In a consumer-facing value-added initiative, TAL has launched its national skin check initiative, TAL SpotChecker.
Through the annual program, which is now in its fourth year, TAL says it is seeking to encourage and enable more Australians to embrace skin safety by providing customers and the general public access to free skin checks from qualified professionals as well as resources to educate them around the importance of preventative health and getting a skin check.
TAL Chief Customer and Brand Officer, Alex Homer, said the TAL SpotChecker initiative, which is being centred around Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach, Melbourne’s St Kilda foreshore and Perth’s Cottesloe Beach, reflects TAL’s strong belief in the role preventative health plays in Australians’ overall wellbeing:
“We’re committed to helping our customers live healthier lives through our Health Sense program, which incentivises them to engage with preventative health by providing discounts on their premiums for doing so, along with the funding of effective and practical community initiatives such as this,” Mr Homer said.
New research from TAL has revealed that more than half (56%) of Australians consider themselves sun smart, yet 87% have not had a skin check in the past 12 months, with 28% never having had one at all.
TAL General Manager of Health Services, Dr Sally Phillips, said “It’s clear from our research that although Australians have a natural tendency to be looking out for our loved ones when it comes to engaging in skin safety, this is not the case when it comes to skin cancer prevention for ourselves.”
In addition to the pop-up skin check clinics, TAL has created a hub of online resources to help Australians find a local GP where they can book a skin check, as well as learn more about skin cancer and how to self-check using the Firstcheck app on their smartphone, which enables people to get their skin concerns checked by a doctor – anytime, anywhere.
In the three years since TAL SpotChecker launched, TAL reports it has provided over 3,400 skin checks. Last year, it says one in five people were referred for further checks.
TAL SpotChecker launched at Bondi Beach on the first weekend of summer (30 November-1 December), before heading to South Beach Reserve in St Kilda this week (7-8 December), followed by Cottesloe Beach in Perth (11-12 January).
