Powerful Print Campaign Captures the Confusion of Alzheimer’s

Award-winning creative, media, and communications agency Republica Havas, the Miami-based agency of Havas Group, presents its new campaign which focuses on a condition of Alzheimer’s disease that has to do with wandering on the streets. Because six out of 10 people who suffer from the disease get lost on public roads, 'Segundo' aims to bring general awareness and education to these types of situations in which patients for an instant lose total notion of where they are or what they are doing there. 

Tony Waissmann, CCO of Republica Havas, commented, "Once again together with the Association, we’re doing things that we believe are relevant to giving importance and awareness, not only to the disease and its symptoms, but also about where to go when suffering from it or when you think that someone has a symptom that should be checked and then either ruled out or taken seriously, and knowing how to move forward from there. This campaign speaks of those who wander the streets absolutely lost, in an instant not knowing who they are, where they are going, or what they are doing there. I think we found a clear and yet metaphorical way to talk about this situation, by showing a moment of lucidity that is immediately lost in total darkness, through beautiful photography and a ray of light that enters between the buildings which represents that moment of lucidity as opposed to darkness, where the confusion is total."

"It's so important for us at Republica Havas to create campaigns that not only sell but also educate. With 'Segundo' we once again join A.L.M.A. to raise awareness of another reality about how this debilitating disease manifests itself. I congratulate our team for this work that I have no doubt will touch many," said Jorge A. Plasencia, co-founder and CEO of Republica Havas. 

Guillermo Andrés Ferro, vice president of the association, expanded on the campaign, "One of the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease is disorientation. It can lead the affected person to develop behaviours such as wandering without apparent purpose or destination. 

“It is a normal behaviour of the disease. Moving or walking around aimlessly are signs that appear in some people with dementia. A need to move and walk is awakened in them without knowing why or for what purpose. Wandering can be triggered by the desire to look for something or someone... a loved one, a partner, or for wanting to do something typical of the routine that the patient had before the disease. 

“This can be a worrisome problem for the caregiver to handle. Therefore, it is important to know some strategies that can be implemented, to care for and accompany the patient, and to avoid this behaviour. It's best to have more information about these signs and how they can be treated correctly. There are many things that can be done and learned to improve well-being for the patient and caregiver. 

“This campaign not only allows us to reach more people and make many aware of the existence of an association made up of volunteer family members and professionals willing to help, but also shows one of the most frequent symptoms of patients with some type of dementia. The clarity of the light that illuminates these people’s path reflects a short moment of lucidity that a patient may have; the shadows that precede it are a mostly unremembered past; and the subsequent darkness toward which the walkers are heading shows the uncertainty and unknowing of what is to come... both where the wanderer is headed as well as the future of that patient, their caregiver and the family. 

“We are very grateful to A.L.M.A. for the work and commitment to the entire team at República Havas."