How do you campaign for better awareness of Parkinson’s disease?
The Flemish Parkinson’s association wanted to campaign for a better awareness of the underestimated Parkinson’s disease. Patients – 10% of the estimated 65.000 are under 50 – have to cope with social consequences, such as job loss and isolation. On top of symptoms like the gradual loss of fine motor skills.
You combine it with a writing therapy that patients need
More than awareness, patients need therapy. Research shows writing on a daily basis slows down the loss of these skills. We combined an awareness campaign with a writing therapy. We invited people to send their personal text messages to their loved ones via dothewritething.be. Forty patients handwrote those messages on a beautiful card.
And create a high impact in thousands of letterboxes
On the back of the card the patients signed a powerful call to action that made people aware of Parkinson’s consequences: help us with our writing therapy and send a card too. That way we activated receivers to become senders in return. The postcards created a high impact in thousands of letterboxes.
Result: more than 1.200 hours worth of therapy for the PD patients
- More than 1.200 hours worth of therapy for the PD patients.
- 2.916.444 Flemish people reached in two weeks time and made more aware of Parkinson's disease.
- More awareness on Facebook through 288.875 impressions and on Instagram through 625.000 impressions, thanks to the support of many Flemish celebrities.
- More than € 300.000 in earned media: through Instagram, Facebook, press content, radio & TV.
- 16.975 visitors of the online/mobile platform dothewritething.be got an even better understanding of Parkinson's disease.