Title	WORK FOR ALS
Brand	ALS LIGA BELGIUM
Product/Service	HEALTHCARE SERVICE
Category	G01. Integrated Campaign Led by Direct
Entrant	PUBLICIS BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Idea Creation	PUBLICIS BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Media Placement	ZENITH BELGIUM Brussels, BELGIUM
PR	BEBBLE Boortmeerbeek, BELGIUM
Production	PRODIGIOUS Brussels, BELGIUM
Production 2	CAVIAR Brussels, BELGIUM
Production 3	DIGITAS Brussels, BELGIUM

Name	Company	Position
Maxime Damo	Publicis Brussels	Creative
Jelle Van Garderen	Gutzandglory	Creative
Kwint De Meyer	Publicis Brussels	Creative Director
Willem De Wachter	Publicis Brussels	Creative Director
Maïté Camerman	Publicis Brussels	Account
Frederik Jonnaert	Publicis Brussels	Account
Fiona Boyle	Publicis One	Strategy
Virginie Lepère	Publicis Brussels	Strategy
Wim Corremans	Publicis Brussels	Creative
Maarten De-Maayer	Publicis Brussels	Creative
Ilse Lambrechts	Bebble	Public Relations
Christophe Vantricht	Prodigious	Designer
Marc Van Buggenhout	Prodigious	Producer
Daan Feytongs	Prodigious	Producer
Tom Willems	Caviar	Director
Frederic Van Zandycke	Caviar	DOP
Julie Bosteels	Caviar	Producer
Ilse Joye	Caviar	Executive Producer
Bert De Keyzer & Carolien Den Hond	Caviar	Focus Puller
Patrick Haegeman	Caviar	Gaffer
Gerrit Callens & Aarom Meulemeester	Caviar	Grip
Hans De Wit	Caviar	Sound
Tom Garcia	Prodigious	Sound
Alain Guillaume	Prodigious	Sound Engineer
Najib De Brakenier	Caviar	Set Dresser
Lili Glavan & Daphné Zwanenberg	Caviar	Make up
Frédéric Uyttenhove	Caviar	Photographer
Khang Lam	Digitas	Digital Account Director
Melissa Locus	Zenith	SEA Manager
Stéphanie Van Geit	Zenith	Social Media Expert

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

The campaign was more than a strong direct campaign with direct response from Belgian people. The work for ALS campaign was a response to the World ALS week, where attention is brought to the disease that still has no cure and still receives not enough interest to find a cure. We demanded action and got it by showing people there is something quite easy they can do to help find a cure.

Background

ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is an incurable neuromuscular disease that paralyses one muscle after the other, leaving patients unable to move. Near the inevitable end, only the mind and eyes remain intact. ALS sufferers gradually have to give up on everything, their jobs, their hobbies, and in the end, their lives. One thing terminal ill patients and their families never give up on is the hope that one day their disease will be curable. To find a cure we need money first. Unfortunately, rare diseases don't get a lot of funding. It's of no interest to the pharmaceutical industry and people tend to not donate to causes that don't affect their own lives. The objectives of this campaign are to create awareness around ALS (make the public understand the disease, in order to feel empathy for ALS patients) and to gather donations to finance research for ALS treatment.

Describe the creative idea

What's your last resort when you can't get any fundings or donations but need money? You work for it, despite all limitations. During World ALS day, ALS patients were looking for a job in order to fund a cure, as no one else will. A job where moving can't be part of the job description. CEOs were directly contacted by ALS patients asking for a job, and the salary to be donated. People were encouraged to join the movement and also work for ALS for a day. Together we can work for ALS so one day there will be a cure.

Describe the strategy

World ALS day is a good moment to shine a light on the many problems patients are faced with. But in order to find a cure, we needed action. We needed the perfect mix of showing devastating effects of a problem, yet still activating people to do something about it. First we had to raise awareness of the fact that for ALS patients there still is no cure in sight. Then we needed people to feel that there is something they can quite easily do to help. The targets were the CEOs and working people of Belgium. ALS patients aren't really able to work for a cure, but you still can.

Describe the execution

The campaign was built in phases: 1: Inform. “ALS patients are looking for jobs to fund research. Hire them.” This message was sent by personalised letters and emails to 120 CEOs of major companies, posted on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and online videos. A specific website, www.workforals.be, was created where CEOs could hire patients. 2: Engage. “Join them and donate your salary.” Patients were hired and Belgians were invited to participate by donating their salary too. On national TV and radio, online videos, PR (an ALS patient presented the national Lottery results on Eén TV; another one presented the weather forecast on the number one French speaking radio in Belgium, Bel RTL radio), Facebook PPL. 3: Affect. “Today, we are working together for ALS. Share your contribution.” Message on social media by influencers (journalists and TV presenters). CEOs and employees followed on social media.

List the results

People see campaigns on terrible problems in the world everyday, but it often leaves them with a feeling of 'ok terrible, but what can I do about it?'. We were able to change that by reminding people you can easily work for ALS for a day. Awareness was raised for the funding problem rare diseases like ALS face, thousands of work days generated that helped fund the research to find a cure. Every workday bringing us closer to that 'one day' where ALS will be curable. 120 companies were reached out on Twitter. More than 10 major CEOs hired ALS patients. +254% donations: ALS patients can’t move, but they were able to move a whole country. National PR coverage: TV Eén, Canvas TV, Bel RTV TV, Studio Brussel, Radio 1, Radio 2, Klara, Het Nieuwsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen, ...