DDB Sydney: Feel life change in a heartbeat

New baby – new hopes and dreams. A baby with a heart condition – just one dream – that they’ll make it. This is the reality for the parents of the eight Aussie babies born with congenital heart disease (CHD) every day.

And this is the reality that DDB Sydney’s campaign for HeartKids expresses so powerfully. DDB created the campaign pro bono.

The campaign film has all distracting clutter removed to allow its device of juxtaposed images to underline the message that Things can change in a heartbeat. In its sparse 30-seconds an economy of words and the sound of a heartbeat accompany these images to deliver a message gets to the head via the heart.

DDB Sydney chief creative officer, Tara Ford, commented, “When we look at children’s charity advertising there are accepted codes that appear time and again. To stand out in the category, we wanted to find a place that makes people uncomfortable enough to pay attention, but not uncomfortable enough to look away. We hope that the campaign will inspire empathy and support for the families affected by CHD.”

CHD affects 1 in 100 babies (one born every three hours). The disease affects babies, children, teens and adults.

The 30-second hero commercial is supported with an outdoor and digital campaign that focuses on the significance of a single heartbeat. The campaign was coordinated by the industry’s social purpose organisation, UnLtd, with media strategy and planning by Initiative.

HeartKids digital strategy & marketing manager Dianna Crisp, noted, “When we embarked on this project earlier in the year, we were impressed with DDB’s dedication to the CHD community. Many people aren’t aware that CHD impacts eight babies a day and is the leading cause of disease-related disability. It also has no known cure. Bringing awareness to this disease is critical for the families who need to be supported.”