New radio campaign launches
Listen to the adverts
Carpet Universe advert
Sofa Village advert
St John Ambulance is launching two new
radio adverts this week (9 May 2011) to stop listeners in their
tracks and encourage them to learn how to save a
life.
Surprising twist
In one dramatic advert a carpet sales recording goes horribly
wrong as the voiceover artist appears to suffer a heart
attack mid-sentence. In the second, for a mythical sofa
shop, the actor stops breathing as his colleague
struggles to help him.
Get free first aid advice
The adverts aim to encourage people to learn about first aid by
visiting the St John Ambulance website. Visitors to the site can
get free first aid advice, request a
free pocket guide or book a training course to help with the scenarios in the
adverts and more.
With two-thirds of people surveyed by the
charity saying they wouldn’t feel confident trying to save
a life, there is a clear need for people to become more
familiar and therefore comfortable with this vital, life saving
information.
Emergencies happen
Scott Jacobson, Director of Marketing, Communications and
Fundraising at St John Ambulance, said: ‘Every year up to
150,000 people die in situations where first aid could have been
the difference. Listening to these adverts reminds people
that emergencies can happen at any time, in any place. We hope they
encourage people to equip themselves with free life saving
knowledge.’
The format of the adverts follows the charity’s successful viral
hit Popcorn, which saw a seemingly
standard advert take a turn for the worse, and escalate into a
dramatic first aid emergency.