Christmas is a magical time. But it’s a dangerous time for hearts; on Christmas Eve, your risk of a heart attack rises 37%.

But how do you get the message out about this seasonal danger? You get family and friends to send it for you, as a Cardiac Christmas Card.

An innovative way of leveraging consumers themselves to deliver educational healthcare information to those in need, and to drive engagement with Heart Research UK.

The cards starred someone whose poor diet, infrequent exercise and high-stress job puts him at particular risk on Christmas Eve – Santa Claus.

Illustrated in a beautiful, vintage style, the campaign showed classic Christmas scenes, but with a sobering twist. Amid the twinkling lights, prancing reindeer and gently falling snow, Santa is shown clutching his chest and collapsing, experiencing the devastating effects of a heart attack.

The cards were sold in partnership with Thortful, the UK’s largest card marketplace.

On the back of the campaign, visits to the Heart Research UK website increased by 117% on the previous year, and the number of new users increased by 223%.

Searches for ‘Heart Conditions’ and related keywords drove click-throughs to the Heart Research UK website from 819 in the previous year to over 6,567 in December 2021.

Helping to keep more hearts healthy over the holidays.

Heart Research UK - Cardiac Christmas Cards

CREDITS

Christian Louzado

Simon Wood

Shanie Connard

PJ Crabb

Siya Amin

Kristian Binks

Simon Robinson

Gold partners