• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, November 28, 2016

It took long enough, right? Publicis in Belgium has taken the Mannequin Challenge that has swept the internet and turned it into an ad for the Belgium League of ALS. Yes, ALS, the cause which, two years ago, was associated with that other silly internet stunt; the Ice Bucket Challenge. Of course the Ice Bucket Challenge turned out to be not so silly after ll. The viral craze raised upwards of $1.5 million and led to the discovery of a new ALS gene.

Now, Publicis Belgium is out with its version of the Mannequin Challenge which, as you would expect, begins just like all other Mannequin Challenge videos; with a bunch of people frozen in motion. In the video, you see a medical lab with researchers in white coats who remain motionless while the camera winds its way through the lab. When the last mannequin appears, the challenge takes on a whole new meaning. While the researchers become active and continue their activities, the last mannequin remains motionless. The person carries a sign that says “For ALS-patients, every day is a Mannequin Challenge.”

ALS, of course, is a progressive neurological disease which slowly causes the dysfunction of nerves that control muscle movement leading to muscle weakness and the inability to control breathing and other
bodily functions.

You can see the video on the Belgium League of ALS's Facebook page .

Another video, created by creatives Jordan Morris and Danny Jones takes a similar approach using the Mannequin Challenge motif to create an ad for the motor neurone disease charity MND Association. MND is
also known as ALS. This ad follows the usual approach with the camera sailing over and around people frozen in motion. It ends with the copy, "Can you imagine being stuck like this forever?" It closes with "With motor nuerone disease, you become a prisoner within your own body" along with a URL and the hashtag #MNDMannequinChallenge.

You can view that video here.

The two approaches definitely put a different spin on the silliness of every other Mannequin Challenge video we have seen to date.

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