We’re all for a powerful ad that makes us want to take control of our health, but the Heart Foundation may have taken it a little bit far this time.
As part of their new ‘Heartless Words’ campaign, the charity have released a controversial advertisement that seems to say that by failing to get your heart health checked, you don’t care about those of your loved ones.
Watch the ad in the player above and see what you think.
In the opening scene, we see a mother tucking her child into bed before saying, “Every time I told you I loved you, I was lying. You are not my priority.”
Another shows a man giving a speech to his loved ones saying, “In time this family will be filled with loss and sadness, but I won’t care because I’ll be gone.”
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A third scene shows a couple watching their child’s music recital when the father tells the mother, “If I really loved you both, I’d protect my heart to protect yours. But I don’t.”
While the meaning behind the ad isn’t malicious, the ad is copping a lot of hate online. And it hasn’t even been 24 hours since its release.
“Just heard a @heartfoundation ad with a little kid saying ‘Mum never loved me. If she did she would have looked after her heart‘ This isn’t just bad, this is a terrible terrible ad. Imagine how any kid who has lost a parent to heart disease feels when hearing this,” one person tweeted.
Another concerned viewer simply retweeted the Heart Foundation’s original video stating, “Um.. what?!”
When the charity replied to her saying that sometimes messaging needs to be “uncomfortably emotive” she replied back saying, “If your ad team (or whoever you contracted this campaign too) defines this ad as ‘uncomfortably emotive’ I’d highly recommend firing the lot of them. This is appalling. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
The Heart Foundation themselves have called their commercial “uncomfortable emotive.”
(Image: Heart Foundation)Chris Taylor, chief marketing officer of the Heart Foundation told Mumbrella that the ad aimed to focus on family and friends, a key value to many.
“Sometimes when it comes to our health, we only think about the affect it has on us and our own wellbeing. We believe that by bringing to the forefront the affect not looking after your health can also have on your loved ones, we will hopefully gain traction, and ultimately convince more people to get a Heart Health Check, if not for themselves, then for their loved ones.
WATCH: Apollo Jackson talks about his heart attack to Sophie Monk on The Bachelorette. Post continues after video…
According to the Heart Foundation, symptoms of a heart attack for women include:
Breaking out in a cold sweat
Dizziness/feeling light-headed
Aching/tightness in the lower jaw
Aching shoulders
Choking/burning feeling in the throat/neck
Heaviness in the shoulders
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Discomfort, pain, heaviness or uselessness in one or both arms
Nausea
Find out more about heart health checks here.
