers in NIVEA stores in Germany, with bold displays and OOHs. Additionally, social media influencers shared unboxing videos with information on what to look for.

A melanoma detection guide appeared on the box by a link to NIVEA Sun’s Skin Cancer Awareness portal. The activation played into NIVEA Sun's other skin cancer initiatives and was not part of a larger campaign.

Working with a dermatologist, NIVEA Sun printed photo-realistic melanoma onto medical grade plasters, each depicting one of the five key early-stage symptoms of the disease. Plasters were also crafted in a variety of skin tones, enabling people to see how melanoma could appear on their own skin.

‘These could help save your life’ is the first thing people read when they see the box, printed using NIVEA Sun’s design language and striking colours.

The packaging was also transformed into a helpful melanoma detection resource, with the ABCDE of melanoma to guide people through the symptoms and a QR code linking people directly to NIVEA Sun’s Skin Cancer Awareness portal.

An in-store launch launch was supported by out-of-home and digital communications.

In total, 5000 boxes of plasters made their way to NIVEA stores, and the first batch needed restocking just two days after the launch. ?On social media, influencers shared plaster unboxings with the hashtag #SaveYourSkin, and traffic to NIVEA Sun’s Skin Cancer Awareness portal multiplied – marking a new chapter in NIVEA’s fight against skin cancer.