Encephalitis International presents a different kind of film for your consideration - one without sound, but certainly making a loud impact!
Encephalitis is a deadly condition affecting 1.5 million people annually, yet 78% of people worldwide are unaware of it.
For World Encephalitis Day 2025 (22nd February) Encephalitis International was gifted space at Piccadilly Circus, London and Times Square, New York. Iconic billboards that we could use to raise real awareness about encephalitis.
So how do you take a complex condition, that is difficult to pronounce yet alone understand, and get people to look at a screen, engage with what they are seeing and become aware of encephalitis?
A team of avid Wordle players, our strategy overcame this by starting with something simple— a widely recognised word puzzle —and using it's structure to form 2 versions of a 30 second film, one incorporating the symptoms of the condition and the other the consequences, reinforcing that encephalitis is “dangerous however you spell it.”
We received the approval of the New York Times to emulate their Wordle puzzle. We chose the recognisable Wordle style not only for its cultural relevance but also for its inherent sense of hope and optimism - it’s fundamentally about solving challenges. This subtly reinforced our core message: encephalitis is complex and challenging, yet with awareness, earlier recognition and better outcomes become achievable.
We had 10 minutes at Piccadilly Circus and one minute every hour for 24 hours at Times Square. To maximise engagement we incorporated QR codes into billboard content provided a direct pathway from awareness to action, generating approximately 300 unique website visits. Crucially, visitors engaged deeply with EI’s resources, averaging over 3 minutes on the site - demonstrating real interest and potential behavioural change toward early recognition.
Fundamentally this was an impactful, short film that changed the way we have thought about raising awareness of encephalitis. This isn't your typical charity film but one that captured global attention on billboards and across social media.
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain, caused by either an infection or the immune system attacking the brain in error. Worldwide, a person is diagnosed with encephalitis (brain inflammation) every minute. It is an acutely serious condition with high mortality rates - depending on the cause, even with treatment up to 4 in 10 people affected will die. For the families of those who survive it often robs them of the person they once knew. Encephalitis steals their capacity to remember as well as the types of abilities we all generally take for granted such as memory, concentration and awareness. Despite being more prevalent in many countries than Motor Neurone Disease, multiple sclerosis and bacterial meningitis, 8 out of 10 people have never heard of encephalitis.
Encephalitis International is the only charity of any size anywhere in the world providing direct support and information to people affected by encephalitis (brain inflammation), raising awareness, and furthering our understanding of the condition through research.
A world without death and disability from encephalitis.
Rebuilding futures around the world by saving lives, accelerating awareness and driving research.
We align with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
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