NEWS

Milan, July 1, 2021 – When it comes to diagnosing melanoma, prevention is everything. Early diagnosis through mole screening is essential.

From this insight, the Pubblicità Progresso campaign “Stop Procrastinating” was born, created with the support of Novartis and produced by YAM112003.

^{Prevention remains the primary tool to reduce the likelihood of developing melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, which caused approximately 14,900 new diagnoses in 2020, a 20% increase from the previous year[1].[1]}.

The campaign video shows a young man repeatedly snoozing his alarm on his smartphone throughout the day. Every time, there’s an excuse or pretext to procrastinate and avoid addressing the situation.

The smartphone becomes a visual metaphor: each snoozed alarm corresponds to as many reminders, which tell all the excuses that stand between a patient and a timely melanoma diagnosis. In the final scene of the film, we see the smartphone ringing incessantly, and over this image appears the final caption:

“Don’t be late for a melanoma diagnosis. Early mole screening can save your life. Stop procrastinating. See a dermatologist now.””

Directed by Nicola Schito, the campaign emphasizes realism and the emotional weight of everyday life scenes. The atmosphere is authentic, unembellished, and relatable to anyone’s daily life.

The project stems from a call by the Pubblicità Progresso Foundation and UNA – Aziende della Comunicazione Unite – to the creative community, encouraging talents to present innovative ways of addressing critical social issues.

The spot will go on-air on July 2 on San Marino TV, from July 11 to 25 on Sky channels, and from July 12 to 18 on Rai channels. The campaign will resume airing in September.

^[1] AIOM-AIRTUM, I numeri del cancro in Italia 2020, Intermedia Editore 2020.