Malaysia dyslexia campaign shortlisted for global advertising award

A dyslexia awareness campaign named ‘Dyslexia Did Not Stop Me’ has been nominated in the 2014 AME Awards for Advertising and Marketing Effectiveness.

The campaign, created by agencies Geometry Global and Grey Kuala Lumpur for the Dyslexia Association of Malaysia, featured doddle portraits of talented and accomplished personalities who suffered from dyslexia such as John Lennon, Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso.

'Dyslexia couldn't hide Lennon's talent'

The AME Awards for advertising and marketing effectiveness is aimed at honouring ground-breaking solutions to challenging marketing problems around the world.

The ‘Dyslexia Did Not Stop Me’ campaign is nominated under the social benefit - civil/social education and use of discipline - low budget (below US$100,000) categories.

On the local front, the campaign had also won gold at the prestigious 6th Malaysia Effie Awards in September 2013.

'Dyslexia didn't limit Einstein'

The series of ads were created by artist and head of illustrator at Grey Kuala Lumpur Vince Low.

Low is dyslexic himself.

“The doodling treatment was not the main idea but I wanted to show that dyslexics can turn a simple doodle into a work of art. After all, dyslexics are known to be people with a good art sense and problem-solving skills. As a dyslexic myself, I am a testament to that fact.”

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that causes reading, spelling, and writing difficulties.

In Malaysia, an estimated 314,000 students are affected by the disability.