BBH Sheds Light on Youth Cardiac Risk in PSA for CRY

BBH London created a PSA campaign for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), a UK charity founded in 1995 which “raises awareness about sudden cardiac deaths in young people resulting from undiagnosed heart conditions.”

In a 60-second PSA video, a group of young men engage in a game of rugby. Throughout the spot we hear a heartbeat, adding an element of unease, until at one point the hearbeat speeds up and one of the boys falls to the ground. The message, “An undiagnosed heart condition can kill an apparently healthy young person instantly. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Get your heart tested.” It’s a harrowing message, bringing attention to an issue many don’t know about. Crafted to shock and startle viewers, it just may succeed in its goal of getting young people tested for heart conditions.

The spot was created by BBH London Assistant Producer David Lynch (not to be confused with that David Lynch), with help from Creative Directors Nick Kidney and Kevin Stark in adapting the original script. “I knew about CRY through a friend who was helped by them in the past,” Lynch said. “I wrote a script and showed it to my then producer, Ruben Mercadal. He said I should run with it. As I’m an Assistant TV Producer and not a Creative, I sought help from two of BBH’s best Creative Directors..To my surprise they were of the same opinion as Ruben and said if I ever get the chance to make it, they would love to mentor me through it.”

BBH then enlisted director AG Rojas and Park Pictures to bring the project, which Lynch called a “particularly emotive and rewarding campaign to work on,” to light. “Once we began production, it became clear that so many of the people who helped us had also been affected – or knew someone who had been affected – in some way,” he added.

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