Call to arms

Fort Smith, Arkansas – Bayer Aspirin has released The HeroSmiths, a new campaign that appeals to people with the most common surname in the US.

• According to a statement from Energy BBDO, more than 2.4m Americans have the surname Smith
• The campaign encourages people to carry Aspirin in an effort to reduce deaths caused by heart attacks

Released to coincide with February’s Heart Health Month, the campaign features a two-minute documentary-style film, The HeroSmiths, set in Arkansas and developed with creative agency Energy BBDO. The film asks anyone with the surname Smith to become a hero by carrying Aspirin, a drug that increases the chances of survival if taken during a heart attack. The film states that in the US somebody has a heart attack every 42 seconds.

Fort Smith was chosen as the film’s location because it has one of the highest heart attack rates in the country, as well as being home to 1,800 residents with the surname Smith.

The campaign was launched with a dedicated microsite that encourages users to take a pledge, and features a quiz that determines how many people they can help by carrying Aspirin, as well as signs and symptoms of a heart attack to look out for.