Parkinson’s NSW launches the ‘No Escape Room’ via Wunderman Thompson Australia to highlight reality of living with Parkinson’s
With five Australians under 40 diagnosed with Parkinson’s every day, Parkinson’s NSW has launched the first ever ‘No Escape Room’ to simulate what life is like for people living with the disease.
The one-of-a-kind experience, created by Wunderman Thompson Australia and Airbag, started with a callout via Facebook to Australia’s biggest escape room enthusiasts, with the opportunity to be the first people to trial a new escape room. What the participants didn’t know was that they were taking part in an experiment to dramatise the everyday challenges of people living with Parkinson’s.
Says Simon Langley, National Chief Creative Officer at Wunderman Thompson: “Living with the daily challenges that come with Parkinson’s is something many of us can’t imagine. For those people, it’s a reality they can’t escape – one we wanted Australians to experience first hand. It has been a great experience working with Parkinson’s NSW on this project.”
Taking three days to construct, including building multiple hidden cameras into the structure, the room was designed to help participants understand Parkinson’s symptoms through a series of puzzles inspired by everyday tasks such as tying a shoelace, pouring tea and using a computer mouse. Each one was rigged to simulate how Parkinson’s symptoms – such as loss of memory, physical tremors, stiffness, confusion, difficulty multi-tasking and blurred vision – impact a person’s ability to complete everyday movements and tasks.
The campaign is brought to life with an interactive digital version of the No Escape Room and a related online video, together allowing more people to experience the daily challenges faced by people with Parkinson’s and help to shift the common misconception that it is a disease of the elderly. The site simulates the feeling of being inside the escape room via a 360 experience, with each challenge replicated for the users to attempt.
Says Jo-Anne Reeves, CEO of Parkinson’s NSW: “For people living with Parkinson’s, there is no escape from their symptoms. They often feel like they can’t escape the challenges associated with day-to-day activities and movements such as pouring a cup of tea or tying a shoelace. We understand this can be hard to relate to, which is why we have launched this campaign, to allow Australians to step directly into the shoes of a person living with Parkinson’s.”
Airbag Managing Partner, Adrian Bosich added: “We’ve appreciated the opportunity to design and film this exercise in empathy – to find a way for the participants and broader film audience alike to understand some of the challenges those with Parkinson’s face every day.”
The campaign launched today with online video of the No Escape Room and the interactive digital experience at www.noescaperoom.com.au. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the daily challenges of those living with Parkinson’s, as well as fundraising to support Parkinson’s NSW with research and initiatives which improve the wellbeing of people living with Parkinson’s, as the search for a cure continues.
Experience the interactive digital ‘No Escape’ room
Parkinson’s NSW
Jo-Anne Reeves CEO
Mirelle Brockett, Marketing and Digital Manager
Wunderman Thompson
Simon Langley, National Chief Creative Officer
Steve Hey, Creative Group Head
Simon Koay, Senior Art Director
Ana Lynch, Partner
Rebekah O’Grady, Engagement Manager
Gabe Hammond, Senior Producer
Chloe Marshall, Integrated Producer
Kel Gronow, Editor
Frank Martelli, Creative Director
Marvin Cheung, Senior UI Designer
Ryville Ochoa, Delivery Lead
Joseph Campbell, Senior Developer
Koji Yajima, UI Designer
Production Company- AIRBAG
Will Horne, Director
Adrian Bosich, Managing Partner
Alex Tizzard, Exec Producer
Megan Ayers, Producer
Zach Peel McGregor, DP
Sam Lukins, Art Director
Steven Nicholson, Head of Creative Technology
Dan Macnish, Creative Technologist
Sound Studio: Song Zu
PR- BCW
Julia Lahav, Account Director
Chloe Peel, Account Manager
Georgia Neville, Account executive
10 Comments
Pretty damn powerful, that. Nicely done, Mr Koay and crew
Isn’t this that bike with MS idea from years back?
Nice one legends!
Much like Wunderman Thompson. No escape.
“let’s gamify Parkinson’s disease”
A simple Google search guys:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKdTMFuia4w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYxUgthRrOo
https://vimeo.com/383808344
Nice idea and I’m sure there were a few people who wanted to make a difference but this just ended up looking like another one of those things that agencies make to win awards. The execution needs be more interesting if you expect anyone who doesn’t browse this blog to follow the journey all the way to the end.
Came across this news article on Linkedin, and as somebody who has lived with Parkinson’s for 16 years (diagnosed at 31), I just want to say thank you for putting others in our shoes, to try to understand the sheer and utter hell this feels like. There are the physical issues, but also the mental exhaustion of knowing this is how it’s going to be every single day of your life.
Hi guys.
Bugger any award, that’s not what it’s about! Thanks so much for doing this, thanks so much for making it so easy and comfortable in front of the camera and coaching me along, wish I was able to do it a bit better for you. To all the crew, thanks so much, you’re all legends.
Kindest Regards
Gavin
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