Explaining the complexity and randomness of Tourette Syndrome is incredibly difficult. Because there is so little awareness surrounding the disorder, society becomes a very judgemental and unwelcoming place, forcing people with Tourette to feel ostracized. The Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada (TSFC) knew that the more society became aware of what Tourette Syndrome really is, the more likely they were to accept the people who have it.

To help people truly understand Tourette Syndrome, we invited them to experience it – on Twitter. The program was called Surrender Your Say. Once participants signed up, random, nonsensical, even offensive Tweets inspired by real Tourette tics were Tweeted into their feeds for 24 hours. When and what would be Tweeted next was out of their control – just like Tourette Syndrome. Every Tweet included a #SurrenderYourSay hashtag, and a link to the campaign website where shocked and curious followers learned that the strange Tweets were in support of Tourette. They were then invited to surrender their own handle.

The execution leveraged the audience of those taking part, as well as those watching the experience unfold. The result was a worldwide conversation that, in a day’s time, began to change the perception of Tourette. Almost 9,000 people (8,905) took part. Just 36 hours after launch, 40 million people were reached on Twitter alone, and over 250 million potential impressions were generated. The #SurrenderYourSay hashtag trended in 28 countries, and the Twitter conversation surrounding Tourette Syndrome grew 1500% since before the campaign began.

Prior to launch, press releases were sent to various news sources in addition to promotional media that was implemented through Canadian network TV, social media, and direct mail, inviting anyone with a Twitter handle to the campaign microsite. Here, they learned what Tourette Syndrome is really like, and were urged to take part. We strategically reached out to influencers on Twitter and encouraged them to sign up. In doing so, a direct reach of 4 million followers was generated from the 8,905 participants. Surrender Your Say was treated as an online social event, launching on Twitter on June 19, 2013. Participants were actively involved with the campaign for a 24-hour period. During this time, random, uncontrolled Tweets mimicking Tourette tics were posted into their feeds. Once the campaign launched, the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada joined the conversation on Twitter, encouraging brave participants and addressing comments in real-time.

Incredibly, almost 9,000 (8,905) people agreed to hand over their Twitter accounts for a full 24 hours. Nearly 4 million followers saw the uncontrolled Tweets, who started a worldwide conversation around Tourette. Over 175 million impressions were generated on Twitter alone, and global news coverage created 73 million earned media impressions. The #SurrenderYourSay hashtag trended in 28 countries, and the Twitter conversation surrounding Tourette Syndrome grew 1500%. In a short time, the perception of Tourette Syndrome improved radically. By creating awareness on a worldwide scale, more and more people understood Tourette Syndrome in a way like never before.