VMLY&R: Dell Technologies and Intel’s I Will Always Be Me

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a terminal illness. But before it takes your life, it takes your voice.

Voice banking can help those with MND create a digital copy of their voice, so they can continue sounding like themselves after losing the ability to speak. But voice banking is a demanding task that involves reading a long list of random words – often resulting in a disappointingly robotic voice. Small wonder only 12% of those with MND ever used the technology.

Created by VMLY&R in partnership with Dell Technologies, Intel, the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Rolls-Royce, I Will Always Be Me is a book reading experience that can create a digital voice with just a 30-minute recording.

VMLY&R worked with best-selling author Jill Twiss and illustrator Nicholas Stevenson to create a story that contains every sound and syllable needed to accurately bank a person’s voice as they read. The story, written in the form of a letter from a person diagnosed with MND to their loved ones, is a touching reminder that the person will always be themselves on the inside, no matter what changes the future may bring.

Within three months of the launch, the campaign saw a 50% growth in people banking their voices, I Will Always Be Me also received 1.7bn impressions from PR and earned media.