IE know a brilliant ad when we see one and we’re modest enough to admit when we’re impressed by the creative output of another agency. This was definitely the case with Grey London’s ‘Watch Your Own Heart Attack’ TV advert for the British Heart Foundation: http://www.2minutes.org.uk/

Why should IE rate ‘Watch Your Own Heart Attack’ so highly? There are numerous reasons. Maybe it was the ‘meta-advertising’ – the ‘trailers’ strategically broadcast in the run-up to the ad’s airing on August 10 at 9:17pm. Perhaps it was the fact that viewers were denied the option of being an audience, and were projected into the role of a participant at the centre of the action.

Exposure to advertising is so unrelenting that even those ads with charitable intentions are increasingly met with indifference, cynicism and scorn. Despite the obvious big budget, celebrity backing and use of shock tactics that characterises so much charity advertising, ‘Watch Your Own Heart Attack’ is an achievement of which Grey London and British Heart Foundation must be proud. It will be interesting to see if and how ‘Watch Your Heart Attack’ impacts on charity advertising into the future. IE are eager to find out.