Title	TRADESMAN'S SUNCREAM
Brand	WICKES
Product/Service	TRADESMAN'S SUNCREAM
Category	A09. Corporate Social Responsibility
Entrant	IRIS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation	IRIS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production	IRIS London, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Simon Mannion	iris	Creative Director
Dan Madden	iris	Copywriter
Matt Eastwood	iris	Art Director
Symone Jermin	iris	Account Director
Danielle Lindfield	iris	Account Manager
Guy Cain	iris	Production Manager
Nadia Black	iris	Producer
Carly Harrison	iris	Producer
Ollie Rushton	iris	Producer

The Campaign

The trade is renowned for being skeptical of marketing gimmicks, so to get them on side we had to create an idea that spoke to them on their own terms. The answer lay in Wickes’ unique position as a brand that’s been talking to the trade for decades, and understands what makes them tick. So Wickes moved from home improvement to health improvement, by swapping the language of a beauty brand for the language of a tradesman. The result was Tradesman’s Suncream – a fun, no-nonsense way to make suncream relevant to the trade. Available in Brickie’s Bronze, Plasterer’s Pink and Apprentice White, the range came in miniature paint pots specially packaged to withstand the rough and tumble of a building site, and was given away free nationwide.

Campaign Success

Wickes partnered with the cancer charity Skcin to launch during one of the hottest summers on record. Wickes used their social channels to share the idea with their followers online. Special mailers with the pots in were sent to key influencers in the construction trade, helping to push the message further online. Pots of Tradesman’s Suncream were sent to stores nationwide and given away free to the trade. We also set up free skin cancer checks and placed posters in key locations outside stores.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

We achieved huge organic cut through, with over 8 million impressions in just a few days. Influencers and the national media picked up the story online and in print, further driving social awareness. Every single pot flew off the shelves, and best of all we changed attitudes to sun safety among the UK’s most at-risk workers – going a long way to saving lives.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

The idea was wholly based around a nationwide activation – the creation of a product given away free to tradesmen.

The problem stems from a macho culture, where tradesmen are expected to be tough, hardworking and ‘laddish’. This is at odds with the perception of using suncream, which is seen as weak or unmanly. This is compounded by the way suncream is marketed, using flowery descriptions and imagery. To change trademen’s behavior, we needed to talk to them in a way that’s relevant to them. So the strategy was to appeal to the professional in them, using ‘Let’s do it right’ as a platform to communicate in a friendly, humorous, and matter-of-fact way.