Should elderly care sound like a crime novel?

Client

Ældre Sagen

When real evidence of neglect no longer attracted attention, we helped Ældre Sagen break through the noise with a new approach: a true crime short story collection based on real stories from Danish elderly care.

Client

Ældre Sagen

Client

Ældre Sagen

Challenge

Ældre Sagen (DaneAge Association) was facing a serious problem. More and more elderly people and relatives were contacting the organization's counseling service with stories of neglect in elderly care. The stories were serious, but they no longer resonated enough with the public.

At the same time, Ældre Sagen wanted to place elderly care prominently on the agenda in the run-up to the general election and spur political action in an area that has been underprioritized for many years.

The problem was that the Danes had developed a kind of emotional fatigue towards yet another negative story from elderly care. Even powerful exposures and documentaries struggled to create real movement.

Therefore, a new approach was needed that could make people stop, listen, and feel the consequences of neglect in a new way.

Challenge

Therefore, a new approach was needed that could make people stop, listen, and feel the consequences of neglect in a new way.

Solution

In working with the 196 testimonies, one thing became clear: several of the stories did not sound like classic tales from elderly care. They sounded like scenes from a crime novel.

This became the launching pad for the campaign.

We therefore developed a real crime short story collection with 13 stories based on true testimonies of neglect. The stories were dramaturgically adapted to protect those involved, but the details of the neglect remained exactly as told to Ældre Sagen's advisory service.

Under the headline "Should elderly care sound like a crime novel?", the book became the centerpiece of a larger campaign universe across channels.

Kirsten Olesen read excerpts in films and audio universes. The stories unfolded on social media in a visual universe inspired by classic crime novels. Radio and audio media brought the tales to life with dramatic readings. And an excerpt of the crime story physically landed in the mailboxes of nearly 1.1 million members in Ældre Sagen's magazine.

The result was a campaign that made a well-known social problem impossible to ignore.

Solution

In working with the 196 testimonies, one thing became clear: several of the stories did not sound like classic tales from elderly care. They sounded like scenes from a crime novel.

This became the launching pad for the campaign.

Under the headline "Should elderly care sound like a crime novel?", the book became the centerpiece of a larger campaign universe across channels.

The result was a campaign that made a well-known social problem impossible to ignore.

In working with the 196 testimonies, one thing became clear: several of the stories did not sound like classic tales from elderly care. They sounded like scenes from a crime novel.

This became the launching pad for the campaign.

Under the headline "Should elderly care sound like a crime novel?", the book became the centerpiece of a larger campaign universe across channels.

The result was a campaign that made a well-known social problem impossible to ignore.