Short List
Product / ServicePARKINSON’S NSW
CategoryC03. Exhibitions / Installations
Production AIRBAG Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Post Production AIRBAG Sydney, AUSTRALIA


Name Company Position
Simon Langley Wunderman Thompson Australia Chief Creative Officer
Simon Koay Wunderman Thompson Australia Associate Creative Director
Steven Hey Wunderman Thompson Australia Associate Creative Director
Ana Lynch Wunderman Thompson Australia Partner
Rebekah O'Grady Wunderman Thompson Australia Engagement Manager
Gabriel Hammond Wunderman Thompson Senior Producer
Chloe Marshall Wunderman Thompson Australia Integrated Producer
Kel Gronow Wunderman Thompson Australia Editor
Will Horne AIRBAG Director
Adrian Bosich AIRBAG Managing Partner
Alex Tizzard AIRBAG Executive Producer
Megan Ayers AIRBAG Producer
Alex Guterres Freelance Editor
Zachary Peel Freelance Director Of Photography
Julia Lahav BCW Account Director
Chloe Peel BCW Account Manager
Georgia Neville BCW Account Executive

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

The No Escape Room was primarily a physical installation designed to put young people in the shoes of people living with Parkinson's. It enabled groups of young people to take part in a series of challenges that simulated Parkinson's symptoms, to gain a better understanding of how life would be with the disease.


Most people believe that Parkinson's is 'an old person's disease' and that it only really causes a physical tremor. In fact, 5 Australians under 40 are diagnosed with Parkinson's every day, and the symptoms are much more wide ranging, including confusion, memory loss, stiffness, inability to walk, blurred vision and many more. We needed to help a younger audience better understand the realities of the disease.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

The No Escape Room was designed to simulate what life is like for people living with Parkinson's. It was created in partnership with Gavin, someone that was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's, to recreated a series of everyday tasks: entering a laptop password, tying shoe laces, completing a puzzle, pouring a teapot and looking at pictures on a wall. Each challenge simulated a real Parkinson's symptom: memory loss, stiffness, confusion, tremor, blurred vision. Australian escape room enthusiasts were contacted via Facebook groups to be the first people to trial a new room. They didn’t know the true meaning behind the room until the end of the experience, when Gavin appeared and revealed the message to them. We created a supporting website where people could try virtual versions of the challenges and read more about the symptoms and Gavin's story.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The primary target for the campaign was people aged 40 and under - a younger group than typically targeted by Parkinson's awareness campaigns. We needed to build awareness and deeper understanding among that group, in order to dispel some long-held myths about how Parkinson's affects peoples' lives. Rather than simply telling them about the wide range of symptoms, the campaign opted to dramatise how those symptoms would affect their own lives, effectively putting groups of younger people in the shoes of Parkinson's sufferers in order to provide a powerful example of what life would be like.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

The experience was built over three days, with multiple hidden cameras built into the room structure to capture the experience of participants as they completed the series of puzzles inspired by everyday tasks. The activation ran over a weekend in early March 2020, when escape room enthusiasts were invited to take part and trial a 'new pop up escape room' without knowing the true meaning behind the experience, before being questioned about their experiences. The resulting online video ran on Youtube and Facebook, and was covered on radio and social sites. An interactive site recreated the No Escape Room virtually at The campaign raised awareness of the daily challenges of those living with Parkinson’s, as well as contributing to fundraising to support Parkinson’s NSW with research and initiatives that improve the wellbeing of people living with Parkinson’s, as the search for a cure continues.

List the results (30% of vote)

The campaign put people in the shoes of those living with Parkinson's, reaching audiences in 56 countries. The campaign has gained a lot of attention and created discussion among the Parkinson's community globally. Parkinson's NSW are now in discussions to create a permanent No Escape Room so the message reaches an even wider audience.

Video URL   |   Supporting Webpage