ALS FOUNDATION NETHERLANDS | I Have Already Died | 2012
This Is Not a Condom Ad / ALS FOUNDATION NETHERLANDS "I Have Already Died"
"Not for me. Because I'm already dead." On screen, people speak plainly, directly to the camera. The weight of this campaign comes from one fact: by the time it aired, every single one of them was already gone.
The problem
ALS, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is an incurable disease of the nervous system. Muscles stop working one by one, and on average patients die three years after diagnosis. In the Netherlands, about 1,500 people have the disease, with 500 dying and 500 newly diagnosed each year. Because the patient population is relatively small, there's a cruel irony: the pharmaceutical industry doesn't invest much in developing treatments. The ALS Foundation Netherlands wanted to raise awareness of the disease and gather research funding, but it had no budget for a large-scale campaign.
The insight
To raise understanding of a little-known disease and increase willingness to donate, they chose a confrontational strategy. How do you convey how cruel this disease really is? Numbers and medical explanations won't reach people. So instead, let the patients speak for themselves—and deliver their words only after they've died. The very fact that these patients were running a campaign after their deaths became the ultimate, paradoxical proof of just how merciless ALS truly is.
The idea
Publicis Amsterdam decided to make ALS patients and their families ambassadors for the foundation. As a secret project, they selected nine Dutch ALS patients and filmed them with their families and friends watching. The patients spoke frankly about the disease and asked people to donate to the foundation. The message they left behind was: "Support ALS Foundation Netherlands. But not for me. Because I'm already dead." The ads for all nine people aired only after they had passed away. The first to appear was Joep Cobben, who was diagnosed in September 2009, died in 2011, and whose ad aired two weeks later.
What happened
The campaign ran across a wide range of media: TV, radio, outdoor, cinema, online banners, social media, and a microsite. Six months after the campaign launched, awareness of ALS in the Netherlands rose from 62% to 81%, willingness to donate rose from 27% to 40%, and donations increased by 500%. As an unexpected bonus, Princess Máxima of the Dutch royal family saw the campaign and took part in a swimming event on Amsterdam's canals in September 2012, which alone raised 700,000 euros. The campaign went on to win numerous awards, including at D&AD 2013 and a One Show Gold Pencil.
Afterthought
Just think about the weight of the decision to turn "the voices of the dead" into advertising. It only works if everything lines up: the resolve of the patients and their families, the responsibility taken on by the agency, and the conviction of the foundation. But maybe that's exactly why it had a power nobody could ignore. Even without a budget, an idea and some courage can move society—this campaign proved it. It's a piece of work that shows what happens when advertising looks human life straight in the eye.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2012
