Adland makes a difference for Alzheimer's

Once in a while a campaign pops up to show how advertising can actually make a difference.Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible mental condition and slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. In America, nearly one-third of seniors die with Alzheimer's or another dementia. Those unfortunate enough to fall prey to the disease are often alone, confused and not to mention frustrated.In an attempt to aid these troubled individuals, Alzheimer Nederland, an organisation caring and supporting patients with this condition, launched a Facebook campaign called “The Alzheimer’s event”. The campaign was created by Dutch advertising company N=5.As part of the campaign, unsuspecting Facebook users had their images altered into pictures they had seen before and in places they  had never been to. These pictures were secretly uploaded by their friends. Even celebrities and influencers were roped in unknowingly for the event.To make the photos more believable the organisation worked with events such as the Amsterdam food festival and film festival to have photos from the event available for the campaign.“In this way people experienced for themselves the confusion the people with Alzheimers disease have to go through every day,” said the video explaining the campaign.Catch the video here:http://vimeo.com/83230996Last year we also saw great work being done by global fragrance company Givaudan and JWT Singapore.The two tied up to create  “Smell a Memory” kits which were designed to help families with loved ones who suffer from Alzheimer’s and dementia, each kit contained scents personalised for individual patients based on their age, ethnicity, family history and personal stories.Each  smell triggered emotional memories in patients and helped the families engage and connect with those who suffer from these diseases.‘Mom’s Cooking,’ 'Freshly Cut Grass,’ ‘Prayer,’ and ‘School Days’ were just a few of the unique scents that were customised for the kits.  The scents used ingredients relevant to Singapore, including herbs and spices from everyday Singaporean dishes, Hainanese coffee, incense used in local temples and other scents that reminded people of school, holidays and work life.[gallery link="file" ids="35275,35276,35277"]Now that's truly marketing with a purpose. Keep up the great work, guys!