East Lancashire Primary Care Trust has appointed Branded Moments of Truth (BMT) as its marketing agency to deliver health awareness campaigns to help people live longer, healthier lives.
Bell Pottinger North is working alongside the PCT and BMT to provide co-ordinated PR support.
The PCT aims to ‘save a million years of life’ by 2011 by encouraging individuals to take responsibility for their own good health and make sensible lifestyle choices. BMT has developed two campaigns to help achieve this goal focusing on alcohol and coronary heart disease.
The first campaign, ’know when to say when’ went live at the start of April. It aims to highlight clearly the risks, both health and social, and consequences of excessive drinking, ultimately to reduce alcohol related harm in East Lancashire.
The seven creative executions all have a common theme – the negative impact of too much alcohol. By featuring popular pub vernacular such as ‘Bottoms Up and ‘Down in One’ with hard hitting images highlighting the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption, the campaign aims to encourage East Lancs residents to take stock of their drinking.
The poster led campaign launches on sites across the East Lancashire region from Monday 7th April and is being supported by press, radio, taxi sides and bus media, as well as matchday programmes, ground boards and big screens at Burnley FC and Accrington Stanley FC and washroom posters in bars. The campaign will be brought to life on streets in the region via a portable ‘pub’ also created by BMT, called the Watering Hole that will be used to distribute free water and information to local residents whilst on their night out.
Simon Melville, director of BMT said: “The campaign pulls no punches, it is very direct and very specific. There will be no getting away from the message if you live in the region.”
Victoria Robertson, Director of Corporate Services, East Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust commented: “Excessive drinking across age groups and all social classes is one of the biggest issues we face today. Not only does it lead to life-threatening illnesses, it also contributes to devastating social issues including violence, road accidents and teenage pregnancy”.
David Rogers, Head of Engagement and Communications, added: “The focus of the campaign is on empowering people to ‘know when to say when’ by taking control of their drinking, with support from the PCT. There is a dedicated helpline and website to support the campaign offering additional information and signposting individuals to support organisations.”
The coronary heart disease campaign, which is equally hard-hitting, goes live at the end of April.
Ends
For further information please contact Simon Melville at BMT on 020 7592 7520 or visit www.bmt.uk.com
Or
John Butters at Bell Pottinger North on 01625 506444 or visit www.bellpottingernorth.co.uk
BMT is part of the VCCP Group and Bell Pottinger North is part of the number 1 PR Group, Bell Pottinger Group. Both are owned by Chime Communications plc www.chime.plc.uk
