Irish Heart Foundation Campaign by Boys + Girls Focuses on A New Killer - Chairs

14/09/2018

Boys+Girls

Advertising Agency

Dublin, Ireland

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14/09/2018

Campaign aims to prevent the number of lives currently affected by heart disease and stroke

“Chairs Can Kill”.

That’s the dramatic message and title of a new awareness campaign from The Irish Heart Foundation as part of its on-going mission to prevent the number of lives currently affected by heart disease and stroke – one of Ireland’s leading killers.

And while we all try to be healthier in our lives through diet and exercise, every day we spend hours sitting at our desks in work, on couches at home, even on the bus or in our cars. What’s becoming apparent is that, as a country, we seemingly have little or no motivation or incentive to get up and enjoy a consistent amount of moderate to brisk movement. So much so, that Irish people spend on average 7.3 hours sitting down each day according to the Irish Heart Foundation’s research.

To bring the “Chairs Can Kill” message to life, The Irish Heart Foundation approached their partner, Ireland’s No. 1 independently owned, multi-awarding winning creative agency Boys + Girls (www.boysandgirls.ie). The brief was simple – to get Ireland as a nation to rethink the amount of time spent sitting down by demonstrating its potential health threat.

The campaign, which launched this week, will take several forms throughout the month of September ‘Heart Month’. A series of activations targeted at locations around Dublin with major office hubs including Sandyford, Merrion Square, Baggot Street and Smithfield saw random chairs placed nearby wrapped in Warning hazard tape with the message ‘Chairs Can Kill’. =

Meantime, outdoor activity comprises of bold messaging with ‘Chairs can kill’ and attention grabbing graphics on targeted public transport. A website www.chairscankill.ie features a simple online sitting calculator allowing you to measure how long you spend sitting down on an average day, individualised feedback, research and tips on how to introduce more activity and how to reduce the time you spend sitting down.

Janis Morrissey, Head of Health Promotion, Information & Training, at the Irish Heart Foundation, said: “Most people don't realise the negative effect that sitting for long periods of time can have on their heart health. For instance, those who sit for long periods of time are more than twice as likely to develop heart disease and stroke.

“Ultimately we wanted to create a campaign that would mean people would never look at a chair or seat the same way again.”

Mark Tuthill, creative director, Boys + Girls said, “The “Chairs Can Kill” Irish Heart Foundation campaign was launched in locations where the culprit can inflict the most damage - office areas. The Danger signage warns workers of the risk in a visual language they know well. It’s a dramatic and unexpected intervention in their day that we hope will change the misconceptions people might have about chairs as something harmless. Far from it. Sitting for too long can really put your heart health at risk”.