MND Auction campaign starts today

AUCKLAND, Today: MND New Zealand has launched a new campaign via Special Group for Motor Neurone Disease Awareness Day, with the dual objectives of raising consumer awareness and encouraging charitable donations.

The integrated campaign deploys skillsets from Special, Special PR and Special Media.  The creative centres around a digital TradeMe auction, which charts the ‘real-life’ digital-decline of Whangarei-based David Seymour who lives with MND.

MND gradually causes the muscles that enable us to move, speak, swallow and breathe to stop working – and as they do, we lose our ability to use everyday items.  

The auction dramatises the impact the disease has had on Seymour, and starts by him selling large outdoor items like a fishing rod and a bike, before moving onto the likes of cutlery and teacups for when he no longer has the ability to feed himself.

The TradeMe auction is supported by a series of infomercial style promotional clips to highlight the variety of items available for sale, fronted by infomercial queen Suzanne Paul.  The content was directed by Alexander Gander with The Post Office acting as production partners.

MND ceo Carl Sunderland said: “We needed a bold, brave and creative campaign to cut through public apathy and highlight how devastating this disease can be. A lot of New Zealanders haven’t necessarily heard of MND, and if they have, their understanding of what it actually means is quite low.

“MND has no treatment and no cure, so every cent raised provides support to Kiwis living with the disease.”

“By demonstrating the debilitating experience of David through this TradeMe auction, we hope to raise awareness, educate the public and generate funds at the same time. MND has no treatment, and no cure, so every cent raised funds vital research and provides support to New Zealanders living with the disease.”

Specia Group ECD Lisa Fedyszyn said: “We’re guided by a philosophy to deliver work that makes a difference – and we’re pleased to make a difference helping New Zealanders such as David.

“By leveraging our creative agency, our PR arm and our media offering we’ve been able to create an emotive integrated campaign that helps New Zealanders understand the debilitating effects of MND and raise much needed funds all through a Trade Me store that sells unusable items.”

A full social media strategy, PR programme, and digital media plan has been built around the auction to maintain attention and drive donations between June and September.

Thirty-three items are available for sale on a bespoke TradeMe store.

The full list of “David’s Unusables” includes hiking boots, running gear, boxing gloves, a bicycle, a lawnmower, ties, swimming flippers, gardening equipment, a guitar, a BBQ and even simple items such as books, teacups and cutlery.

• The auction is running from today (21June) until September. To bid visit here
• View Suzanne Paul’s mock infomercial here