Heart Foundation: Know Your Numbers

Know Your Numbers, Save Your Life
 

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in New Zealand accounting for 40% of deaths annually. Every 90 minutes a New Zealander dies from coronary heart disease. The frustrating thing is many of these deaths are premature and preventable. Unfortunately the message is not getting through that at-risk people need to make lifestyle changes now, to avoid them becoming another heart statistic.

When the Heart Foundation wanted to launch its revolutionary new online heart age diagnostic tool – ‘Know Your Numbers’ – to New Zealanders, we developed a PR campaign which got to the heart of the matter and got Kiwis to the website in droves.

Mandated with achieving widespread awareness among target audiences, we developed a plan based around utilising Heart Foundation brand ambassadors – with Dame Jenny Shipley at the forefront – to tell their stories and encourage other Kiwis to make positive lifestyle changes.

First we needed to get to healthcare professionals so they could encourage their at-risk patients to visit the website and sign up for a personalised heart health plan. This centred around targeting medical publications and associations in conjunction with a direct mail-out to GPs and cardiologists.

It was important that the average Kiwi understood the importance of the tool and looking after their hearts – so we took to the streets and hit the mall with some nurses and Campbell Live in tow.

The “Power of PR” was highlighted through web traffic monitoring, with hits to the website (www.knowyournumbers.org.nz) notably sky rocketing when ‘Know Your Numbers’ was featured on Campbell Live and in the Sunday Star-Times and the Christchurch Press. Widespread media coverage throughout the country helped secure 47,000 hits to the website in the first week alone, with approximately 5,000 Kiwis completing the forecast to find out their heart age and receiving a personalised six week heart health plan in the first week alone.

The Heart Foundation was thrilled with the results, and we were proud to be part of a campaign that got to the heart (and health of the hearts) of New Zealanders.

Porter Novelli team: Kyra Holland, Sarah Rutherford