British Heart Foundation – ’Til I Died (UK)
Turned a football chant into public murals honoring young lives lost to cardiac conditions, sparking donations and awareness.
Submitted by PHD UK
Winner’s Citation
PLATINUM in the 2025 Marketing Makes a World of Difference Awards.
The British Heart Foundation’s “’Til I Died” turned grief into action. By transforming a football chant into a public tribute, the campaign honored 12 young fans lost to sudden cardiac death and made their stories part of the Euro 2024 conversation. With powerful murals, earned media, and extraordinary results—including a 55% rise in donations without a direct ask—the campaign proved that sometimes the oldest mediums create the most lasting impact. BHF showed how to turn loss into legacy, and awareness into life-saving support.
How it Makes a World of Difference
Every week in the UK, 12 young people under 35 die suddenly from undiagnosed heart conditions—lives full of promise, cut short in an instant. Yet over a quarter of Britons still believe heart disease is only a risk for the old. The British Heart Foundation needed to shatter that myth and drive urgency for its life-saving research. Timed with Euro 2024, the campaign ’Til I Died transformed a football chant into a national tribute. Twelve murals, each commemorating a young fan lost to cardiac death, appeared in their hometowns—stories told with families’ involvement and painted into public spaces. These murals weren’t ads; they were acts of remembrance that made the invisible heartbreak visible, sparking a new national conversation about heart health.
Jury Lens Evaluation
- Promise → Action: The BHF promised to fund life-saving research and acted by creating a public act of solidarity, connecting football culture to health awareness.
- Trust: By involving families in every mural, the campaign was both authentic and deeply respectful, building emotional connection and credibility.
- Growth: The campaign delivered the Foundation’s highest-ever levels of consideration to donate (+11%), driving both awareness and income growth.
- Difference: In an age dominated by tech-driven campaigns, BHF used one of humanity’s oldest mediums—murals—to create unavoidable empathy and cultural relevance.
Results that Make a Difference
- 568 earned media stories, including a five-minute BBC segment.
- 683M campaign reach, valued at £1.9M in PR.
- Website visits up 11x during campaign with 81% engagement.
- Donations +55%, conversion rate up 800%, and online income +14% YoY—all achieved without a direct donation ask.
- Brand metrics:
- “Urgently needs my support” +8%
- “I feel a strong connection” +11%
- “Proud to support” +6%
- Murals became local landmarks of remembrance, drawing families, communities, and media attention.
