Patients suffering from ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease made campaign statements for the ALS Foundation Netherlands. To raise awareness of ALS and to ask people to join the fight against this merciless disease by making a donation. Not for themselves, because their recordings are aired after they have died.ALS makes all of your muscles stop one by one. Little is known about the cause and the disease is incurable. On average, patients die about 3 years after being diagnosed. It’s cynical, but this is the main reason that the pharmaceutical industry does not invest in scientific research.To make people aware of this unknown disease, cut through the clutter without any budget and raise willingness-to-give, a confrontational strategy was chosen.Patients campaigning for funds after they have passed away is the ultimate proof of the fact that ALS is a merciless disease.

Nine Dutch ALS patients were part of a special project. Under the watchful eyes of friends and family they participated in a film and photo shoot, to raise awareness of ALS and collect money for scientific research - not for themselves, because their campaign statements are aired after they have died.

To put this thought-provoking campaign in the right perspective ,the campaign was launched on the national news. Later that evening it was the main topic in the nation’s biggest talk show. In the following months all major newspapers and magazines published reports featuring participating patients and their loved ones as ambassadors.Although the ALS Foundation Netherlands has no campaign budget at all and depends on free ad space, the campaign ran on TV and radio, outdoor, in cinemas, via bannering, social media, a website and in print.

And it still continues, with each of the participants losing the fight against ALS.

• Awareness of ALS rose from 62% to 81%.* • Willingness-to-give rose from 27% to 40% * • Donations rose 500% More money for scientific research can be expected , as the campaign continues, as each of the 9 participating patients loses the fight against ALS.* Market Research. Dutch general audience, age 18+.