Brief
The British Heart Foundation wanted to raise awareness of genetic heart disease and its investment in lifesaving research. With a modest budget and just four weeks to launch, the challenge was to make an overlooked issue impossible to ignore. The campaign needed to reflect the sudden and unexpected nature of cardiac arrest.
Idea
If sudden cardiac arrest can stop a healthy heart without warning, our media could do the same. Instead of simply talking about the issue, we interrupted people's listening experience. By stopping familiar radio ads mid-flow and replacing them with a flatlining heart monitor, we created a moment of genuine shock.
Execution
Working with Global, we partnered with seven major UK advertisers to turn their existing radio ads into powerful awareness moments. On the day the BHF's record-breaking research grant was announced, ads from brands including Sainsbury's, Admiral and Dunelm were unexpectedly interrupted by the sound of a heart monitor flatlining, before transitioning into a BHF message. The idea then extended across Global podcasts, where popular hosts delivered the news against the striking backdrop of a simulated cardiac arrest.
