ad review 2

The second ad I'm reviewing is for the Alzheimer Society of Montreal. The agency responsible is Cossette Montreal. I'm really not sure how I feel about this ad. The message is powerful and efficacious, but I'm not sure if the pay-off line of "Save Hope" fits in with the message conveyed by the visual.

As I said before, the visual is strong, but not entirely compassionate toward Alzheimers sufferers and may even be seen as insulting to the sufferers and their families, insinuating that they the victims have nothing in their heads. The ad does make you sit up and take notice, but then you find your face contorting into a disgusted scowl. The ad is, in my humble opinion, insensitive, and does not give portray any of the compassion one would expect from a society committed to helping Alzheimers sufferers. It also gives a false message.

Alzheimers causes dementia and memory loss but it does not mean your brain is empty. Unless you are a vegetable, you do have brain function. The ad suggests that those with Alzheimers are effectively brainless, and thats not the message you'd expect to see from an Alzheimer society. It almost feels like a visual you'd see on a tasteless joke website. But it does make you sit up and take notice, and maybe thats all they wanted to do. It makes you think about Alzheimers, which we seldom do.

Perhaps the angle they went for is more effective than going for the usual compassionate route. Yes, it makes you feel sorry for those with Alzheimers, but in a patronising way. You go, "Ag shame, the old top has nothing in his kop." Is this the message you'd expect from a charitable society? Does it make you want to help the old tops? Does it convey the message of "Save Hope"? I really dont know.

The writing is pretty small on the ad, so theres a link to a bigger version after the jump.
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/alzheimer_society_of_montreal_zero?size=_original