Thought Provoking New Alzheimer's Society Ad Highlights Dementia Impact

Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Article Date: 24 Mar 2009 - 7:00 PDT

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A new prime time ad raising awareness of the impact of dementia will be aired today (Thursday 19 March) for the first time on Channel Five.

The Alzheimer's Society ad takes three women, who wouldn't look out of place in a beauty campaign, and uses them to illustrate the fact one in three people over 65 in the UK will die with dementia.

The 30-second commercial lulls its audience into a sense of security before hitting them with the hard facts about this incurable condition. The ad, entitled 'Beauty', is Alzheimer's Society's first ever awareness raising television commercial and has been produced free of charge.

700,000 people have dementia in the UK but there is a lack of public understanding about the condition. The ad will run over the next few weeks on a number of channels, starting with Channel Five.

Neil Hunt, Alzheimer's Society Chief Executive, says,

'Dementia is not a natural part of ageing; it is caused by diseases of the brain and robs people of their lives. As this ad shows so clearly - dementia does not discriminate and anyone can be affected. Having such a high-impact ad means we can reach new audiences of all ages to raise awareness and begin to bring dementia out of the shadows.'

The commercial was created and produced free of charge by Red Bee Media who won a charity challenge set by Promax UK, an organisation which exists to promote excellence in the production of promotional films. Everyone working on the project did so without a fee and the airtime has been donated.

Andy Bryant, Director, Creative at Red Bee Media, says

'In a crowded market-place, charities are increasingly having to act more like a media brand to stand out, raise awareness of their cause and attract the support of the public. Working with Alzheimer's Society to produce this thought provoking ad has been an extremely rewarding experience and demonstrates our commitment to the Promax Charity Challenge.'

Notes To view the Alzheimer's Society ad please visit http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/tv

Screengrabs are available on request.

About Alzheimer's Society

- 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 will die with dementia. - 700,000 people have a form of dementia in the UK, more than half have Alzheimer's disease. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051. - Dementia is not a natural part of ageing; it is caused by diseases of the brain and robs people of their lives. - Alzheimer's Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and those who care for them. Alzheimer's Society works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. - Alzheimer's Society needs to raise money to care for people today and to find a cure for tomorrow. You can donate now by calling 0845 306 0898 or visiting http://www.alzheimers.org.uk

About Red Bee Media

- Red Bee Media is the global leader in transforming media brands and a world-leading expert in the distribution and promotion of multimedia content. The company offers a comprehensive range of services to playout, publish, promote and provide media access for content across all media, from television to mobile phones. Red Bee Media pitched against six other agencies at the prestigious Promax UK awards, beating competitors such as 4Creative and BDA to secure the project to work with Alzheimer's Society The ad was directed by Red Bee Media's Chris Balmond, who has recently been awarded a Golden Arrow at the British Television Advertising Awards for his work on the PG Tips 'Queen' viral.

Alzheimer's Society

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