To build skin cancer awareness and to provide education about the new FDA sunscreen labels, the American Academy of Dermatology encouraged its members, the media and the public to SPOT Orange on Melanoma Monday. The media enthusiastically embraced the Academy’s SPOT Orange campaign as news and weather anchors across the country wore orange on Melanoma Monday. Dermatologists representing the Academy helped spread the word through the use of social media and members participated in interviews across the nation to share skin cancer detection and prevention messages. As a result of these efforts, the Academy secured significant media placements, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, USA Today and The Dr. Oz Show.
The Academy also developed new public education resources including:
Social Media
Leading up to SPOT Orange on Melanoma Monday, the Academy used its Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts for the public to encourage people to participate by wearing orange and sharing a photo on social media (hashtag: #SPOTorange) and/or on the Academy’s website. As a result, more than 650 tweets used the hashtag, reaching more than 6.5 million Twitter accounts.
Twitter – The most influential contributors to the discussion on Twitter included:
- @JordinSparks (3.6 million followers)
- Jordin tweeted a photo of herself in orange every day in May since 2008 to commemorate a family friend who died from melanoma. She also encouraged all of her followers to follow @AADskin for skin cancer prevention/detection tips.
- @DrOz (2.9 million followers)
- @WebMD (677,000 followers)
- @WedMD_Blogs (325,626 followers)
- @PublicHealth (American Public Health Association: 248,510 followers)
- @FitnessMagazine (130,527 followers)
- @PreventionMag (111,632 followers)
Facebook –The Academy created a Facebook event page for SPOT Orange on Melanoma Monday, which garnered 8,634 guests and 1,120 confirmed participants. On Melanoma Monday, more than 50 participants posted photos of themselves wearing orange on the Academy’s Facebook page.
The Academy of Dermatology will continue its efforts to spread awareness of melanoma and educate the public on early detection signs and any preventative measures that can be taken to avoid this deadly skin disease. Visit www.aad.org for resources and more information about The Academy of Dermatology.
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