"FACE UN-RECOGNITION": A New Campaign by Republica Havas in Collaboration with the Fight Against Alzheimer's Association

May. 04, 2024

After the successful campaign “The Name Confusion” and the recent campaign called “Second,” Republica Havas presents its new work, “Face Un-Recognition,” which focuses on one of the clear symptoms of Alzheimer's, face confusion, this time together with the Defensa y Justicia social and soccer club and TNT Sports.

Tony Waissmann, Chief Creative Officer of Republica Havas, said: 

"Once again it was great to work with Fight Against Alzheimer’s Association, with which we have been working for a long time. The idea is to always make a campaign based on a symptom of the disease. That’s why this time, we opted to use a body double of a top goal scorer of Argentina 2023 so that for a week, people were confused about whether it was or wasn’t him, although there were some who did not even notice the switch and that's another instance of the manifestation of the symptom because not noticing the switch also means confusion. I am very happy because I think that year after year, we do a great job collaborating with the Association. They are always open to innovative ideas to build awareness of the disease, supporting its victims and loved ones and directing them where they can seek help."

 

Guillermo Ferro, Vice President of Fight Against Alzheimer’s Association, said:

"This type of dissemination not only helps us make more people aware of the existence of our Association and that they can come to us for assistance and support; it also, importantly, highlights the value of early detection of the disease for both the victim and their loved ones. Not being able to associate a name with a face and confusing one person with another are common symptoms of this disease. This was evident in the reactions of audiences, particularly social network followers, during the days that the campaign lasted. Many people doubted and felt what a person who suffers from dementia can experience... feeling confused, not knowing if a person is who one believes them to be, or doubting who that person really is. Without a doubt, the vast popularity of soccer helped our campaign gain traction with fans across social networks and television, reaching millions of people to give them a better idea of the impacts of Alzheimer’s."

 

 

Diego Lemme, President of Defensa y Justicia, said: 

"Facial confusion is one of the main symptoms of Alzheimer's. The campaign is effective because it forces us to put ourselves in the place of people who suffer from the disease. We are proud to be part of this campaign and work in conjunction with Fight Against Alzheimer's Association, TNT Sports, and one of the icons of our club, Nicolás ‘Uvita’ Fernández. From the first moment they approached us with the idea for the campaign, we were committed to it. We understand that we are a medium that allows its dissemination to be widespread, allowing for greater awareness about this problem. We knew that it was an ambitious project, one that would create confusion, discomfort, and even doubts among the people who saw the campaign because it would put our audience in the place of someone who suffers from the disease. Defensa y Justicia has been growing year after year not only from sporting, structural and institutional perspectives but also through our social commitment to support our community through efforts like this campaign."

 

Enrique Sacco, Head of TNT Sports Argentina, said: 

"It is essential to take advantage of the reach of a tool as powerful as soccer to educate and raise awareness about relevant issues for society. At TNT Sports, we are and will always be committed to supporting and disseminating these types of initiatives. We thank Defensa y Justicia, Fight Against Alzheimer’s Association, and Republica Havas for trusting us as allies in this campaign."