Dell Technologies & Intel: I Will Always Be Me
Dell Technologies and Intel partnered with the MNDA to increase voice banking rates among MND patients. VMLY&R New York needed to overcome the psychological barrier of denial and the clinical nature of existing technology, which saw only 12% of patients banking their voices. The objective was to make the process faster, more accessible, and emotionally resonant for those facing a terminal diagnosis.
Creative Idea
They turned voice banking into a phonetically engineered storybook read to loved ones.
The campaign turned the clinical voice banking process into an emotional storybook experience. By reading a phonetically engineered book to loved ones, patients bank their voices through an act of connection rather than a cold, solitary medical chore.
Turning a Clinical Chore Into a Gift of Love
From Three Months to Thirty Minutes
The technical breakthrough of this campaign lay in its radical efficiency. Traditional voice banking was a grueling, clinical process that required patients to record over 1,600 phrases, often taking up to three months to complete. By partnering with SpeakUnique, the team utilized machine learning to condense this entire phonetic requirement into a single storybook. Patients now complete the process in just 20 - 30 minutes. This efficiency led to a 50% increase in voice banking across the UK, with 72% of newly diagnosed MND patients adopting the platform.
The Psychology of Denial
The creative strategy addressed a profound psychological barrier: many patients avoid voice banking because it feels like an admission of defeat. VMLY&R reframed the act as a "gift" for the family. The book, authored by Jill Twiss and illustrated by Nicholas Stevenson, is written as a letter to loved ones. This "Denial Strategy" transformed a solitary medical task into an intimate shared experience. To ensure accessibility, Dell donated hardware to the MNDA, while Intel provided the backend processing power to synthesize the digital clones.
Moving the Needle for Dell
Beyond the humanitarian impact, the campaign served as a powerful proof of concept for Dell Technologies. The project drove a 28% increase in innovation perceptions and an 18% lift in brand relevance. It proved that "Brand Purpose" is most effective when a company’s core technology - in this case, high-performance computing and AI - is used to solve a specific human crisis. As Intel’s Lama Nachman noted, the goal was to build technology around the human experience rather than forcing humans to adapt to the machine.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Dell and Intel's high - performance computing and AI capabilities for voice synthesis and processing.
Category
Healthcare tech often focuses on clinical efficiency, ignoring the emotional trauma and denial associated with degenerative diagnoses.
Customer
People with MND avoid voice banking because it feels like admitting defeat and involves a lonely, robotic process.
Culture
A growing expectation for technology to be human - centric and empathetic, moving beyond cold utility to emotional support.
Company
Dell and Intel's high - performance computing and AI capabilities for voice synthesis and processing.
Category
Healthcare tech often focuses on clinical efficiency, ignoring the emotional trauma and denial associated with degenerative diagnoses.
Strategy:
Reframe a clinical necessity as an emotional legacy to overcome psychological barriers to adoption.
Customer
People with MND avoid voice banking because it feels like admitting defeat and involves a lonely, robotic process.
Culture
A growing expectation for technology to be human - centric and empathetic, moving beyond cold utility to emotional support.
Strategy:
Reframe a clinical necessity as an emotional legacy to overcome psychological barriers to adoption.
Results
The campaign achieved a 50% increase in the number of people banking their voices in the UK within three months of launch. It reached an adoption rate of over 72% among recently diagnosed MND patients, becoming the #1 voice banking service in the UK within one year. The technical efficiency reduced a 3-month task requiring 1,600 phrases down to a 20–30 minute reading experience. The campaign generated 1.7 billion impressions through PR and earned media. For Dell, it drove a +28% increase in innovation perceptions, a +21% increase in brand consideration, and a +18% increase in brand relevance. It won the Grand Prix in Pharma at Cannes Lions, the Black Cube (Best of Show) at the ADC 102nd Annual Awards, and the Grand Clio in Audio.
72%
Adoption rate among newly diagnosed patients
1.7B
Total PR and earned media impressions
50%
Increase in UK voice banking within 3 months
Strategy Technique
Build an Utility, Not an Ad
Instead of a traditional awareness campaign, the brands created a functional tool that solved a specific barrier. It shifted the brand role from observer to active problem - solver through purposeful technology.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Turn Message into Product
It transforms a functional medical requirement into a meaningful narrative product. This replaces a cold, technical chore with a high - utility storytelling ritual that captures both voice and emotion.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign masterfully humanizes complex AI technology by embedding it within a beautifully illustrated, phonetically engineered storybook that solves a psychological barrier to medical care.
The campaign completely re-engineered the user journey of voice banking from a clinical chore into an emotional, shared family experience.
Sophisticated machine learning and phonetic engineering condensed 1,600 phrases into a 20-minute reading session without losing vocal quality.
NYT bestselling author Jill Twiss crafted a narrative that serves as both a phonetic tool and a deeply moving letter to loved ones.
Nicholas Stevenson’s artwork provides a warm, tactile aesthetic that distances the experience from its cold, medical origins.
The magic lies in the 'Denial Strategy,' where high-end AI technology is hidden behind the simple, analog act of reading a storybook to a child or spouse.
