And breathe. Yep, as we all know, respiratory health is one of the most crucial elements of life and one that, perhaps unsurprisingly, charity Asthma + Lung UK is keen to promote.
The organisation is in high demand, too, and not just because of Covid. It currently supports more than 12 million people in the UK, who either have or are likely to develop a lung condition.
The charity also strives to transform the nation’s lung health by challenging misconceptions about lung conditions, driving greater investment in respiratory research, and campaigning for cleaner air and better care for people with lung conditions such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
This week it is launching its first integrated ad campaign, dubbed ‘Breath Is Life’, since rebranding at the end of February from Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation.
Developed by creative agency Miroma Group, the ad features a montage of clips showing athletes, young kids, couples, elderly people and babies all taking breaths in various situations.
Asthma + Lung UK chief executive Sarah Woolnough explains the campaign is designed to highlight the link between breathing and all aspects of being alive, and the right to breathe freely applies to everyone, regardless of income, age, ethnicity, gender or background.
She added: “We want to reach even more people with these adverts, including those that don’t have a lung condition but might be concerned about the impact that air pollution, for instance, can have on their health.
“With our eye-catching new look, important strategy and unforgettable ‘Breath Is Life’ campaign, we are determined to fight for a world where everyone has healthy lungs, by campaigning for more research into lung conditions, cleaner air and better access to diagnosis and treatment.”
Activity will also include digital outdoor executions, as well as a radio ad featuring a poem about breath, which ends with the line: “Breath is life, and it’s worth fighting for.”
Miroma Group executive director of agencies Marc Nohr said: “This campaign is all about an urgent call to take lung health seriously. It does this by reframing lung health in terms of breath – because without it, there can be no life. The approach was to highlight the centrality of breath in every aspect of living – from sport to music, sex to birth.
“It’s an uplifting celebration of breath’s life-giving qualities. But, by extension, it’s a powerful argument that our right to breathe must be protected at all costs. It ultimately supercharges the importance of respiratory health in the public consciousness.”
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
Well, let’s be honest, there are not many more debilitating conditions than not being able to breathe, so anything that can get the nation’s lungs working has got to be applauded.
The temptation must be to shock, after all, seeing someone trying to catch their breath can be highly distressing. But this campaign shows the positive effects and, in doing so, it is much more powerful and effective – and even the strapline makes sense!
Decision Marketing Adometer: A “breathe easy” 9 out of 10
