F.Y.I.

Melanoma Institute Australia launches digital campaign of flagship fundraiser

Melanoma Insitute Australia has launched a digital form of its flagship fundraising campaign, Melanoma March.

The announcement:

Not-for-profit organisation Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) has launched an innovative digital remake of its flagship Melanoma March campaign which raises awareness and funds to combat one of Australia’s biggest killers.

This year is the 10th anniversary of Melanoma March, but due to COVID the traditional family-friendly physical events around the country have been replaced with a month-long interactive digital campaign that all Australians can step up and take part in.

With the campaign tag line, ‘Leave your footprint on melanoma and help us cover Australia’, everyone is asked to buy a $30 digital footprint in support of the one Aussie every 30 minutes who is told they have melanoma. Each footprint is then personalised with a message of support or hope, and shared to socials to spread the word.

The campaign has been derived by the Communications and Fundraising team at MIA and is supported by a fresh and simple one-page campaign website www.melanomamarch.org.au. It has easy to navigate tools to personalise the footprints and share directly to socials, as well as a map of Australia that is progressively covered in footprints as the fundraising tally inches closer to the $500,000 target. A dynamic social aggregator shows footprints with heartfelt personal messages as they are posted.

Jennifer Durante, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Melanoma Institute Australia, said the decision to go digital was to protect the campaign from potential COVID lockdowns, and still provide Australians with a way to get personal in their support of what is known as Australia’s national cancer.

‘Melanoma March is our flagship annual awareness and fundraising campaign where communities come together to not only raise vital funds, but also to support each other and remember family and friends lost to melanoma,’ Ms Durante said.

‘With last year’s events cancelled just as COVID hit, and following the recent snap lockdowns on Sydney’s northern beaches and in Brisbane, Perth and Victoria, we had to quickly come up with an alternative to holding physical events which still enabled vital fundraising and Aussies to remember and support those impacted by melanoma.

‘The result is an emotive and powerful digital campaign, which is fuelling lifesaving research to find new treatments to save lives from melanoma.’

Amongst the well-known Australians sharing their personalised footprints are rugby legend John Eales and Ninja athlete Olivia Vivian, both Melanoma Institute Australia ambassadors who lost their dads to melanoma.

‘Thanks Dad, John Eales’ reads John’s footprint, with Olivia’s saying ‘Dear Dad, I miss you, Love Olivia’.

In addition to organic sharing via social platforms, the digital campaign is being driven by in-kind national radio support from Grant Broadcasters and other regional and metropolitan stations which have agreed to run the advertisements free of charge. Comprehensive digital, social and PR campaigns are focusing on the personal stories of Australians impacted by melanoma and the need to support life-saving research. A series of online videos, featuring families impacted by melanoma and the clinical and research team dedicated to saving lives, adds depth to the call for all
Australians to support the campaign.

Australia has the highest melanoma rates in the world with one person diagnosed with the disease every 30 minutes. It is estimated 1300 people will die from melanoma in Australia this year. Melanoma is also the most common cancer affecting 15 to 39-year-old Australians.

‘Melanoma can impact anyone, regardless of gender, age, skin type or where you live,’ Ms Durante added. ‘The power of this digital campaign lies in its accessibility and relevance to everyone across Australia, and we hope all Aussies step up and leave their footprint on melanoma.’

The interactive digital campaign launched on Monday 1st March and continues throughout the month.

To buy a digital footprint and see Australia be progressively covered in footprints, go to www.melanomamarch.org.au

Follow and like the Melanoma March Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/MelanomaMarch

Follow the Melanoma March Instagram page – https://www.instagram.com/melanomamarch_

Source: Melanoma Institute Australia media release

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