The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that a controversial campaign by the Alzheimer’s Society did not breach its rules despite receiving hundreds of complaints.
ASA did not uphold the 235 complaints it received about the charity’s Long Goodbye campaign, which included three TV adverts and one radio advert, that challenged whether they were excessively distressing, offensive and irresponsible.
While ASA said the adverts could upset some people, it judged that “any distress caused was justified by the ads’ messages”.
Alzheimer’s Society said it was satisfied with the investigation’s outcome and that it had not intended to cause distress.
Initial criticism to ad content
Alzheimer’s Society’s campaign was broadcast in March and April 2024 and the first TV advert featured a man talking at his mother’s wake, with two shortened versions also shown.
The radio advert, which included similar content, has someone saying: “Mum first died when she couldn’t work out how to prepare her legendary roast. Mum died again when she asked me what my name was. On 10 March 2024 mum died a final time, surrounded by her family.”
Another voice is heard saying: “With dementia, you don’t just die once. You die again and again and again. Which is why at Alzheimer’s Society we’ll be with you again and again and again.”
Despite some praise for the advert, comments under a video for it on social media called it “dehumanising” and “insensitive”.
Richard Kramer, chief executive of disability charity Sense, commented on X: “This is framed as hard-hitting but I found it upsetting.
“It is wrong to say that someone has died when they haven’t. It sets back older people’s and disabled people’s rights. We should be offering individuals and families hope not despair.”
At the time, Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Kate Lee published a statement in response to criticism of the “hard-hitting” video.
ASA: ‘Any distress caused was justified’
ASA said that the adverts, particularly the references to death, could cause a significant emotional impact.
It said the references to dying “again and again and again” could cause potentially significant distress to some people with Alzheimer’s, particularly to those who had recently been diagnosed.
However, ASA said that the adverts presented “an accurate and sensitively delivered portrayal of the reality of the disease”.
It also emphasised that following the advert’s reference to dying “again and again and again”, Alzheimer’s Society discussed the support it provides to those with dementia and those caring for people with the disease.
And it said that audiences “would understand that the overall message of the ads was to raise awareness of dementia”.
“Overall, we considered that any distress caused was justified by the ads’ messages,” ASA said.
Charity: ‘An important debate has begun’
Alex Hyde-Smith, Alzheimer’s Society’s director of income and engagement, said: “We are grateful for the thorough and prompt approach the ASA have taken to this investigation and we are satisfied with the outcome.
“We care deeply about the views of everyone affected by dementia and we are dedicated to improving the experience of dementia forever.
“But that will only happen if we show that dementia is a problem that needs to be prioritised and we highlight the urgency of the challenge.
“At every stage of development of the Long Goodbye, immense care went into ensuring we’re telling this story compassionately and authentically. It was never our intention to cause distress.
“We’ve heard from a huge number of people who’ve felt this is the first advert that truly represents their dementia experience.
“These people have expressed relief and gratitude for the campaign – finally showing them that many other people have experienced the same, utterly unacceptable levels of pain and struggle that they and their families went through.
“An important debate has begun and, ultimately, we need to keep telling the truth about this devastating illness to ensure dementia gets the long overdue attention it deserves.
“The Long Goodbye is one experience that many carers feel hasn’t had the exposure it should have had, but we will, of course, continue to share the many different experiences of dementia through our communications.”
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