• by Fern Siegel , 3 hours ago

The threat of skin cancer isn't just being unprotected outside — it can also occur while driving. That's the premise behind TBWA\Eleven Australia and mycar Tyre & Auto's "The Sunburnt Car" campaign, which exposes the dangers of UV lighting.

But the work is done in a novel way — showing a car reacting to the effects of the sun.

At least two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime. But the campaign has a universal message: Australians drive an average 7,500 miles a year, behind only the U.S. and Canada. Can windows don't block out the sun's harmful rays. Window tinting and treatments can reduce exposure, but driving with windows or the roof open allows the full UV spectrum through.

Simon Hayes, TBWA creative director, said: “The idea was to make the invisible UV risk we take every day visible in an unignorable — and frankly, unhinged — way.

Odd Studio, the Oscar-winning prosthetic, creature effects and character design studio, created the effects on human skin — every freckle, cancerous mole and hair was individually applied. 

Anne Gately, author of "Sunburnt" and a stage IV melanoma survivor, is an ambassador for the spot. She also drives the car around Sydney.

The client, mycar Tyre & Auto, is rolling out 55,000 free Sun Spot stickers at its 275+ locations nationwide and online.