case study: Alzheimer’s Society
Annual report writing to communicate strategic direction
SECTORS: HEALTH, Charity
The client
Alzheimer’s Society is the leading dementia charity in the UK. The organisation has more than 40 years’ experience addressing the core challenges that affect people living with dementia, joining forces with healthcare professionals, researchers, campaigners and clinicians to be there for everyone in need of support.
The services
Annual report (2022 and 2023)
Web version of annual report (2022 and 2023)
The numbers
Reports written: 4
Digital versions of reports: 2
Web versions of reports: 2
Words written: 22,430
Pages created: 37 (2022), 61 (2023), 98 (overall)
The challenge
Over a million people will be living with dementia by 2025, making it one of the biggest health and care challenges of our time.
Alzheimer’s Society’s annual report provides a comprehensive update on the prior year’s events and the strategic direction for the year ahead. The Society has recently undergone tremendous change, including launching its Help and Hope Strategy, which outlines how Alzheimer’s Society will plan and deliver services in the years to come.
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES
Develop annual report for Alzheimer’s Society
Ensure content meets brand guidelines and accessibility aims
Introduce new strategic approach for 2022 to 2027
Create abridged online version of report
The Society has also introduced a brand refresh designed to help boost recognition and affirm Alzheimer’s Society’s place as the UK’s leading dementia charity.
With so many important things happening at once, it was vital that the tone and content of their yearly report reflected this complexity. The Society turned to us to help convey the broad range of issues impacting people with dementia and how Alzheimer’s Society was working to bring help and hope to those in need.
TARGET AUDIENCE
People affected by dementia including patients, caregivers and their loved ones
Healthcare professionals working in dementia care
Researchers interested in dementia treatments
Policymakers and influencers with the power to prioritise dementia
The approach
We discussed the report in detail with a dedicated internal team at the Society. During the first year (2022), we interviewed key figures to help draw out data for inclusion and sifted through existing data to decide which events and stories were most relevant to the organisation.
It was crucial to present an honest account of a challenging year, acknowledging the impact on services and people living with dementia as the Society adapted to repeated lockdowns amid the pandemic. We also needed to briefly preview the upcoming Help and Hope Strategy, launched shortly after the publication of 2021 to 2022's report.
For year two (2023), the annual report unveiled exciting new developments for Alzheimer’s Society in the post-Covid world.
During both years, quotes and stories from people living with dementia were included to give a human face to the statistics.
Liaising directly with Alzheimer’s Society’s design team and lead copywriter, we ensured that the web version of the report, condensed to preview essential highlights of the year, provided an accurate account of events and enticed readers to explore the complete report.
The results
Each report needed to celebrate success, acknowledge challenges and present a clear strategic direction for the year ahead. Both the 2021 to 2022 annual report and the 2022 to 2023 annual report have been well-received by Alzheimer’s Society and their shareholders, with positive feedback from a panel of people affected by dementia.
The accompanying web version of the report, debuted for the first time in 2022, proved so effective that Alzheimer’s Society used the same tactic again in 2023, with plans to continue with the same approach in the future.
Working with Sookio and Naomi has been a pleasure.
We know we can trust Naomi to deliver and she has done a great job, yet again, especially dealing with stakeholder feedback. We have already asked for Naomi's help for a future project. Thank you Naomi, it was great working with you on this project.
Lead Copywriter, Alzheimer’s Society
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