'Til I died: 12 murals from the British Heart Foundation illustrate the tragic loss of 12 young lives each week from heart disease

SHOOK co-founder Gemma Moroney highlights this emotive work from Saatchi & Saatchi challenging us all to hear this well-known football chant and not think of the 12 young people in these murals.

I was going to write a wrap up of great European Championship ideas and probably attempt a cheeky tap in of the target-smashing work we’ve proudly been doing with Harry Redknapp. I was primed with Hellmann’s having ‘hell, man’ with its Grealish BBQ campaign, Danny Dyer on penalties and Irn Bru flying the flag for creativity, humour and England does not = the UK.

But then, this dropped.

With UEFA Euros 2024 set to kick off, Saatchi & Saatchi worked with British Heart Foundation (BHF) to commemorate the lives of 12 young football fans who tragically died from heart disease. The creative is part of a broader campaign to promote heart research funding, spotlighting the unfulfilled aspirations of those affected.

File it under ‘show this to all ad agencies who think you get publicity just by writing ‘PRable’ on the all agency slide.’

In fact, if you catch anyone doing that, send them this and tell them to write ´Now THIS is PRable’, although I should note that ‘PR’ isn’t a verb and it doesn’t stand for ‘press release’ either: write this 100 times on A4 lined paper.

This is a masterclass in an integrated idea that - I hope - will seep into culture. In short: 12 murals, to represent the 12 young people who will die from sudden cardiac death every week in the UK, each with a subverted version of the football chant “‘til I died”.

12 reasons why 12 murals are so effective in sending this message home:

1. It’s timely (the football)

2. It shocks but without shock tactics (loved ones have given image rights of young people who died of heart disease - which, with the strapline, is shocking. But the murals are beautiful, it doesn’t need anything graphic because the person and their story itself is enough)

3. It uses what’s dominant in culture to change it (IMO, the notion that cardiac health is only to do with lifestyle, combined with a ubiquitous football chant)

4. It’s emotive (see point 2)

5. It’s got stretch (it’s a mural but it’s also no doubt a DPS feature from the family, contextual ads near fan zones and timely tweets)

6. It repeats on you, in a good way (I defy you to hear the chant without now remembering this)

7. It’s tactical (Euros) but part of a long term narrative change for the charity and society

8. It’s got an easy to remember stat, that’s part of the execution (12 murals to represent the 12 young people who die each week)

9. It’s not just about raising awareness, it’s about understanding and donation

10. You know how much care has gone into it (supporting people to share stories of a loved one who died takes huge sensitivity and support)

11. It’s high impact but it’s not flashy (important for a charity)

12. It might be for the Euros but you can see a sequel for the new season (Tottenham ‘til I died etc)

So, I applaud Saatchi & Saatchi.

Sometimes when ad agencies 'do' earned, they do it really, really well. I think they’ll help win the battle for the BHF, and you can feel they know that’s what really matters.