Ad of the Day: Alzheimer’s Society shows how sufferers die again and again and again
The powerful spot brings to life all the ways that a person loses parts of themselves to the disease in a poignant way. Here’s why it’s our Ad of the Day.
A new ad for Alzheimer’s Society is addressing the profound impact of the disease not only on patients but also on their loved ones. Taking a different approach, ‘The Long Goodbye’ from New Commercial Arts illustrates how each diagnosis marks a gradual loss of crucial aspects of life and personality.
The short film does a brilliant job of bringing to life the realities of dementia and offers insight into the disease over a prolonged period.
Through its use of emotional storytelling, the ad heartbreakingly captivates the viewer. The casting of Colin Firth as narrator gives the spot a familiar feeling that also helps connect with audiences.
The visuals from the Bafta-nominated director Charlotte Rega are beautifully shot, mixed with emotive inserts of nostalgic footage from years gone by.
Its brutal tagline at the closing scene is unforgettable: “With dementia, you don’t just die once. You die again and again and again.”
Credits
Alzheimer’s Society
Director of income and engagement: Alex Hyde-Smith
Associate director of strategic marketing: Tom Brown
Head of brand and marketing: Nick Wright
Senior marketing manager: Victoria Evans
Senior marketing executive: Laura Parsons
Senior armketing executive: Ellie Jerman
New Commercial Arts
Founder, CEO: James Murphy
Founder, strategy: David Golding
Founder, chief creative officer: Ian Heartfield
Creative team: Jules Middleton & Peigh Asante
Business director: Miriam Goode
Senior account manager: Toby Moynan
Account manager: Zahra Banday
Agency producer: Georgia Dickinson
Production company: Knucklehead
Director: Charlotte Regan
Director of photography: Christopher Sabogal
Producer: Francis Mildmay-White
Editing company: TenThree
Editor: Owen O’Sullivan
Post-production: Selected Works/Time Based Arts
Grade: Simone Grattarola @ Time Based Arts
Online: Selects Works
Producer: Dan Crozier @ Selected Works
Audio post-production: King Lear
Sound engineer: Jack Sedgewick
Music composer: Patrick Jonsson
Music supervision: Bruce New @ Air Edel
Media agency: Medialab
Integration director: Nick Parker
Client managing director: Charles Batchelor
Head of planning: Jess Talbot
Director of Advanced TV: Jon Manning
Business director: George Gwilliam
Senior account manager: Amy Bevis