Summary

Around 94,000 people die of heart attacks every year in the UK. In many cases, they die because they wait too long before calling 999. The British Heart Foundation’s “Watch Your Own Heart Attack” campaign aimed to reduce “patient delay” by raising awareness of the full range of symptoms. The creative strategy was to give the nation a dry-run heart attack in the form of a two-minute film shown on TV. The film ran once; six million people saw it and nearly all remembered it. It raised and sustained awareness of a wide range of symptoms among core and wider audiences, and encouraged discussion and online investigation. This contributed to a two-and-a-half-minute reduction in patient delay, and it is estimated that 70 people survived because they called quicker, having seen the film.

Judge’s comment

An innovative media strategy marketed a two-minute TV spot that generated high recognition of the symptoms of a heart attack. The agency achieved roughly double the target it needed to break even, and was commended for its creative use of channels.

Sharon Sawers, head of marketing, strategy and insight, The Home Office

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