0
increase in awareness of symptoms
0
increase in calls to St John Ambulance relating to heart ailments
Challenge
Everyone thinks they know what a heart attack looks like, but they’re almost always wrong as it’s rarely dramatic at all.
This campaign by Barnes, Catmur & Friends in New Zealand drew attention to the subtle warning signs and actually saved a life.
According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), New Zealand loses 138 lives to heart disease per 100,000, which is 18 per cent higher than the OECD average.
The problem is, there are misconceptions around what a heart attack really looks like, and therefore many heart attacks simply go undiagnosed.
Solution
Dentsu Aegis agency Barnes, Catmur & Friends worked with the Heart Foundation, on a mission to help raise more money and save more lives than ever before.
They did it through a television advert called ‘The Heart Attack Act’ that asked viewers to judge ‘Who gives the most realistic performance of a heart attack?’ and then showed series of ordinary people acting out what they thought a heart attack looked like.
Viewers had to choose which one they thought was most realistic. But it was a trick question. The twist was it was that the person on screen who was actually showing symptoms of a heart attack was a guy on a bench sitting just left of frame. The campaign played on these misconceptions.
Result
Not only did St John Ambulance report a 28% increase in calls relating to heart ailments, awareness of symptoms increased by 54%, and what’s more, actual lives were saved!
New Zealand truck driver, Eddie Davies was just one of the many lucky people saved by the advert’s clever messaging. Before Davies had watched the ad, he’d been dismissing chest pain for heartburn. It transpired that the 63 year old had been having many small heart attacks all week before a major heart attack finally occurred.
As well as saving many lives, the agency won the Gold Best Strategic Thinking, Gold Charity Not for Profit, Gold Limited Budget, and Gold Highly Commended in the Effies. But more than award-winning, it was a truly life changing campaign for many residents of New Zealand.
This work was undertaken as part of Dentsu Aegis Network’s partnership with the United Nations and our commitment to the Common Ground initiative.
"I could've been dead. That ad saved my life."Eddie Davies, New Zealand truck driver
BWM Dentsu: Project Revoice
Activating silent voices with a program to digitally clone ALS patients’ voices so they can keep communicating as themselves even after they can no longer physically speak.
Vizeum: GhanaPostGPS
Generating conversion for GhanaPostGPS through early engagement, awareness and measurable customer actions.
Isobar: Aeronaut
Driving engagement with William Patrick Corgan's new single through a blend of creativity and technology to create a world-first VR experience.
GoalKeepers17: Rallying around Global Goals
As part of the UN's Common Ground initiative, all of its members have committed to raise awareness of its Sustainable Development Goals amongst businesses and consumers.
BC&F Dentsu: Heart Foundation
Everyone thinks they know what a heart attack looks like, but they’re almost always wrong. This campaign drew attention to the subtle warning signs and actually saved a life.
Isobar & Carat: Dis-Moi Elliot
Dis-Moi Elliot (translated as Tell Me, Elliot) was a campaign that aimed to reduce prejudice about autism through an innovative, interactive and experimental website.
Malaria No More: A movement to end malaria
The #MalariaMustDie campaign has been supported by a range of agencies both inside and outside the Dentsu Aegis Network with the end goal being to rally the public support for political action.
360i: Change the Picture
The #ChangeThePicture campaign focused on changing the picture of male mental health.
Fetch: Telegraph Media Group
Driving loyalty for The Telegraph with targeted app download campaigns and personalised re-engagement.
BWM Dentsu: Qantas
Activating new business in the USA by helping more Americans travel to Australia with Qantas, by giving them a free passport.
iProspect: Eurostar
Driving conversion by establishing Eurostar as Europe's most-loved travel experience, using market-leading data strategy that would enable us to create real connections effectively.
Firstborn: Adidas
Firstborn created a mobile-first campaign that increased awareness for the NMD launch and drove engagement with Adidas’ core audience.
Isobar: Enterprise
Isobar helped Enterprise, a multi-billion dollar business, achieve double digit growth in sales through its web channels and used digital to accelerate expansion into 25+ countries.
HelloWorld: Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean wanted to drive awareness and buzz for their newest ship. HelloWorld launched an eight-month interactive engagement hub that rewarded exploration and incorporated regional activa...
Merkle: Aviva
A 300-year-old global financial services company rooted in heritage delivers phenomenal results by becoming agile and customer-led.
Vizeum: E.ON
Through a brand stories content strategy Vizeum positioned E.ON as a purpose-led brand focused on energy supply, renewables and energy networks.
Carat: Arla
Activating positive sales and trust in Arla's product by using media channels to emotional and engage the audience.
Grip: Testicular Cancer Canada
Grip invited Canadians to share their most hilarious, most mortifying stories to show that compared to lots of other stuff we all go through, talking to your doctor about your testicles is hardl...