Belgische Cardiologische Liga

Word Hartstarter / Devenez un(e) sauveur(euse) du cœur

With Word Hartstarter, MMBSY turned a life-or-death issue into a national conversation by pairing a bold, unsettling creative idea with a razor-sharp PR rollout. We made CPR training urgent and accessible by securing omnipresent media visibility and engaging both Flemish and French-speaking audiences through impactful storytelling. The result: awareness translated into action, with 130K Belgians seeking CPR knowledge and over 1.100 new lifesavers created.

The challenge

Every day, 30 people in Belgium suffer a cardiac arrest every day. In those critical moments, every second counts. Without intervention, the chances of survival drop by 10% every minute. Yet, shockingly, only 15% of the Belgian population knows how to perform CPR. With this stark reality in mind, the Belgian Cardiological League wanted to emphasize this urgency and take action to turn bystanders into lifesavers. The goal was simple yet urgent: equip more Belgians with the knowledge and confidence to step in when it matters most.

To do this, we had two key objectives. First, we needed to increase topic awareness for learning CPR and brand awareness for the Belgian Cardiological League as a leading advocate for heart health. Second, we aimed to drive real behavioural change by encouraging more Belgians to learn CPR.

The work

To raise awareness of the importance of CPR and drive real behavioural change, we launched the “Word Hartstarter” campaign in collaboration with Berlin, during Heart Week (from September 23 to 29). We developed a bold and visually striking campaign, blending hard-hitting reality with an unexpected emotional twist.

In 70% of cases, the person suffering a cardiac arrest is someone you know: a friend, a family member, or a colleague. To bring this message home, we partnered with a face that everyone knows: Rik Verheye.

The striking campaign video showed Rik performing CPR on a lifelike mannequin of himself. The visual of Rik performing CPR on his own double was designed to be deeply confronting. For the French-speaking audience in Belgium, we adapted the campaign with Pablo Andres performing CPR on Rik, ensuring cultural relevance across Belgium.

During the campaign launch week, our media outreach resulted in numerous media outlets highlighting both the initiative and CPR instructions. The mannequin, along with the real Rik, visited several TV and radio stations, where it was frequently used for CPR demonstrations, bringing CPR training to life in an interactive and engaging way.

The results

The Word Hartstarter successfully met our dual objectives of raising CPR awareness and driving behavioural change.

Extensive media coverage and social reach significantly generated awareness of the importance of learning CPR across the entire Belgian population. The campaign, with Rik and his mannequin, was omnipresent in media outlets.

Achieved widespread coverage with a total of 86 clippings in all major media outlets in both Dutch and French-speaking regions, including:
- Television & radio: De Slimste Mens ter Wereld, James en Co, Het Journaal, VTM Nieuws, Tafel van Gert, JOE, Q music, Radio 2, Radio 1, MNM, Studio Brussel, Klara, RTBF JT
- Print & online: Gazet van Antwerpen, NB, HBVL, HLN, Le Soir, LLB, RTL, Sudinfo
Resulted in over 66 million opportunities to see, nearly 6 times the size of the Belgian population.
The campaign name “Hartstarter” was mentioned in 77.5% of all clippings, showcasing the significant visibility and impact of the initiative across media outlets.
Additional reach of 3.835.128 on social media (IG Reels, TikTok, Google Ads).