Cannes Lions

The Write Thing

BBDO BELGIUM, Brussels / FLEMISH PARKINSON ASSOCIATION / 2016

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Case Film
Case Film

Overview

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Credits

Overview

Description

The Parkinson’s association wanted more awareness. But more than awareness, patients need therapy. Research showed that writing on a daily basis helps Parkinson’s patients to maintain their fine motor skills (which they slowly lose due to Parkinson’s).

So we combined an awareness campaign with a writing therapy.

We invited people to help patients with their fine motor skills while surprising their loved ones with a handwritten message.

People had to send their personal text messages via Dothewritething.be and then patients handwrote those messages on a postcard.

On the back the patients signed a powerful cta that made people aware of Parkinson’s: help us with our writing therapy and send a card too. That way we activated receivers to become senders in return (MGM). The postcards created a high impact in letterboxes. Let’s not forget the power of a handwritten message in these digital times.

Execution

To raise awareness, we campaigned on TV (11th to 30th June) and Facebook/Instagram (11th to end of July) from where we draw people to our online/mobile platform (activation).

We invited people to help Parkinson’s patients to maintain their fine motor skills while surprising their loved ones with a handwritten message.

People simply had to send their personal text messages via Dothewritething.be and then patients handwrote those messages on the front of a beautiful postcard.

On the back the patients personally signed an activating call to action that made people aware of Parkinson’s consequences: help us with our writing therapy and send a card too. That way we activated receivers to become senders in return (MGM). The postcards created a high impact in thousands of letterboxes. Let’s not forget the power of a handwritten message in these digital times.

Outcome

By airing the TVC in prime time we reached 2.916.444 Flemish people in two weeks time and made them more aware of Parkinson's disease. We also gained awareness on Facebook through 288.875 impressions and on Instagram through 625.000 impressions, thanks to the support of many Flemish celebrities. The campaign generated more than € 300.000 in earned media (through Instagram, Facebook, press content, radio & TV).

During the 5 weeks the online campaign ran, 16.975 visitors of the online/mobile platform Dothewritething.be got an even better understanding of Parkinson's disease.

We converted those visits and other impressions in more than 2000 sent personal, handwritten cards. Spreading the message even further.

So finally we gained more than 1.200 hours worth of therapy for the PD patients. Without a doubt the most important number in these results.

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