In 2010, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada was faced with a problem. Public perception of the urgency surrounding heart disease and stroke was waning, and the foundation was losing ground to other health charities. They needed a fresh approach to get their message through to the public, while maximizing the impact of their marketing budget. Specifically, the Foundation asked the agency to increase relevancy and emotional connection metrics from 22% to 30% and from 27% to 40% respectively.

Through extensive research we discovered our core insight: despite heart disease being the number 1 killer of women, it was still thought of as an old white man’s ailment. The agency also uncovered the disturbing fact that heart disease and stroke takes 1 in 3 Canadians before their time.

In 2012, to wake their Baby Boomer target up to these stark realities the agency crafted a campaign that saw provocative multi-channel ads informing Canadians that heart disease and stroke could affect anyone. With a cross-country media blitz, they quickly made Canadians very aware that heart disease and stroke was coming for themselves and the ones they held dear.

To shake them into making a positive change in their lives, they developed the Make Health Last campaign, encouraging Canadians to regain control of their health. Launching in Spring 2013, this empowering campaign focused on choice, and encouraged Canadians to turn the knowledge they learned from phase 1 of our campaign into action.

They also introduced this choice using TV and continued to utilize it in print and out of home, as well as radio. Digital also played a major role as a teaser for the type of engaging and educational content users could find on makehealthlast.ca – the agency’s interactive microsite allowing them to assess their risk, and craft positive solutions for improving their health.

Once the user’s personal risk assessment was complete, the dynamic, modular site changed right before their eyes, providing unique and personalized solutions, tips, goals, and graphics based on their individualized results. Users could then compare their risks to other Canadians, set goals and tasks at their own pace, and record a video time capsule as a promise to their future self and to motive their current self. They could also download personal info-graphics, learn about the issues that affect them, and even sign up for tailored email streams, bringing the website to their inbox.

Results of this Cannes Lion award-winning campaign have been extraordinary, with over 200,000 risk assessments completed, and 1.6 million YouTube views of our TV ad, as well as goal-breaking awareness levels, Canadians have truly taken to their messaging to Make Health Last.