British Heart Foundation Ads Highlight the Heartbreak of Football

It has been 50 years since the Three Lions lifted the World Cup trophy at Wembley in 1966. Since then England fans have endured heartbreak and despair. Playing on this theme, the British Heart Foundation has launched its ‘Ending the hurt’ campaign to tie in with Euro 2016, and highlight the big wins the charity has had over the past five decades, thanks to its life saving research.

The 60-second ad shows the faces of various England fans as they watch their team play. Over the images you hear the words, “For years we’ve enduring heartbreak, injustice, anger, absence, agony, shock, despair, disbelief and devastation.” The tone of the ad then changes as the picture cuts to a boy who has successfully recovered from heart surgery. In the background you hear cheers as England score and the VO proudly announces that, “…through research we’re beating heart disease and one day we will end heartbreak for good".

This clever campaign, designed to raise awareness and funds for life-saving cardiovascular disease research, was created by James Coventry, Tom Loader and Samuel Craven for the British Heart Foundation, while the grade was done by Electric Theatre Collective. Lawrence Kendrick from Jungle recorded the voice over with football commentator, Peter Brackley, and completed the sound design.