Dementia is something that everyone dreads and most people known little about. It is also still somewhat baffling to scientists, who are working to unravel its causes and perhaps even stem its occurrence. Last year, the Telus Health Brain Project in Canada raised $1.3 million in 2016 to support brain research, care, education and innovation by Baycrest Health Sciences.

Red Lion Canada is helping the project to meet its goal of beating that achievement. More than 25,000 new cases of dementia are diagnosed each year in Canada.

The agency is working with The Baycrest Foundation on the campaign to raise awareness about brain health and support this year’s activation – a collection of brain sculptures by 100 artists and well-known Canadians, that is on display across Canada during July and August.

Red Lion’s campaign film by Toronto director, Mark Zilbert, shows a series of larger-than-life brain sculptures, built in different mediums including mirrors, polaroids and jello. It was shot in reverse-motion cinematography and shows shattered brains becoming whole again. The film is underlined by an evocative piece of free verse by Toronto spoken-word poet, Britta B. – a rallying cry for all generations, #noblankbranks. Its message is that brains are fragile and should be protected.

The film was released in conjunction with World Brain Day. It is running in Cineplex theatres across Canada throughout August.

“Our priority is to put brain health top of mind for all Canadians,” stated Laura Mandell, director of marketing and communications, Baycrest Foundation.

“We are confident that this bold approach will deliver on this objective and inspire people to think more about their own brain health.”

Matthew Litzinger, president and chief creative officer at Red Lion Canada, led the campaign. He commented, “From a brand perspective, this video embodies what The Telus Health Brain Project is all about. We were inspired by the incredible creative work produced by this year’s artists, and so we took their vision to another level. The Telus Health Brain Project truly uses art to change lives, one brain at a time. It is an honour to play a part in raising awareness about such an incredible endeavour.”

To reach a younger demographic, Red Lion Canada also created a unique digital activation for the project, that was released earlier this year. An Instagram colouring book featured a silhouette of a blank brain, with a call-to-action for Instagram users to become artists themselves. The OOH component launched this week throughout Canada.