BMF and Fiftyfive5 Win Dementia Australia Pitch

Dementia Australia, the national peak body for people living with dementia, has appointed creative agency BMF and research agency Fiftyfive5, part of Accenture Song, to create a national campaign.

The organisation ran a competitive pitch process to find partners to deliver the awareness campaign -- backed with a two-year funding commitment from the Australian government -- to drive behaviour change around brain health and head knocks in children.

Dementia Australia CEO Professor Tanya Buchanan said, “With BMF’s proven track record and experience in driving long-term behaviour change and Fiftyfive5’s deep research and evidence-based approach, we’re confident this campaign will make a meaningful and measurable impact.”

Last year, BMF won health insurer HCF, and Big 4 bank Westpac. Managing director Richard Woods said the agency is proud to be driving “meaningful behaviour change” with its latest win.

“At BMF, we’ve long believed in the power of long ideas to change not just perceptions, but behaviours,” he said. “This campaign is an opportunity to apply that thinking to an issue that has real impact for individuals, families and communities across the country.”

Fiftyfive5 managing director Jenny Witham added it’s a “privilege” to work on a project “so crucial to the future health and wellbeing of young Australians and the nation.”

She continued, “At Fiftyfive5, we believe that meaningful change begins with meaningful understanding. By deeply listening to parents, young people, teachers and coaches and surfacing the truths that matter most, we’re not just informing a campaign, we’re laying the foundation for a cultural shift in how we think and act to support brain health, head trauma, and long-term wellbeing.”

The integrated public health awareness and education campaign will focus on the long-term risks of head trauma and benefits of early intervention. Despite the growing impact of dementia, awareness of its risk factors, including head trauma, remains limited. Repeated head trauma is linked to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which can lead to dementia. The campaign promises to be grounded in insight, and drive change.

Professor Buchanan added, “Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia, yet awareness of the risk factors remains low. By educating young people, parents, coaches and educators about the connection between repeated head trauma and life-long brain health, we have a real opportunity to shift behaviours early and reduce dementia risk later in life.”

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For dementia information and support, contact the National Dementia Helpline anytime on 1800 100 500 or visit dementia.org.au