ME/CFS Awareness Campaign: Greetings That Touch the Heart
Through the «Enjoy Life for Me» campaign, kreisvier gives a voice to people living with ME/CFS—in an authentic, unpretentious way, with personal messages displayed in high-traffic locations in Basel, Bern, and Zurich.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome—ME/CFS for short—is a neurological disorder usually caused by a virus that often confines those affected to their beds or homes. Severe exhaustion makes almost every everyday activity a nearly insurmountable task. What most people take for granted—a walk in the sun, meeting up with friends, enjoying the fresh air—remains out of reach for them. The resulting social isolation further exacerbates their suffering. The ME/CFS awareness campaign by the Basel-based agency kreisvier addresses this very issue: It gives those affected a voice and raises awareness of a disease about which far too little is still known.
Personal Wishes Instead of Rhetoric of Concern
On the occasion of the national ME/CFS rally on May 9, kreisvier, together with the ME/CFS Association of Switzerland and the communications agency furrerhugi, launched the campaign under the slogan «Enjoy Life for Me.» The messages come from people living with the condition and are directed at everyone who is able to live a good life without a second thought. «Enjoy the sun for me,» «Enjoy the fresh air for me,» or «Enjoy your youth for me»—these phrases are not meant to alarm or elicit pity, but rather to raise awareness in an authentic, friendly, and unpretentious way.
The visuals appear as (D)OOH, social media, and display ads in high-traffic locations in Basel, Bern, and Zurich. Smaller supporting initiatives, such as T-shirts and postcards, complement the awareness campaign.
ME/CFS Awareness Campaign Also on Social Media
For the first time, the ME/CFS Association Switzerland is also active on social media as part of this campaign. The social media agency sofi supported this initiative and is now helping to raise awareness about the condition on Instagram as well. Alexandra Vatansever, CEO of kreisvier, commented on the collaboration: «We are very pleased to be able to work together with the ME/CFS Association Switzerland and furrerhugi to make what we hope will be a very, very significant and necessary contribution to improving the quality of life for those affected.»
The campaign is aimed at the general public and combines fundraising for research with raising public awareness—both with the goal of increasing visibility for ME/CFS and improving the situation for those affected in the long term.
Contact person at the ME/CFS Association of Switzerland: Nicole Spillmann Al Kumrawi, President of ME/CFS Switzerland. Person in charge at kreisvier: Amaru Eslava, Christian Schirmer, Marco Weber, David Lübke (Creative), Désirée Fuchs (Consulting), Lorena Wissler, Chloe Lochbrunner, Manuel Bortolin (Studio). Person in charge at sofi: Ines Petrovic, Chiara Ponti, Giorgia Spina. Contact at furrerhugi: Patrick Blaser, Senior Consultant; Doris Jordi, Consultant.
