Following the pandemic, dementia diagnosis was at a five-year low in the UK, with research from Alzheimer’s Society showing that the biggest barrier to getting a diagnosis is the assumption that memory loss is a normal part of ageing.

To raise awareness of this issue, Alzheimer’s Society and New Commercial Arts created a film that aired during Dementia Action Week with a specific insight: it’s not called getting old, it’s called getting ill. The film – which has also won a craft award in the Annual Awards for its direction by Billy Boyd Cape – dramatises repeated questions and memory loss, common symptoms of dementia that are often dismissed as normal ageing.

In the spot, we see a man in his mid-70s go about his daily activities with his wife. As the day progresses, he and the viewer come to realise that his wife’s seemingly innocuous behaviour is a sign of something more serious. Featuring powerfully authentic performances, the ad shows the range of emotions that Alzheimer’s can provoke in loved ones – from frustration to despair. It had an immediate impact, with Alzheimer’s Society recording an uplift in calls to their support line by 70% on launch day and an overall increase of 43% across the campaign.

Credits:
Alzheimer’s Society: It’s not called getting old
Category: Commercials
Entrant: New Commercial Arts
Agency: New Commercial Arts
Founder, Creative: Ian Heartfield
Founder, CEO: James Murphy
Founder, Strategy: David Golding
Art Directors: Nici Hofer, Kenny Meek
Copywriter: Mary Johansen
Business Director: Lauren Nuttall
Account Director: Janki Shah
Senior Planner: John Blight
Head of Production: Matt Craigie-Atherton
Film Producer: Lucie Georgeson
Project Director: Sylvie Edwards
Retouching: King Henry Soho
Production Company: Academy Films
Director: Billy Boyd Cape
Producer: Gemma Priggen
DoP: Molly Manning Walker
Editing Company: Tenthree Editing
Editor: Ellie Johnson
Post-Production: Selected Works
Post Producer: Katie Sharpe
Executive Producer: Sean Costelloe
Grade: Simone Grattarola @ Time Based Arts
Flame/VFX/Online: Robin McGloin
Music: Joel Hartman
Sound Design & Mix: Henning Knoepfel
Music & Sound Company: Soundtree Music
Published by: Soundtree Music Publishing Limited
Master Controlled by: Soundtree Music Limited