Forget Everything

Forget Everything You Thought You Knew About Dementia Our campaign for Dementia SA challenges the pervasive misconception that dementia is "just an elderly disease" by revealing the hidden reality of Young Onset Dementia (YOD). Through a powerful misdirect, we tap into unconscious bias across three common everyday scenarios—the intimate dinner table, the nighttime doorway, and the shared sporting moment. Our consistent visual language deliberately positions the younger person with dementia on the right side of each frame, a structural choice that reinforces our reveal as viewers scan from left to right, first encountering the older person they assume has dementia. Viewers naturally assume the older person has dementia—until we reveal it's the younger one. This twist exposes the cruel paradox faced by those diagnosed: too young for society's perception of dementia, yet aged beyond their years by its symptoms. Our photographic approach prioritises authenticity within carefully selected domestic environments familiar to South African audiences. Atmospheric lighting creates emotional depth through selective illumination, with warm interior tones contrasting against cooler shadows. Close attention to subject positioning captures that profound moment of disconnection YOD patients experience—physically present yet mentally adrift. The campaign utilises outdoor media's large-format displays in high-traffic areas, creating public moments of collective realisation and democratising access across diverse demographics. Print executions leverage the medium's unique ability to create revelatory moments through static imagery—demonstrating print's enduring power to change perceptions through a single, transformative moment. "Forget Everything You Thought You Knew About Dementia" calls attention to the fact that YOD remains largely invisible, with marketing reinforcing the myth that it only affects the elderly. By creating cognitive dissonance that asks viewers to rethink who dementia affects, we aim to transform public perception and spotlight the system that fails to support those with YOD through crucial midlife responsibilities.