BRIEF

12 people under the age of 35 are lost to sudden cardiac death in the UK each week. A stat we want to repeat over and over again as we drive this message home.   

12 lives ended in an instant. Each with their own hopes and dreams for the future. Until they died. Leaving loved ones left in immeasurable despair and families changed forever.  

A nationally representative survey has revealed that over a quarter of Brits (27%) don’t believe a heart condition can affect you if you are aged under 35. A third of people surveyed (33%) say they are aware of a heart condition in their close biological family – and the same number say they have lost a close relative to a sudden cardiac death. Meanwhile, over half (53%) of Brits said that high profile incidents of cardiac arrest – such as Christian Eriksen suffering a cardiac arrest at the Euros 2021 – made them more aware of heart conditions generally. (Source: www.bhf.org.uk).  

The above figures serve as a reminder that we need more research to understand the causes and find a cure for sudden cardiac death. A big reason for this heartfelt campaign was the British Heart Foundation call for more support in achieving funding to aid their lifesaving research - that will help put a stop to this tragic reality.

The need for this campaign came as new research from the BHF revealed that the nation is largely unaware of the devastating effect heart disease has on young people. 

STRATEGY/ EXECUTION 

When coming up with the idea for this campaign Saatchi & Saatchi, PHD and BHF, aimed to create as much impact as possible and get the nation talking. Using the buzz of the, then, upcoming UEFA Euros was the ideal time to home in on the large crowds that are getting ready for the start of the big tournament. Using stories of real football fans brought a sense of reality to those unaware of how common this disease is. 

The key element for us at Grand Visual was to find great mural sites that were in proximity to each person’s hometown. Whilst a few people lived in big cities with pre-existing mural sites, we had to find a lot of new mural sites in small towns. Time was tight on this one too, so we had to work at speed sourcing sites, agreeing contracts with new landlords and getting approval for the locations and designs for each site from BHF and the families. There were 11 sites in total, 12 portraits, with one site having two portraits, each was selected ensuring that the locations were big, high footfall areas and in proximity to each of the families. The murals were painted in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Chesterfield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Newcastle, Nottingham, and Southampton. 

Working closely with Saatchi & Saatchi and PHD to bring this campaign to life, Grand Visual, alongside Mural Republic, made sure that each site was going to be appropriate for the creative. Here we had to consider layout, colours and the fine details. A big sense of realism comes from the anecdotes told by the painters who were on location. Many of the families visited the sites while they were being painted and were often moved to tears by the realism and impact of the murals of their loved ones. They spent time with the artists and were so grateful for the memorials. 

We also managed to negotiate extensions on all the sites free of charge with the landlords. Some will remain up until the end of the Euros or even longer, a lovely gesture from the landlords. At every level of this campaign, people felt honoured to be working on such a powerful and moving campaign and it showed with the level of teamwork and grace how challenges were overcome. Due to the sensitivity of this project, we had to handle it with extreme care. It was understandable that it became a bit too much for some families who chose to withdraw their participation in this campaign. This resulted in last-minute sourcing of sites in new locations and communication with landlords and families to ensure we had all the details to share someone else's story. 

To further drive home the fact that 12 people under the age of 35 are lost to sudden cardiac death in the UK each week, BHF took the campaign internationally to Berlin. Whilst fans flocked to the final Euros match, chanting, “It’s coming home,” we projected 8 of the people depicted in our murals onto surrounding buildings. It was important to ensure that even though they couldn’t watch the match, they would still be in Berlin to support the Three Lions. 

RESULTS 

This campaign was so impactful that it was seen and shared all over the country. Coverage came in all forms including social media, press outlets and even BBC coverage. In total, the campaign was mentioned across all platforms over 110+ times and had an estimated 2.1m impressions! LinkedIn proved to be a huge contributor to this with many supporters of the charity sharing the campaign with their connections. The story was even shared by news outlets in Spain and Portugal. The BBC coverage was during their prime-time breakfast show with a full 5-minute slot to cover the stories of those shown in the campaign. 

“Our new campaign is a powerful reminder of the impact of sudden cardiac death. Behind every mural is a family who have lost a loved one too soon, and our teams at the BHF have worked closely and sensitively with them to ensure their relatives are remembered in a touching way.” 

– Damion Mower, Director of Brand at British Heart Foundation (BHF) 

“There’s no words from me that can speak adequately for this work. It speaks for itself and for the twelve young lives lost to heart conditions each week. Crafted sensitively and respectfully in partnership with our amazing clients and the families of our young people. A huge thank you to them… I hope we raise a ton of money to fund lifesaving research.” 

- Franki Goodwin, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi