Quirky sun safe ad aimed at men

TWO of Australia’s best known sporting greats swimmer Michael Klim and cricketer Brad Hodge have teamed up to become the fall guys in a quirky new skin cancer prevention video.

On the way to a mate’s barbecue the pair are the victims of a pushy Sun Safety Attendant who tries to change their outfits, toss hats on their heads and even invade their personal space to apply sunscreen to their faces. Inspired by an airline safety demonstration, the Cancer Council’s social media ads remind men of the simple steps they need to take to reduce their risk of developing skin cancer.

Cancer Council CEO Professor Tanya Buchanan said Australian men were almost twice as likely as women to die from melanoma. However new Cancer Council research reveals that less than half (45 per cent) of Australian men include sun protection as part of their daily routine. Only one in five men apply sunscreen daily compared to two in five women. And, men were more likely than women to have recently been sunburnt at an outdoor swimming pool or sporting facility.

“Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, which is something that we shouldn’t be proud of. We’ve got a lot of things that we should be proud of, but that’s not one of them,” said Klim.

The Olympic medallist used to spend more than four hours a day training in outdoor swimming pools and said the main problem was men were “a little bit negligent and probably a little bit lazy” when it came to being sun smart.

Klim said the airline steward in the ad was “like having the good voice in the back of your head reminding you to do the right thing”.