April 25 marks European Alpha-1 Awareness Day, and the Alpha-1 Europe Alliance is proud to launch the 2025 campaign with a bold new concept designed to capture attention and spark conversation.
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD) is a silent, underrecognised genetic condition that progressively damages the liver, lungs and/or skin.
Despite its serious impact, it remains widely undiagnosed across Europe.
This year, we’re thrilled to collaborate with VML Italy, part of the global VML network—an agency known for its disruptive creativity and human-centered brand experiences. Thanks to their generous pro bono support, a dedicated team of creatives has developed a campaign that is both thought-provoking and visually compelling.
A powerful story: The Viking Legacy
The creative concept draws from the genetic origins of Alpha-1, with a surprising twist: the condition can be traced back to an ancient civilization: the Vikings. From this powerful link comes the campaign’s central theme: “The Viking Legacy.”
Through a bold and disruptive approach, the campaign is designed to capture attention, spark curiosity, and guide audiences through an informative journey, raising awareness and encouraging early diagnosis, targeting general population, with special focus in lung and liver affected patients, healthcare professionals, researchers and policy makers.
The main objectives of the campaign are:
- Raise awareness about Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD) across Europe
- Engage audiences through curiosity about the Alpha-1 and Viking connection
- Educate the public on symptoms and the importance of early detection
The campaign toolkit includes:
- 2 teaser videos to ignite curiosity
- Introductory and curiosity carousels for social media
- 3 Educational carousels on symptoms and key facts
- Multilingual landing page: www.alpha1awarenessday.org with smart geolocation to direct visitors to national Alpha-1 organizations.
The website is available in 24 languages.
Campaign content will roll out from late April through May 2025, supported by Grifols, CSL Behring and Takeda.
Beyond awareness: Strengthening alliances
This campaign is more than just visibility. It’s a call to action. It aims to foster stronger partnerships with healthcare organizations, patient communities, and policymakers in the fields of lung, liver, and skin health.
Because people won’t act on what they don’t know. With better awareness, earlier diagnoses and life-changing treatments become possible.
