More than just a thank you…

Alzheimer's Society

Society magazine

The Alzheimer’s Society supporter newsletter traditionally had a lot of boxes to tick: to raise income, cross-sell, educate, build brand awareness… and as a result, it had lost focus.

Supporters didn’t love Thanks To You, the team didn’t love it, and it was no longer in line with Alzheimer’s Society’s new brand and tone of voice. Most importantly, supporter feedback made it clear that saying thank you wasn’t enough. They wanted something inspiring, memorable, shareable and entertaining.

A strategic deep-dive revealed that this audience are still big fans of newsstand magazines, and that when it comes to their relationship with Alzheimer’s Society they’re most interested in the big-picture research progress stories.

It was clear we needed to create a retention piece that supporters couldn’t wait to read – something genuinely interesting, relevant and informative, that tells them exactly what their donations are achieving.

So we built a content plan around the idea of themed issues – so we could talk about the more technical and lab-based stories alongside other lifestyle features, with a curated flow of short and long reads, and a good balance of advice and fun.

It was a brilliantly collaborative project with the team at Alzheimer’s Society, exploring names and formats, and working out how we could include and celebrate as many voices from across the community as possible.

And we’re really proud of the end result. Moving from a 12-page A5 newsletter to a 28-page supplement sized magazine, we launched Society with the innovation issue. Key features discuss the changing landscape of garden design for people living with dementia, and cutting-edge tech designed to support people to be independent for longer. A ‘tried and tested’ product panel, seasonal tips and Q&A features open up an authentic two-way dialogue.

And, with an AI-generated illustration on the cover, we led with the headline news story about breakthrough drugs lecanemab and donanemab that could be set to change the story of dementia. Genuine fresh hope to kick off the next chapter in the new conversation between this inspiring organisation and its dedicated supporters.