Winner
Family Matters. The Extraordinary Impact of Huntington’s Disease
Summary of work
Huntington’s disease is an incurable, hereditary and degenerative brain disorder, described by George Huntington in 1872, which significantly reduces life expectancy. Symptoms of Huntington’s gradually worsen over ten to 25 years until the person dies. Every child conceived naturally to a parent who carries the huntingtin gene has a 50% chance of inheriting it. Historically, people living with Huntington’s disease have faced stigma due to the lack of information and awareness from HCPs and the public. Huntington’s has been commonly misunderstood, with symptoms regularly mistaken as drunken or drug-related behaviour. With the high risk of their children inheriting the disease, people with Huntington's often faced criticism for their decision to have children. M&F Health devised the Family Matters campaign on behalf of the Huntington’s disease Alliance with the aim of inspiring and supporting the Huntington’s community, celebrating the resilience of those affected by Huntington’s disease (HD) and recognising every family’s unique experience. The ambitious multichannel creative campaign incorporated insights-led news generation, digital and social media strategy, and stakeholder relations all underpinned by in-depth community insight. Moreover, a campaign-bespoke microsite was developed to house powerful films, blogs and the #LivingHistory project – a shared space of contributions/snapshots from the Huntington’s community.
Judges’ comments
Family Matters was a strong, well put together campaign. It was really comprehensive, well-rounded and exceeded its target, with excellent results. The campaign was based on a clear understanding of the current position, prevalence and impact of Huntingdon's Disease and patient insight. It was well developed and executed.
