This is Diabetes

Diabetes is the hidden condition. 4.9 million people live with it in the UK, and millions more misunderstand it. This is Diabetes shows what life is really like with diabetes, through the stories of the people who live with it, day in, day out.

Our research revealed that a huge proportion of those affected by this complex condition felt indifferent to our work at Diabetes UK. This is Diabetes aimed to win the hearts and minds of millions living with diabetes, helping them feel seen, understood and more likely to turn to us for support. Diabetes can feel relentless; its health outcomes extremely serious. Compared with cancer or heart disease, diabetes has never been portrayed on screen in this way before. The campaign truly felt like a tipping point for our cause.

Diabetes affects everyone differently. Over the course of a week, we travelled the UK to film six people living with diabetes, asking them to share their personal stories of extreme highs, lows and everything in between, which was then crafted into content across TV, radio and digital.

On 6 October 2021, This is Diabetes launched across the UK. Our stories reached 70% of the total UK adult population in just four weeks and resonated positively and powerfully with people living with all types of diabetes – 87% surveyed agreeing the ads were reflective of their lives. It has significantly shifted perceptions of our brand and led to greater consideration of our cause, priming millions for future action.