The British Heart Foundation has launched a powerful new campaign to mark its 65th anniversary by celebrating 65 survivors of cardiovascular disease whose lives have been saved by critical BHF-funded research.

The ‘In Living Memory’ campaign was created by Saatchi & Saatchi and features 65 commemorative benches, which will remain in situ for at least five years, installed across communities nationwide. 

Flipping the narrative of the tradition of memorial benches that honour people who have passed away, the ‘In Living Memory’ benches celebrate those who have survived.

The benches are painted in the British Heart Foundation’s brand colour red and each of the benches features the name of someone who is alive today thanks to treatments or scientific advances funded by BHF. 

Saatchi & Saatchi collaborated with Raw Research and BHF’s Heart Stories team to identify cardiovascular disease survivors and install benches in meaningful locations across the UK. Each bench is placed near the communities the survivors come from. A strategy which means people have the opportunity to encounter powerful and locally relevant stories in everyday settings such as parks, high streets, and town centres. With each bench in situ for at least 5 years, BHF is a brand playing the long game when it comes to embracing storytelling to change lives.

The campaign is brought to life with heartfelt, real conversations recorded on the benches with the survivors and their families. 

BHF and Saatchi & Saatchi filmed and photographed survivors spending time on the benches in their local communities, capturing natural, unscripted discussions about diagnosis, treatment, recovery and day-to-day life with a cardiovascular condition. The result is authentic, empathetic and emotional conversations. Conversations which will be used in content across TV, social, online video, print, radio and press. 

The campaign highlights the stark statistic that someone in the UK dies from cardiovascular disease every three minutes. It features real survivors, seated on their commemorative benches, sharing their personal experiences of living with and overcoming the illness. Images of the benches will also run in an out of home campaign. The campaign will show each survivor seated on their own bench, photographed in a simple documentary style. Media planning and buying for the campaign has been led by Omnicom Media’s PHD.

Damion Mower, Director of Brand at British Heart Foundation, explained: “Cardiovascular disease is one of the UK’s biggest killers, affecting eight million people from every age group and community. Yet, despite its devastating impact, research into it still receives far less funding than many other conditions. With In Living Memory, we’re shining a spotlight on the scale of the challenge, and the incredible difference research is already making. Every story in this campaign is a powerful reminder that continued support isn’t just important - it’s lifesaving.”

Franki Goodwin, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi, added: “When pictures of our benches being installed around the UK came into our inboxes and this idea became not just real but permanent, I watched one of our producers break down with emotion. This extraordinary project is a feat of production, integration and collaboration. It means as much to us as it does each one of the sixty five people who now have living memorials in their parks, villages and towns to remind everyone in the UK about the importance of the British Heart Foundation's research and that  their donations save real lives.”

Production across audio visual and social for the campaign was led by Biscuit Filmworks x Revolver.