Stream of (Un)consciousness: How the British Heart Foundation Turned Twitch into a Lifesaving Classroom

Case Study Summary:

The British Heart Foundation’s “Stream of (Un)consciousness” campaign creatively entered the gaming space to boost CPR awareness and training among Gen Z. Recognizing that this audience spends more time gaming than socializing, BHF partnered with 14 top Twitch streamers to abruptly “flatline” their live streams—mimicking the sudden nature of cardiac arrest. This unexpected interruption shared critical cardiac arrest facts and directed viewers to the BHF’s free, 15-minute online CPR training tool, RevivR. Streamers later explained their involvement and even offered live CPR demos. The campaign went further with an affiliate program that rewarded CPR completions with Twitch perks. It reached over 700,000 people and, most powerfully, was directly credited with saving a child’s life.

Key Insights:

Here are the key insights from the British Heart Foundation’s “Stream of (Un)consciousness” campaign:

1. CPR Confidence Gap: While CPR can triple survival chances during cardiac arrest, 23 million UK adults still haven’t learned it, highlighting a major public health challenge.
2. Gen Z Opportunity: Gen Z (16–26) is surprisingly the most CPR-trained generation, making them a prime target to deepen engagement and spread awareness.
3. Gaming Is Their World: Gen Z spends more time gaming than on TikTok or with friends—making the gaming space the most culturally relevant environment to reach them.
4. Disruption Mirrors Reality: Cardiac arrest is sudden and shocking, so the campaign mimicked this by interrupting Twitch streams without warning—capturing attention through surprise and emotional impact.
5. Authenticity Matters: Rather than force branding into games, BHF integrated meaningfully by working with trusted streamers who embraced the cause, even conducting live CPR demos.
6. From Moment to Movement: Beyond a one-time stunt, the campaign created a first-of-its-kind CPR affiliate program that rewards streamers for every training session completed via their channels.
7. Purpose with Proof: The campaign didn’t just raise awareness—it led to real training uptake and was directly credited with saving a life, proving its deep social impact.

What the Awards Jury Says:

This campaign broke new ground by making cardiac arrest a visceral, disruptive moment within a native gaming experience—not just inserting ads, but emotionally engaging an audience where they live online. It avoided the pitfalls of clunky brand presence by authentically integrating purpose into the streaming world. The initiative didn’t just raise awareness; it built an ongoing CPR affiliate program with tangible impact—proving purposeful gaming can go beyond education to real-world action and even save lives.

Winning Details:

British Heart Foundation – Streams of (Un)consciousness, submitted by PHD UK      

GRAND PRIX WINNER – 16th Annual Internationalist Awards for Innovative Digital Marketing Solutions. Announced November 2024

        

Credits:

PHD

Tess Gullis – PHD, Gaming Director – Content Production Management

Jamie Lyons – PHD, Gaming & Virtual Experience Managing Partner – Content Production Management

Matthew Greer – PHD, Programmatic Associate Director – Campaign set up

Thibault La Droitte – PHD, Marketing Director – Talent coordination

Claire Bullock – PHD, Client Partner – Campaign planning & execution

Laura Humphrey  – PHD, Business Director – Campaign planning & execution

Claudia Priestley – PHD, Planning Associate Director – Campaign planning & execution

Florine Fouche – PHD, Biddable Director – Campaign execution

Katie Duxbury – PHD, Senior Executive – Campaign planning & execution

Elen Abraham – PHD, Account Manager – Campaign planning & execution – elen.abraham@phdmedia.com

British Heart Foundation – 

Dan Geneen – BHF, Head of Mass Fundraising & Acquisition – Client campaign delivery

Marc Samuels – BHF, Senior Marketing Manager – Client campaign delivery

Jessica Wibberley – BHF, Marketing Manager – Client campaign delivery

Marlia Madekwe – BHF, Senior Marketing Executive – Client campaign delivery

GameSquare

Sophie McCulloch – GameSquare, Sales Director EMEA – Partnership negotiation

Luke Cotton – GameSquare, COO – Partnership negotiation

Sam Malvern – GameSquare, Campaign Executive – Partnership negotiation

Twitch

Tara Kling – Twitch, UK Agency Sales Lead – Campaign Execution and Delivery

Sophie Siegel – Twitch, Account Manager – Campaign Delivery