Ad of the Day: Age UK’s cyclical film explores the unrelenting seasons of elderly isolation
Age UK has rolled out a multi channel Christmas campaign in collaboration with Manning Gottlieb OMD and Drum, urging people to donate so that no old person feels as if Christmas is just another day of isolation.
The film 'Just Another Day' was conceptualised by Drum and directed by Philippe Andre as an extension of the ongoing campaign 'No One Should Have No One'. The spot portrays the life of an elderly man who follows a similar daily routine throughout the year without any human contact during festive seasons.
He yearns for some connection and affection as he leaves a voicemail recording on his phone, only for no-one to call or leave a message.
“It was very important for me to make this film for such a great cause," said Andre. "I truly hope people will be moved by the film and become more conscious about this massive problem older people are suffering from in silence and isolation.
"My goal was to recreate what is loneliness for older people - I truly think it will touch the audience.”
The ad will be supported across digital out of home, Age UK’s website and social media channels until 26 December.
To further amplify the campaign, Manning Gottlieb OMD and 4Sales have brokered a partnership between the charity and Channel 4’s 'Old People’s Home for Four Year Olds' for a Christmas Special episode airing on 18 December at 9pm. The Christmas special, created and produced by CPL Productions, follows 10 pre-schoolers and 11 older people as they are reunited following the first show earlier this year.
Specially created sponsorship idents by Drum will feature around the show’s broadcast and contextual, while ad spots have been developed that feature the series’ cast discussing programme content.
According to Age UK, more than 1.2 million older people in England feel they are chronically lonely. Almost 5.7 million people aged 65 and over feel their days can be repetitive and almost a quarter (around 1.4 million older people) admitted that Christmas isn’t a special day for them now as it just passes them by.
Hannah Gardner, account manager at Manning Gottlieb OMD, explained: “Using data to pinpoint the most festive ‘together moments’ to make our campaign more emotionally resonant is vital in maximising impact at a very cluttered time of year.
"Building on this by creating our own festive moment with Channel 4 is a fantastic and rare opportunity to help people understand the complexity of loneliness and the importance of the brilliant work Age UK does helping older people across the country.”
Kathi Hall, head of content strategy and brand at Age UK, added: "Launching our Christmas campaign is a very special time of year for us because it gives us the chance to show the day in day out reality of chronic loneliness and raise much needed funds for the charity to help vulnerable older people. Working with Philippe we believe we have been able to capture the poignancy of loneliness in powerful content that will stay in people’s minds well after the Christmas season is over."
