People have slammed the new ad for The Heart Foundation’s latest installment of its Serial Killer campaign, 'Heartless Words'.
The initial push by the foundation, created in partnership with News Corp Australia, was applauded for its success in securing Medicare-funded Heart Health Checks for Australians, which is estimated to prevent up to 9,100 deaths.
The campaign featured stories of people impacted by the nation’s biggest killer, heart disease, across News’ online and print publications.
However, the second installment by The Heart Foundation and creative agency Host/Havas has been described as a “monstrosity” by creative director Dee Madigan.
The ad features a parent telling their child ‘every time I told you I love you, I was lying’ in an attempt to guilt people into looking after their heart health.
Others have labelled the ad as “heartless” and “breathtakingly offensive” for its tactics, noting even health-conscious people are impacted by illness.
AdNews has reached out to The Heart Foundation and Host/Havas for comment.
At the time of the ad’s launch Host/Havas said the creative uses a “heartbreaking” message to show that the risks of not having a Heart Health Check are not worth taking, and to “drive people to act, if not for themselves, then for the people they most care about”.
Just heard a @heartfoundation ad with a little kid saying ‘Mum never loved me. If she did she would have looked after her heart’ This isn’t just bad, this is a terrible terrible ad. Imagine how any kid who has lost a parent to heart disease feels when hearing this
— Dee Madigan (@deemadigan) May 27, 2019
My father died from heart disease at 47, his father at 47, I nearly died from heart disease at 47, issue was genetic, text book they said. I was lucky with better medical help. Sometimes you just don’t know... the ads need work over
— Ron Lilburne 🌎 (@rlilburne) May 27, 2019
Oh my god...imagine how a mother with heart disease would feel watching this...actually this is literally heartless...
— Helen Allen (@helenashopsnyc) May 27, 2019
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