The Challenge
Continental AG (world’s fourth largest tyre manufacturer) owns mycar Tyre & Auto – an Australia-wide network of 275+ stores delivering car servicing, repairs and tyres. mycar differentiates itself as a brand in the market through exceptional customer care that extends beyond the car, to the people inside. But as a seven year old brand without the paid media scale of more established competitors, building awareness of this positioning depends on earning attention, not buying it. It's why for the past three years, mycar have been creating ‘people first’ initiatives designed to address a real issue affecting Australians on the road, where the brand can genuinely help while generating significant earned media. This year’s initiative carried particular urgency, with 2/3 Australians expected to be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime. Living under some of the planet’s most intense UV radiation has driven decades of public health education, creating a culture of strong sun safety awareness. But mycar’s research uncovered a troubling blind spot: a misconception that we’re protected from UV in our cars. 70% of Australians believe they’re protected from UV while driving, when in fact, most car windows still allow up to 50% of UVA rays through. That risk is amplified when you consider Australians drive the third highest number of kms (12,000km/year) per vehicle globally. To prove mycar’s ‘People First’ commitment, we required an experience powerful enough to make this invisible risk impossible to ignore, and newsworthy enough to spread the UV problem no one was talking about.
The Solution
The Sunburnt Car is a hyper-realistic installation designed to expose the often-overlooked risk of UV damage inside vehicles. An everyday car interior was reupholstered with UV-reactive, human-like skin that visibly “burned” when exposed to sunlight, mirroring how our real skin behaves. Created in collaboration with an Oscar-winning creature effects studio and a burns surgeon, the interior was crafted to be dermatologically accurate. Tens of thousands of hand-placed hairs, freckles, veins and raised cancerous moles were applied across varying skin types based on the scientific Fitzpatrick scale. Every element contributed to an uncanny realism, including a baby seat featuring thinner, more translucent and vulnerable skin. UV-reactive photochromatic pigments were also added, causing the skin to redden and “burn” under UV. This unique and meticulous blend of science and artistry created a confronting, attention-grabbing experience. The Sunburnt Car launched at Sydney Harbour, where media, influencers and the public experienced it firsthand. Captured content amplified the installation online, generating 168.8 million in earned media reach and driving a 44% uplift in brand consideration among those exposed. We then converted the awareness-driving activation into actionable utility distributing UV-sensitive stickers to customers across our stores nationwide, giving them an in the moment reminder of their exposure while driving. Today, the car continues to be a powerful educational tool, touring the crucial sun-safety message around Australia at events such as the Australasian Skin Cancer Congress and the PGA Championship.
