Alzheimer SOCKS

We decided to launch the Alzheimer SOCKS as a fashion brand. We asked designers Mart Visser and the late Frans Molenaar to each design a sock that, when worn with the other as a pair, would symbolize the confusion that Alzheimer’s patients experience daily.

With two top designers for the Alzheimer SOCKS, we chose World Alzheimer’s Day for a major PR launch. By having numerous well-known Dutch personalities wear the socks and having them appear in various national TV programmes, we immediately created awareness around the socks throughout the Netherlands.  The numerous people purchasing the socks didn’t only start a conversation in the streets, but also online, thanks to the photos of them wearing the different socks that they shared via social media.  The value of the publicity the socks generated amounted to more than €600,000. All of this attention led to 90% of all the available Alzheimer SOCKS stock being sold during the campaign, which created an incredible amount of awareness a significant donation to the VU University Medical Center Amsterdam for Alzheimer research.

Confusion. It’s an integral part of the daily life of an Alzheimer’s patient. Our campaign for Alzheimer Nederland lets people briefly experience this confusion themselves. This way, we gain attention on the issue, stimulate discussion about it, and create more general awareness. 

In order to symbolize this confusion, we asked two top Dutch designers, Mart Visser and the late Frans Molenaar, who also suffered from Alzheimer’s, to each design a sock to be worn with the other as a pair. When people see others wearing such a mismatched pair of socks, they briefly feel confused themselves. Wearers of the socks make Alzheimer’s ‘visible’ and a possible topic of conversation. And with their purchase, they also contribute to research on this devastating disease.
By wearing these socks you make a statement and act as an ambassador for research. The socks are a playful conversation starter; you’re almost sure to be asked why you are wearing a differing pair of socks. That you’re personally contributing in your own way to solve Alzheimer’s disease makes for an extra strong and convincing story.

The socks were launched on World Alzheimer’s Day, and were widely available in shops such as Bijenkorf, Albert Heijn, V&D and C&A department stores, as well as online.

One in five Dutch people will be affected by Alzheimer’s. To this day, there is still no medication that can cure this debilitating disease. Many people associate Alzheimer’s with absentmindedness or extreme old age, and don’t see it as something that affect them in the near future. In order to ultimately win the battle against Alzheimer’s, it’s crucial to generate more awareness and more funds for research. Since Alzheimer’s is not a day-to-day topic of conversation, we had to look for ways to get people talking about it. In line with the overall strategy, we wanted to make this happen by letting them encounter a bit of the confusion people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease experience on a daily basis. At the same time, the campaign also needs to generate funds for research on Alzheimer’s disease.