BHF “I’ve Got Heart Failure” Ad

Associated With

British Heart Foundation - advertiser and commissioning charity; Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO - creative agency; Betty McBride - senior charity executive responsible for the campaign

Defining Feature

A woman pictured with a transparent polythene bag over her head to evoke severe breathlessness

Status

Preserved - reproduced in the ASA Annual Report 2002

Overview

During British Heart Week in June 2002, the British Heart Foundation launched a UK press and magazine advertisement showing a middle-aged woman with a transparent polythene bag over her head to evoke the severe breathlessness associated with heart failure. Created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, it carried the headline “I’ve got heart failure”. The ASA’s final 2002 count recorded 315 upheld complaints, and the regulator required that it not be repeated unless children could be prevented from seeing it.

Why It Mattered

The advertisement highlighted the tension between a forceful public-health message and the safety risk created by its imagery. It generated thousands of requests for information and became the most complained-about advertisement listed in the ASA’s 2002 annual report. The ASA did not consider the shocking approach unjustified, but restricted its placement because children could see and imitate the depicted act.

Launch and Press Placement

• The advertisement launched during British Heart Week in June 2002 and was appearing in selected newspapers by the weekend preceding 13 June.
• The campaign used national press and magazines, including publications with substantial readership among people aged over 45.
• Its precise first insertion date and complete placement schedule have not been established.

Response and Complaint Totals

• By 13 June, the ASA had received more than 70 complaints, while the BHF reported more than 100 complaint calls and more than 8,000 information requests.
• The interim complaint total had reached 238 when the ASA decision was reported on 19 June.
• The ASA Annual Report 2002 recorded the final total as 315 upheld complaints.

ASA Ruling and Restriction

• The ASA did not uphold the objection that the shocking or distressing approach was unjustified for a heart-failure awareness campaign.
• It upheld the safety objection because media accessible to children could encourage imitation, and the small-print warning was considered inadequate.
• The BHF was instructed not to repeat the advertisement unless its placement ensured that children would not see it.

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