Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? In 2014, the challenge inspired throngs to dump iced water on their heads and donate to global ALS associations, bringing attention to the sensation of losing muscular control. The loss of muscular function is debilitating, robbing people with ALS of the physical ability to achieve goals, causing them to feel like they're trapped in their own minds. Minds that are as innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial as any able-bodied person.
10 years on, technology is enabling people with ALS in previously unimaginable ways, allowing them to achieve goals and impact the world around them in remarkably. Honor the Challenger is an exemplary video campaign for Honor with a TV commercial that passes the microphone to people with ALS, with HONOR as an enabler of Challenger potential. With a strong social purpose to uplift the stories of people with motorneurone diseases and disabilities, the campaign was a clarion call for humanity to innovate for all, featuring ALS Challengers, Associations, and technology experts. The campaign informed, educated, and inspired a global audience about the power of tech in shaping lives, on one of the world’s most trusted international broadcasters.
We received HONOR's brief during one of the most competitive seasons for marketing - the Olympics, so we showed viewers viewers the same willpower of sportspeople that thrives within the minds of people with ALS.
The HONOR the Challenger campaign succeeded significantly at engaging audiences with tangible impact, tested by BBC StoryWorks' award-winning Science of Engagement study.
In a climate where only 2% of people feel like they’ve been accurately represented in media, we set out to create a narrative that would be guided by the stories and lived experiences of people with ALS.
During the Olympics season of 2024, we were challenged to help our client:
Honor had identified an ALS Challenger and Dutch entrepreneur, Bernard Muller, to feature in this video. In 2010, Bernard’s world came to standstill when he received devastating diagnosis of ALS. Entrepreneur through and through, it was in Bernard’s personality to reclaim his power, with innovation. Today, he has embraced groundbreaking eye-tracking technology to create digital art, enabled by AI technology, and auctioning the art to supporting multiple projects searching to find a cure for ALS.
We showcased Bernard living the technology story, taking ideas from his mind, onto canvases, and unveiling a new artpiece which scaled to wider social momentum. We also showed how people with disabilities are the true shapers of multi-modal tech – and how the impact when brands truly listen, is phenomenal.
At the point of production, Bernard had lost the ability to speak and move most of his body. We were challenged to consider creative storytelling that was true to his cheeky entrepreneurial personality, so he could be proud of how he'd been portrayed. This is some of how we portrayed a representation of Bernard's life that was full and fair, and for others to find a safe space in the story.
On social media, we innovated new ways to engage audiences by allowing them to experience multimodal technology for themselves, including a visual simulation of eye-tracking, inspired by "endless zoom" social media videos. We envisioned the social media user's eyes as cursors, similar to how eye-tracking technology works.
With emotional storytelling, we showed that an intelligent world includes everyone. We turned preconceived notions about people with ALS into admiration, stemming from equal perception, and we showed how people with disabilities are pivotal voices in shaping the technologies of tomorrow.
More results in confidential section.
In total, across BBC's TV and Digital platforms, we garnered 552.9 Million impacts across our target markets. The following assets were promoted.
The campaign succeeded significantly at engaging audiences in just 41 days, achieving one of the most coveted hallmarks of brand awareness: trust.
The video’s creative effectiveness was remarkable, translating to tangible impact on Honor, tested by BBC StoryWorks’ award-winning Science of Engagement study.
On social media, our unique approach to simulating the experience of using eye-tracking technology proved intriguing. Our social media campaign ran on Facebook, Instagram, and X organically, with a minimal paid campaign on Facebook and Instagram.
These engagement-centric metrics are a deep mark of the success of BBC StoryWorks’ distinctive emotional storytelling.
The most meaningful result of our campaign is what it meant to Bernard Muller: "This endeavour is not just about raising awareness but also about showcasing the resilience and creativity that can thrive despite adversity."
