A study published in the British Medical Journal of more than 283,014 heart attack cases showed that heart attack risk rises by 15% over the Christmas season, peaking at a 37% higher chance on Christmas Eve.

Heart Research UK wanted to get people thinking about heart health over the holidays, raise awareness of the risks, and drive visitors to information on their website.

To highlight the dramatic 37% increase in risk of heart attacks on Christmas Eve, Heart Research UK created Cardiac Christmas Cards – classic Christmas Scenes given a heart attack twist.

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

The campaign aimed to raise awareness of the 37% increased risk of heart attacks at Christmas time and drive visitors to the Heart Research UK website.

By repurposing Christmas cards as an educational mailer, Heart Research UK got family and friends to send the message for them, driving people potentially at risk to information and support on the Heart Research UK website, and encouraging those around them to donate.

The shocking but familiar imagery cut through the traditional Christmas ad blizzard. The radio ad similarly reshaped a familiar Christmas poem to make it shocking and educational, exposing the cardiac risks at Christmas.

The campaign elements were timed to maximise Christmas awareness, and to drive people to the Heart Research UK website.

The cards were sold through Thortful, the UK’s largest card marketplace, in the run-up to Christmas.

Social posts linked through to the cards and to the Heart Research UK website. Print ads featured in local newspapers.

The Spotify radio ad featured BAFTA-winning actor Mark Bonnar, giving a reading of a heart failure version of ‘The Night before Christmas’.

In this version, the familiar tale turns tragic, as Santa suffers from the consequences of his unhealthy lifestyle. The ad guided listeners to the Heart Research UK website, where they could get life-saving advice or donate to vital research.

Visits to the Heart Research UK website increased by 117% on the previous year.

The number of new users on the Heart Research UK website increased by 223% (from 4,044 to 9,015) on the previous year.

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.

The Spotify radio ad had a click-through rate 42 times higher than the Spotify average (1.68% vs Spotify benchmark of 0.04% for audio ads).