Change The Ending

Client: Alzheimer's Research UK

Dementia steals a happily-ever-after every 3 minutes; with research, a cure can be found. With awareness of Alzheimer’s Research UK and the potential for a cure at low levels, we had to quickly get on the UK’s radar, launching a new brand platform, For A Cure. With budgets a fraction of other charities’ we had to make people care about finding a cure for dementia, and then switch this interest into action. Success was measured by generating earned reach, shifting perceptions and increasing desire to donate. We utilised the fairytale trope of happily ever after, opening with a prince and princess riding into the sunset, but flipped it on its head depicting, instead, the demise of our prince as he’s struck with different symptoms of dementia. The film ends with a rug pull, cutting to a real couple, reminding us that this isn’t a fairytale; it’s the experience of millions of people in the UK today and a reminder of why Alzheimer’s Research UK is working hard for a cure. Within the first week of release, the film generated over 600m earned impressions in broadcast and online, and over 5.6m likes, comments and shares on Meta alone with over 90% positive sentiment in social conversation. Donations shot up by over 300% and have remained above pre-campaign baselines. Alzheimer’s Research UK also secured a Top 3 position as a ‘charity that people are most likely to consider donating to in the future’, and unprompted brand awareness rose from 3% to 8%.