…But takes £7m BHF anti-smoking account

The British Heart Foundation has appointed roster agency Partners BDDH to handle its £7m anti-smoking campaign, which is funded by the Government. The agency pitched against Mother to win the business.

The brief for the campaign is to heighten awareness of smoking as a risk factor in heart disease.

Partners was first appointed to handle the BHF’s advertising account last year (MW November 7, 2002), in a review which formed part of BHF’s five-year plan to shift its focus towards helping people live with heart disease, rather than concentrating solely on prevention. Incumbent Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO did not repitch (MW August 1, 2002).

Partners’ appointment to the anti-smoking brief follows the allocation of £15m budget by the Department of Health, to be split between Cancer Research and BHF, to warn about the dangers of smoking. Bartle Bogle Hegarty was awarded Cancer Research’s anti-smoking brief, following a competitive pitch.

BHF has appointed Target Direct to handle its direct marketing business for the campaign, following a four-way pitch. The account is worth over £2m.

This week, experts based at the Cancer Research UK Centre for Tobacco Control Research proposed that cigarette packs should carry images of cancer-ravaged organs.