Santa Forgets: Christmas Alzheimer's Ad

This specific ad about Santa having Alzheimer's really grasped my attention and interest because I have personally dealt with this terrible disease. My grandpa has had Alzheimer's for at least 10 years now and he is actually doing okay for how bad this disease can truly be affect people. He never says my name, but whenever my mom brings my name to his attention, he automatically can distinguish who I am. He also has a tough time when recalling short term memory situations. For example we would ask him what he had for dinner 5 minutes after he ate it and he could not tell us. But when someone asks him about something that happened in his past, he knows exactly what to say and answers the question accurately. This disease affects many people and I do not think people realize the varying devastating effects it has on a person and their family unless they are actually put in this type of position. I also feel as though people do not exactly understand that this disease can be examined with the money for the research to be conducted and possibly cured if this extreme research can be done. So this ad did a great job at promoting awareness of this research and Alzheimer's disease by emotionally tugging at the heart strings and releasing a message of hope. Here is the ad itself:

In this Alzheimer Research ad, as you can see, there is a little girl that experiences the magic of Christmas being stripped away from her because Santa is living with the effects of dementia and can no longer bring presents to the houses of the children all across the World on Christmas Eve. Once Freya, the little girl, was told Santa had this disease, she made it her mission to to travel to the North Pole and comfort Santa by offering her support and collaborates with Santa's elves who are the researchers. At the end of this short ad is where the details of the Alzheimer's Research comes in, which is the perfect ending to a heartbreaking and heartwarming story. It really leaves the audience with a certain mood of wanting to help this research program.

The best saying in this ad by Freya was, "If Santa has a disease, research can find a way to fix it". This quote expresses the uplifting effect research can have on this certain disease if it can be conducted. Hilary Evans, Chief Executive of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "Santa Forgot is a poignant and powerful reminder that dementia doesn't discriminate. We have to be provocative about dementia, to help fight misconception and fatalism around the condition and to demonstrate that pioneering research holds the answers. Santa is an important cultural figure, but the idea that he too could be affected drives home the point that dementia can strike those most special in our lives." This quote is extremely important to keep in mind because the Dementia disease does not care who you are, it can set anyone back at anytime. And this terrifying disease does not necessarily have to be heredity either. If there is research that can be done to prevent this disease from happening, it will save many lives and enhance many families so the life long memories can continue to be made for the people.

I feel that using Santa as the receiver of this disease was the best figure to use because he has such a tremendous influence on the children of the World, and this ad can explain to the children what dementia can do to the most influential people in our lives. It will make them want to take charge in spreading awareness of this research because they do not want anyone else having to deal with this like Santa did. Overall, it was an ad campaign that was a success in my eyes. The Alzheimer's Research UK did a fantastic job at balancing sadness and gratitude throughout this whole ad. I feel that this ad will inspire many to notice that we, as people, are the start of the research process that can transform the future of this disease.