BHF campaign seeks support for research into inherited heart conditions
Howard Lake | 21 May 2014 | News
The British Heart Foundation has launched a five-week campaign to secure funding for research into inherited heart conditions.
It launched on 12 May with TV, cinema and online advertising featuring baby Zara whose mother discovered that she had a faulty gene for an inherited heart condition before she became pregnant. There is a 50:50 chance that it could be passed onto her baby.
Zara was born last month, but her parents still don’t know whether she has the faulty gene or not.
The advert, which was first broadcast on ITV1, concludes with a call to donate: ‘Text FIGHT to 70444 to give £3″.
[youtube height=”450″ width=”800″]http://youtu.be/HUrLWPP5T84[/youtube]
To demonstrate the real-life story behind Zara, BHF have also produced an accompanying film, The Baby behind the Baby Film:
[youtube height=”450″ width=”800″]http://youtu.be/ZGZo2PmRtAQ[/youtube]
The charity estimates around half a million people in the UK could be living with a faulty gene which puts them at unusually high risk of developing heart disease or dying suddenly at a young age.
Nick Radmore, Interim Programme Director for Marketing and Communications at the BHF, said:
“Our new campaign drives home the message that we urgently need funds in order to accelerate research into inherited heart conditions. Pinpointing the genes which cause these conditions can mean the difference between life and death. The incredible cutting-edge effects used to bring baby Zara to life will capture viewers’ attention and crucially could help save many lives in the future.”
The campaign launched included a coverwrap advert on The Metro newspaper in London.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.