Red for Heart Campaign

Been a while since I last did this...here goes!


As part of an assignment, I did some research into the CIPR awards for the Home Counties South region. This years winners were all extremely good in their own rights, but it was the "Red for Heart" campaign, run by the British Heart Foundation that caught my eye.


In order to explain why this campaign won the gold award and determine the elements of best practice, I looked at each section and picked out what I think made it the best - I look forward to hearing whether or not you agree.


The "Red for Heart" campaign was run to increase public awareness of national heart month in its second year, an event that was set up in 2009 by the BHF. 

The main objectives of the “Red for Heart” campaign were:

·         To build a larger profile for National Heart Month , to be held in February 2010

·         To contribute to meeting national fundraising targets of £1.5 million

·         To build relationships and connect with regional media across the South

It's fairly simple and broad strategy was to build the profile for both British Heart Foundation and National Heart Month in the South, whilst also raising funds for the charity.

In order to complete this, they did a number of different things:

• Press releases were issued to freelance journalists and regional press across the South in September 2009, prior to National Heart Month 2010
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  On February 1^st, the first day of National Heart Month; press launches were held at national landmarks across the South. These played upon a creative idea whereby landmark buildings including Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower were “turned red” with red lighting to promote the cause across the UK. This was used as an excellent photo opportunity for the media and also served as a stunt to mark the launch of National Heart Month.

d Day” as a key focal point in National Heart Month. They encouraged people to wear red clothing in support of the cause, raising not only awareness but also funds through donations on this day.

The British Heart Foundation also nominated February 26^th as “Wear Re

A “love notes” idea was used to encourage people to write down why they were supporting the British Heart Foundation. These were posted in British Heart Foundation stores around the UK. A number of celebrities including Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne created their own love notes in support of the campaign, giving a more media-worthy angle on the idea.

2010’s National Heart Month also served as a way for the British Heart Foundation to launch their BEAT code, a short sharp guide to having a healthy heart:

   Be Active

    Eat Healthily

   Avoid Smoking

   Take the lifestyle check

These tactics produced some excellent results, smashing their targets from the first year:

• The “Red for Heart” campaign received 269 pieces of regional coverage in the South
• They were also able to secure 20 pieces of broadcast coverage on major regional radio stations
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  This coverage combined amounted to an AVE of £225,579, which was a substantial increase compared to the previous year’s AVE of £206,262.
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  There were also  nearly 16 million opportunities to see the campaign just in the South and East regions

A great PR campaign with some excellent results - no doubt about it. But what about that ll important phrase, "best practice" - well here's why I think it deserved to win:

The “Red for Heart” campaign managed to utilised their following on popular social media websites Facebook and Twitter, despite it not being integral part of the campaign. They used these methods of communication to successfully inform their stakeholders of upcoming fundraising events and important health information, rather than using them simply as a method of promoting one message repeatedly over the month-long campaign.

The campaign also demonstrated how a campaign can successfully deliver a huge return on investment with an almost non-existent budget. The campaign was run by one staff member relying solely on PR, with no advertising and marketing budget to run alongside.

However - much as I think this was great, I have my own reccommendations for making it better.

  In time, the BHF could make use of an opportunity to take National Heart Month to an international audience.

The BHF could also look to use further celebrity endorsement with more media-friendly celebrities, which may make the campaign more appealing.

SO! Thats what I have to say...what about you?

Find out more here: http://www.bhf.org.uk/