Around one in ten people in the UK already look after a loved one1, yet new research conducted by Essity brand, TENA, reveals that only 50% of people who provided extended family care considered themselves a ‘carer’. This lack of perception is largely down to those doing the care not acknowledging themselves as ‘carers’ and, as a result, they feel more alone and unaware of the support available.
The research, conducted with Ketchum, is part of TENA’s new global campaign, #NoLoveLikeIt, in partnership with Carers UK. TENA delved deep into qualitative and quantitative research to understand the realities of caring, which will become a reality for most of us at some point, as populations age and more care is provided in home by families.
In their conversations with the brand, carers remarked how the responsibility of caring for someone can feel daunting, unfamiliar, and scary. And this can be even more challenging when the person you care for is incontinent. Dealing with urine leakage can feel like one of the most demanding and uncomfortable aspects of caring routines. This adds to the emotional strain carers feel on top of what is a physically and mentally demanding role. Over 70% of carers in some markets suffer from stress and exhaustion, showing just how demanding the reality can be (2). The reality of being a caregiver has been turned into an insightful campaign film by AMV BBDO, directed by Oscar-nominated writer and Sound of Metal director, Darius Marder, who’s used to filming non-actors to tell more authentic stories.
The campaign aims to prompt all people to support carers by recognising the many faces of caregiving and the cocktail of emotions that comes with it, and help carers feel more prepared and supported.
Some other key findings from TENA’s research which informed the campaign3:
- With an ageing population expected to make up more than one fifth (22%) of society in the next ten years, the number of us estimated to give care will rise, with the pressure of impending caregiving needs already felt by many;
- Almost half of people (47%) admit they already worry about taking care of a loved one in the future;
- Over half of people (55%) find it difficult to balance daily life with family caregiving responsibilities, and 51% are concerned they wouldn’t know how to care for a dependent person properly;
- Anxiety around caregiving means that almost one in three people (29%) actively avoid talking to a relative or loved one about their future care needs. Yet despite avoiding the subject, more than half (53%) believe it’s the duty of a loved one to look after a dependent family member and 45% of people acknowledge that providing family care themselves would be the only option for them.
TENA global brand communications manager, Paul Dennis, stated, “TENA has spoken with many carers and their relatives over the years and its clear that incontinence care is often just one of the many challenges they face in their daily lives. We wanted to support them beyond just our products and with our #NoLoveLikeIt campaign our ambition is to recognise their varying experiences and contributions and help to shine a light on something that will be a reality for many of us at some point.”
The campaign is running in the UK, Poland, Germany, France, Italy, and Canada across TV, VOD, social, in-store and on the TENA website.
Credits:
Client: Essity (TENA)
Client Team: Oscar Ayala, Paul Dennis and Emma Ottosson
Creative Agency: AMV BBDO
Chief Creative Officers: Nicholas Hulley & Nadja Lossgott
Creative Director: Jim Hilson
Creative Team: Ben Smith & Dan Kennard
Agency Planning Team: Tom White & Jack Swain
Agency Account Team: Anna Covell, Harry Bugge & Phoebe Selby
Agency Producer: Yvonne Chalkley
Media Agency: Zenith
Production Company: Caviar TV
Director: Darius Marder
Producers: Campbell Beaton & Nisha Mullea
Edit: Eve Ashwell @ The Assembly Rooms
Post-production Company: Glassworks
Sound Studio: 750 Sound
Audio Post-production: Twenty Below Music
PR agency: Ketchum
1 Key facts and figures about caring, Carers UK: https://www.carersuk.org/policy-and-research/key-facts-and-figures/
2 Key facts and figures about caring in France, Eurocarers: https://eurocarers.org/country-profiles/france/
About the research
3 The research study was conducted by Opinion Matters in July 2022, sampling over 2,000 men and women (18+).
You might also like
