FONDATION POUR LA RECHECHE MÉDICALE - A DAY TO REMEMBER

Short List
TitleFONDATION POUR LA RECHECHE MÉDICALE - A DAY TO REMEMBER
BrandFONDATION POUR LA RECHECHE MÉDICALE
Product/ServiceCHARITY
Category F03. Excellence in Media Execution
Entrant CLM BBDO Paris, FRANCE
Idea Creation CLM BBDO Paris, FRANCE
Idea Creation 2 PROXIMITY Paris, FRANCE
Media Placement TF1 Boulogne-Billancourt, FRANCE
Media Placement 2 FRANCE TÉLÉVISIONS Paris, FRANCE
Media Placement 3 M6 UNLIMITED Neuilly-sur-Seine, FRANCE
Credits
Name Company Position
Denis Le Squer Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale President
Marie-Charlotte Brun Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale Head of Communication
Valérie Riedinger Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale PR Manager
Matthieu Elkaim CLM BBDO Executive Creative Director
Stéphane Santana CLM BBDO Creative Director
Benjamin Dessagne CLM BBDO Creative Director
Yves Barthès Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale Copywriter
Clément Maillot CLM BBDO Copywriter
Emile Martin CLM BBDO Art Director
Nicolas Biscaras CLM BBDO Art Director
Nicolas Fabre CLM BBDO Account Director
Alix Dunoyer de Segonzac CLM BBDO Account Manager
Lauren Weber CLM BBDO Head of PR
Auriane Desplanches CLM BBDO Head of Influence
Eléonore Berthier-Milot CLM BBDO Social Strategist
Guillaume Blaineau CLM BBDO Social Media Manager
Fabio Iazzetta CLM BBDO Social Media Strategist
Laurianne Freguin CLM BBDO Post Production
Pierre Deshaye CLM BBDO Video Editor
Jérémy Duriez CLM BBDO Video Editor

Why is this work relevant for Media?

Thanks to a simple branding switch on main French television channels, the association, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, gave all French people watching television on World Alzheimer's Day a day to remember. A simple switch but one that needed several months to plan. We coordinated with the country’s major media outlets and simultaneously changed the stations’ branding for a period of 24 hours. The channels replaced their current jingles and logos with former ones from the past.

Background

Today in France, almost 3 million persons are directly or indirectly effected by Alzheimer’s, and this number is rising. 225 000 new cases are diagnosed each year and there still is no treatment for stopping or reversing the progression of the disease. Supporting the research is the only way and hope to one day find a cure. For the 2018 edition of World Alzheimer’s Day, we needed to raise awareness about how hard it can become when you’re condemned to forget and therefore encourage people to make donations to support the research.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

Instead of shocking people with the sad effects of the disease, we wanted to make them realize what a blessing it was that they could remember things. We chose to do this with television, a media that evokes memories for everybody. A media that has brought families and friends together for years. On World Alzheimer’s Day, we partnered with the main French TV channels and drawing on French people’s collective memory, we replaced the modern jingles and logos with ones from the past. At the end of each jingle, a message appeared on the screen, reminding them how lucky they were to be able to remember and inviting them to donate to the association to support research on Alzheimer’s. The campaign lasted 24 hours. 24 hours during which old jingles came back from the past. 24 hours giving each viewer a day to remember.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

A Day to Remember was a large-scale campaign as it targeted all French people. The idea was to raise awareness about the effects of Alzheimer’s and moreover to collect donations for research. We chose to use television, a media that touches many generations and that remains close to families in France. By partnering with the oldest and biggest television channels, we were sure to reach as many people as possible and give them a surprising change in the audiovisual landscape they’re used to. With the hashtag #unejournéepoursesouvenir (a day to remember), the conversation was also launched on social media. People, and even other brands, joined the movement to support the research, by posting old photos from their own past.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We launched the campaign on a strategic day: the 21st September 2018, World Alzheimer’s Day. We worked with the major French media outlets, asking them to replace their jingles and logos with older versions from the past. At 8:50 pm on that day, during prime time, the most-watched time on television in France, the main channels simultaneously changed their station brandings with versions from 1992, 1988 or even 1977. A screen then invited viewers to make donations to the association. The campaign lasted 24 hours and different versions of the channels’ old jingles were used so that we could give as many people as possible the opportunity to remember.

List the results (30% of vote)

With a coordinated partnership between main French television channels (most of whom are competitors), we were able to create a punchy campaign that touched French people over a period of just 24 hours. A Day to Remember reached 48 Million people in front of their TV screens. And more than 15 Million on social media. But, above all, we changed people’s minds and made them realize how lucky they were to be able to say: “I remember”. Post studies showed that more than a quarter of the people exposed to the Facebook campaign were ready to make a donation. Influencers, YouTubers, even companies and brands also took part in the movement by posting old photos of objects or monuments and videos of songs that reminded them of moments in their pasts. The campaign finally collected more than 3.5 million euros to support research for Alzheimer’s disease.