David's Unusables
Motor Neurone Disease Association NZ
Issue 61 | January 2022
Agency
Special Group
Creative Team
Executive Creative Directors Lisa Fedyszyn, Jonathan McMahon Creative Director Arnya Karaitiana Senior Copywriter Tom Johnson Art Director Kimberley Scott
Production Team
Integrated Producer Jen Wood Studio Manager Gavin Le Claire Designer Ky Lee Studio Artworker Carolyn Ihaia
Other Credits
Group Business Director Priyanka Patel Senior Account Manager Isabeau Brimeau Head of PR and Influence Kelly Grindle Media Director Briar Roswell
Date
June 2021
Background
Motor Neurone Disease gradually causes the muscles that enable people to move, speak, swallow and breathe to stop working – and as they do, people living with MND lose their ability to use everyday items. MND New Zealand, a charity that supports people living with the disease, wanted to increase understanding of the disease. The ALS ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ had been very successful in driving donations and engagement but few understood the reason behind it.
Idea
The challenge was to find an idea that made the NZ public aware of what MND is and understand the impact that it can have. So New Zealanders were introduced to David, a person diagnosed with MND. He dramatised the gradual stages of the disease by using TradeMe.co.nz, New Zealand’s largest online market place, to auction off everyday items as and when he could no longer use them.
When he couldn’t run any longer, he sold his running shoes. When he lost the use of his legs, his bike was sold. When he lost the use of his arms, his fishing rod was sold. And when he could no longer feed himself, his cutlery was sold. Each item had a product description that explained the disease and why David could no longer use it.
Results
The idea encouraged dialogue with people who became curious about the nature of the disease and supportive of David.
It generated news coverage for MND, helping drive auction listings up and turning transactions into conversations, reaching over 1.5 million New Zealanders.
Our Thoughts
No-one knows (yet) what causes Motor Neurone Disease, alias ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease after the baseball player who died from it aged 37.
No-one knows why New Zealand has the highest mortality rate from MND in the world.
What I know is in 2015 it took my good friend and art director partner Ray Barrett two decades before time. I am certain he would have loved this idea for its innovative hijacking of an e-commerce platform to raise money and for the un-preachy way it both explains and demonstrates the debilitating condition. When you see the full list of David’s “unusables”, from the swimming flippers and his guitar to his lawn mower and even his tea cups for pity’s sake, you really do get to understand how MND takes everything from those it afflicts.