Yes, Tourette’s is disquieting. It’s uncomfortable to watch someone twitching, whistling, shouting, jumping…
That discomfort is small and fleeting compared to what Tourette’s puts people living with it through. A campaign by agency, AML, for UK Tourette syndrome charity, Tourette’s Action, aims to dismantle harmful stereotypes, promoting understanding and changing hearts and minds in the general public – with a Tourette’s choir and a soulful rendition of Nina Simone’s Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.
The campaign leads with a film, produced by The Attic, performed by Grace Cope, a young woman with Tourette’s (TS), and a choir of individuals also living with the condition. The film captures the emotional weight of navigating life with Tourette syndrome – from explaining involuntary tics to confronting public misconceptions and unwanted stares.
Hugo Bone, ECD, AML Group, stated, “We want this campaign to be a plea for greater understanding and acceptance from the Tourette’s community to the wider world. The lyrics to Nina Simone’s Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood perfectly reflect that plea, so we recorded our own version with a choir of wonderful people of all ages, all living with Tourette’s, and made a music video of it. Every one of them, as well as many others who generously auditioned for the choir, appears in the poster, which is styled as an album cover. We hope we have created something memorable that will help people living with Tourette’s to be better understood.”
Despite affecting 1 in 100 school-aged children -a prevalence similar to Autism and childhood epilepsy – Tourette Syndrome continues to be widely misunderstood. Too often dismissed as a behavioural issue or unfairly linked to swearing, TS is in fact a complex, genetically determined neurological condition that affects both children and adults. Tourettes Action is working to reframe the narrative and bring understanding where judgment has long prevailed.
Emma McNally, CEO of Tourettes Action,commented, “This is our most ambitious campaign yet. Through music, film, and visual storytelling, we want to show the world what it really means to live with Tourette’s. It’s not just tics – it’s daily challenges, strength, and a desire for acceptance. With over 300,000 people living with the condition in the UK alone, we believe this campaign can help shift the narrative and unite communities around understanding and inclusion.”
The social-first campaign will feature across all major social media platforms, supported by a poster campaign inspired by retro album covers.
Credits:
Client: Tourettes Action
CEO: Emma McNally
Agency: AML Group
ECD: Hugo Bone
Senior Creative: Jack Smith
Design Director: Duncan Naylor
Head of Delivery: Dan Anderson
Creative Designer: Mat Carpenter
Artworker: Brad Saunders
Production Company: The Attic
Director: Pierre Thiebault
Producers: Mark Harrison & Damien Sung
Editor: Matt Kebbell
