The Challenge
Melanoma is the third most common cancer in Italy among people under 50 years old. With 17,000 cases in 2024 it is also the one with the highest growth rate, with an increase of 30% compared to 2023. An alarming fact that reflects not only the love for the sun of the Italians, but also their lack of attention to protect themselves and to make control visits: although 91% of melanoma cases are due to excessive exposure to UV rays, 64% of Italians have never had a mole check. A serious stat, even more so if you think that compared to other forms of cancer, melanoma has an advantage: you can see it. A simple gesture like a glance could prevent the disease, but Italians’ strong cultural indifference seems to make prevention a neglected topic, which people are afraid to confront. A subject perceived as distant, belonging only to hospitals.
The Solution
To open people's eyes and spread the importance of early diagnosis, Bennet, a leading retailer in Italy, has chosen to start from grocery shopping, turning this daily action into melanoma prevention. How? In the fruit and vegetable departments normally associated with wellbeing, Bennet has applied special removable stickers to the bananas’ spots, very similar to those on our skin, making prevention an immediate and simple act, like a glance, thanks to the explanation of the four key parameters for a preliminary mole self-examination: asymmetry, border, diameter and color. The stickers also included a QR code that linked to an in-depth page written with the scientific support of Fondazione Veronesi, one of the main non-profit foundations for cancer research. A simple fruit, turned into a message and a tool of prevention, provided everyone the opportunity to learn to read their own skin, so that in an everyday context like supermarkets Italians could take the first fundamental step to overcome a psychological barrier and move closer to specialist visits: +180% increase in specialist consultations booked in the two months following the campaign.
