‘If my Dad had died from cancer, I wouldn’t feel I could have helped any more. But if he’d have died choking at the table, it would have torn me apart…that saving his life was within my control, and I just didn’t know to use those simple steps would have been terrible.’ Carl Burke who saved his father from choking

Up to 140,000 people die each year in situations where first aid could have given them a chance to live. That’s as many as die from cancer. This PR insight underpinned an integrated communications programme that set out to equip as many people as possible with first aid skills to reduce this number. Whilst the overall integrated St John Ambulance (SJA) campaign centred around a hard hitting advert, we developed creative resources to gain interest from media and encourage people to text for a free guide, including OnePoll research, case study videos and media teasers. The campaign has already saved four lives, showing that by learning first aid, anyone can make the difference between a life lost and a life saved. Over 200 pieces of coverage were secured including first aid demonstrations on BBC Breakfast and Sky News, course bookings worth £445,951 generated, 20,000 new donors’ telephone numbers collected and a combined PR and Facebook reach of 40 million people.

Up to 140,000 people die each year in situations where first aid might have saved them. St John Ambulance aimed to reduce this number by equipping as many people as possible with first aid skills. The ultimate goal was to save lives.

Objectives

• Over 100 pieces of coverage (5 broadcast, 5 national print, 5 national online audience, 5 trade)

• 15,000 people requesting a free first aid guide

• 100,000 online views of the advert video

• 10,000 apps downloaded (iPhone and Android)

• 3000 views of first aid technique videos and 1500 views of case study videos

17 pieces of coverage appeared in national press, 19 national broadcast hits, 68 online hits, 53 in regional print media, 39 regional broadcast and six trade hits. First aid demonstrations were carried out live on BBC Breakfast and Sky News. Further campaign results follow;

• Total AVE of 138 Clips: £589,556

• Total circulation of 130 clips: 41,782,62.

• 20,710 free guide requests

• 178,990 online views of the ad through YouTube, 150,433 through Facebook, 7,327 views of technique videos and 2,246 total views of case study videos

• 7,450 tweets (estimated reach of 7,538,683)

• Total Facebook reach 8,443,898

• Course bookings generating £445,951

• 30,169 apps downloaded

Real People, Editor, Sam Taylor commented: “Our designer Maria went to a demo by St John Ambulance… days later, a friend’s toddler choked on some bread. She leapt into action, dislodging the crust on the third attempt. A life saver!”

To optimise reach we targeted national, consumer, trade and online media, using different angles for each audience and media type. We;

• ensured SJA’s digital platforms maximised online assets encouraging sharing and also downloads of the game, first aid videos and app

• mitigated risk working with Cancer Research UK to develop a clear position on the controversial nature of the campaign

To amplify impact we:

• Quantified the apathy with YouGov research = 40% of people think it would take the death of a loved one to make them learn first aid

• Created case studies to tell first aid stories, providing a positive counter-point to the ad

• Developed media teasers ahead of the ad launch

• Conducted media house tours/journalist briefings providing free first aid training

• Created a content roadmap across all social channels

• Re-skinned all the social channels in line with campaign

Having worked successfully with SJA for a number of years to change outdated perceptions of the brand and their work, this latest campaign was born of a widespread apathy amongst from the general public towards learning first aid. Everything SJA does is aimed at equipping the great British public with potentially life saving skills and so this was the primary motivation driving the combined team.

First aid training isn’t very glamorous and doesn’t have the level of funding that cancer does. Ask someone what kills more people and they’ll always say cancer. That’s what we thought too, until we uncovered that powerful PR insight, the 140,000 upon which our campaign was born.

Our campaign strategy was to overturn apathy towards learning first aid by drawing a direct comparison with cancer, (regarded by the general public as a serious health matter). We set out to reinforce first aid as a life or death matter with a call to action to request a free guide and / or seek training.