Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes

The ALS Society of Canada has launched a new campaign to raise awareness about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and the ALS Society’s efforts to fund research towards a cure for the disease.

“We chose to create a spot that was musically and emotionally driven to raise awareness for ALS,” said Christina Yu, Vice President and Creative Director of advertising agency Lowe Roche. “This song is one which everybody can relate to and we wanted to use it unconventionally to illustrate how this disease eventually affects every body part.”

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease that causes the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As the nerve cells die, people with ALS lose control of their muscles, which makes breathing, eating and even smiling almost impossible. Eighty percent of those diagnosed will die within two to five years. There is no known cure or effective treatment of ALS.

“Lowe Roche has created a very powerful commercial that we think will help the public better understand what ALS is all about,” said Bobbi Greenberg, Director of Communications, ALS Society of Canada. “We’re very appreciative of their dedication to this project and of those who donated their time and services during the production process. We’re certain that their efforts will help us raise the funds we desperately need to proceed with research initiatives that will ultimately help us find effective therapies and a cure for this devastating disease.”

BBDO Toronto made two spots in 2005 for ALS “Running” & “Hugging”. “Hugging” (see below) won a Bronze Lion in 2005. At the time, Christina Yu was an AD at BBDO and worked on the two spots.

• Share on Tumblr

Comments

The “Hugging” ad is very sweet, up until the very last tagline. That was pretty unnerving.