The campaign’ Serious Foreplay’ won Gold in Healthcare & Pharma at The Drum Awards for Marketing. It aimed to make skin cancer prevention thrilling and intimate, turning the act of skin-checking into a fun, memorable, and life-saving activity.
Let’s be honest, talking about skin cancer isn’t exactly a sexy dinner conversation. But here’s the thing - the most common cancer in the U.S. is also one of the most preventable…if caught early. With Serious Foreplay, we decided to make it impossible for people to forget to check their skin by making the act of skin-checking as thrilling as any other kind of foreplay.
We took a topic that is often buried in medical jargon and turned it into something people couldn’t stop talking about. The goal was to encourage couples to take a more active approach to skin cancer prevention and shift the conversation from being a clinical “must-do” into an intimate, fun, and life-saving act. But how could we break the boundaries of typical health campaigns? Well, let’s just say Serious Foreplay got a little… cheeky.
It started with a bold approach. Sexy, playful, and just a tad provocative. The insight came from a real moment where one of our team members found a mole on her partner’s body during a very intimate moment, which turned out to be cancerous. The lesson? Sometimes, it’s the most personal moments that can save your life. So, why not make those moments even more meaningful?
We set out to use sensuality to get people excited about something serious. We aimed for an unforgettably fun and memorable campaign that would break through the clutter, and we succeeded.
When it comes to a topic like skin cancer, the last thing people expect is to have fun. But that’s exactly what we aimed to do. Here’s how we made it happen:
Forget what you think you know about health education. We handed out free Karmole Sutra cards to couples, making skin checks more exciting than a date night. These cards weren’t just quirky; they were loaded with information about how to check your partner’s skin—disguised as positions like “Reverse the Risk Cowgirl” and “Woman on Top of Her Health.” We turned the art of foreplay into an educational moment, all while making sure it stayed sultry and fun. Who knew that checking for moles could get this sexy?
Why settle for “health influencers” when you could bring in sex-positive, body-positive influencers? We teamed up with icons like Dr. Carlton Thomas and Danielle Bezalel, who brought a real and raw approach to health advocacy. They took the message directly to their audiences, telling them to check for moles before reaching the big O. These influencers didn’t just share content; they lived it, making the skin-checking process feel as natural as, well, any other intimate ritual. They helped bypass platform restrictions, creating viral, authentic content that reached millions and sparked meaningful conversations about health.
We made our media placements talk. Our video ads were as provocative as they were educational—combining the steamy allure of sensuality with the practical need for skin checks. The content was specifically designed to educate audiences on the ABCDEs of moles, all while making them think twice about their own skin health. We made sure these videos were placed where they’d generate conversation—on sexual wellness, health, and dating platforms.
Our earned media push made Serious Foreplay an even bigger conversation. By aligning the campaign with Valentine’s Day, we tapped into a cultural moment and got top-tier coverage in wellness, health, and lifestyle outlets. This wasn’t just about spreading awareness—it was about making a statement and having it echoed across high-profile media channels.
Serious Foreplay set out to become a movement, and despite a modest budget, the impact was anything but modest. The results showcased how creativity, humor, and boldness can drive powerful change:
But the real success? During the campaign development, an art director working on the project discovered a mole in a private area that needed to be excised and biopsied. This marked overall success enough for us!
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