Old age shouldn't be masked - Mansarda | Clapboard Ad Archive
Mansarda’s 2017 campaign Old age shouldn't be masked, developed by agency 004 for the public service market in Portugal, presents an arresting meditation on aging through the precise lens of symbolism, targeting the invisibility frequently imposed on older generations. Executed in the film medium and anchored by the evocative soundtrack Povo que cais descalço from Dead Combo, the work leverages visual metaphor — what Clapboard's taxonomy recognizes as FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem — by employing masks not as a means to conceal, but as a device to expose the persistent societal impulse to obscure the realities of old age. Eschewing testimonial, didactic narration, or problem-solution conventions, the campaign relies on documentary and social experiment form to externalize a cultural tension: that the lived experience and identity of elderly individuals are so often hidden, filtered, or muted within the wider community’s gaze. The result is a campaign that not only makes a direct appeal for authenticity and dignity but also consciously refuses to let its subject pass unnoticed, framing old age itself as an asset rather than a flaw to be covered. The creative decision to couple the universal symbolism of masks with the regional language and a locally-resonant musical score underlines Mansarda’s commitment to grounding its advocacy in both global insight and national nuance, producing a communications piece that transcends mere awareness and enters the realm of cultural provocation. The campaign earns 63/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. As a case study in the symbolic rendering of social issues, Old age shouldn't be masked matters because it demonstrates how creative strategy can reframe entrenched attitudes without recourse to binary storytelling or didacticism.
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