Last week, the British Heart Foundation kicked off its own Hands-Only CPR campaign, inspired by the AHA’s Ad Council campaign. Due to the quick turnaround time for the foundation to prepare its campaign, in a true collaborative spirit, the AHA shared with the foundation its campaign research, rights to use the Hands-Only CPR name and provided additional consulting.
The foundation’s humorous “Hard & Fast” Hands-Only CPR campaign features British “hard man” Vinnie Jones, who encourages bystanders with a message that “it’s not as hard as it looks” to perform the two simple steps of calling 999 (the UK’s emergency response number), then pushing hard and fast to the beat of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.” A retired footballer turned actor, Jones is well-known in the UK for his tough man image, his aggressive style and intimidating demeanour.
The British Heart Foundation’s website features many campaign elements, including the campaign’s TV ad, which began airing in the UK on January 6, a blog and an “Ask Vinnie” application, a Hands-Only CPR instructional video and more. At the site, visitors also can sign a petition to make CPR training part of school curricula.
You can view all of the components of this campaign at www.bhf.org.
Again, this project is a fantastic example of collaborative work, which has allowed the British Heart Foundation to bring this lifesaving campaign to the UK public. Thanks to all involved in this project!