Dali calls for research into natural intelligence to fight against neurodegenerative diseases

Cristina Blanaru Ads, Creativity

The Queen Sofia Foundation (Fundación Reina Sofía) introduces a new campaign executed by ad agency Señora Rushmore. It features a video that serves as a call to raise awareness and boost research efforts regarding neurodegenerative diseases. To this end they have revived the figure of Dali, who suffered from Parkinson’s, bringing him to life using a deep fake. The creative basis is the juxtaposition of Artificial Intelligence, that day by day offers more possibilities, and Natural Intelligence, about which we still know so very little.

Typically, there are types of techniques applied to events, memes, GIFs, videos…there are a ton of amazing applications. But in this case, technology is used to launch a completely different message: What if in addition to developing Artificial Intelligence in order to revive characters, put on concerts with dead celebrities, and other important applications in other areas, we do more research into Natural Intelligence, and—just possibly—wipe out neurodegenerative diseases? A clear message, forceful and free of artifice, conveyed by iconic character, Salvador Dali, whose final years were greatly affected by a neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson’s.

2020 was meant to be the International Year of Research & Innovation in Neurodegenerative Illnesses, an event of particular public interest, carried out by the Queen Sofia Foundation and the CIEN Foundation, with the participation of: the Ministry of Science, Innovation & Universities; the Ministry of Health, Consumption, and Social Well-being; the Treasury Department, and the Carlos III Health Institute. However, with the onset of the pandemic in March, it was postponed, like so many things in our lives. Due to its importance, the courts extended the event through 2021 and 2022, renaming them as “Neuro 2020/22” and resuming activities in favor of researching these diseases. With this campaign, the Reina Sofia Foundation, once again, wants to raise awareness regarding the importance of this type of research.

With this work by Señora Rushmore, the Queen Sofia Foundation—thanks to the image of the great master ceded selflessly by the Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation—seeks to provide a greater degree of visibility and awareness regarding the necessity of research about illnesses like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and ALS, amongst others.

“Natural Intelligence”, as the campaign is titled, is composed of three versions (1’09”, 20’’ y 30’’), which can be seen online at www.fundacionreinasofia.es, and will soon also be seen on TV.

According to SCOPEN’s AGENCY SCOPE study, Señora Rushmore is the only integrated advertising agency that has been named for 16 consecutive years as the Most Creative and Attractive agency by Spanish businesses, and has been named number one in Original and Effective Creativity since 2006. In this study, this Madrid-based agency is, moreover, the Most Recommended by its clients and is ranked as one of the five partners Spanish businesses would most like to work with, alongside companies including Amazon, Google, and Facebook. 

Founded in 2001, Señora Rushmore is part of the WPP and today is the fourth-ranked creative agency in managed investments by Infoadex. 

Founded in May 1977, the Queen Sofia Foundation is a non-profit mixed cultural and charitable foundation, of a private nature and indefinite duration. Since 1994, it has managed and supported numerous projects, with a particular focus on those featuring research regarding Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative illnesses, as well as more than 200 projects carried out alongside social organizations working on educational, medical, and environmental support, as well as social and humanitarian projects which benefit children, the elderly, immigrants, the disabled, those living in poverty, and victims of natural disasters.