Saving Hearts

Saving Hearts captures the reality of the life-long impact of heart disease on Australians and their families by depicting a real-world scenario of a family experiencing a heart event – something all too relatable, given one Australian family experiences a heart attack every nine minutes.

More Australians die of heart disease than any other single cause; it tears families apart. With 1 in 4 Australians dying from heart and blood vessel disease, tens of thousands of Australians have lost a loved one, or will lose a loved one, from a heart attack or a stroke.

Yet research has found over half of Australians believe heart disease isn’t relevant to them.

Crucially, the new campaign demonstrates the vital role medical research plays in keeping more families together.

The emotional film at the heart of the campaign depicts paramedics treating a man who is having a heart attack. His young daughter watches on, and he begins to imagine her future without him: at a milestone birthday, playing sport, graduating university, and getting married.

Says Scott Smith, executive creative director, DDB Remedy: “In this campaign, we have focused on making an emotional connection with the audience – personalising the impact through the eyes of the father, then offering real hope to make a tangible difference through donations towards life-changing research.

“Making people feel something is a powerful driver, and we believe this campaign will inspire more Australians to help fund the Heart Foundation’s vital work.”

The campaign, and the Heart Foundation’s work, resonated strongly with the film’s director David Deneen and executive producer Anna Fawcett – both of whom have experienced the trauma heart disease can wreak on lives.

Says Deneen: “This is a powerful idea and I wanted to ensure that the performances and the filmmaking style cut through.”