“act fast! stroke doesn’t wait.” ​

the challenge

Ischaemic strokes can be treated, however, the treatment is often not applied often enough due to the narrow therapeutic window, which is only 4.5 hours from the onset of the symptoms. The stroke comes suddenly and often times people do not recognise the symptoms leading to the late arrival of the patient to the hospital.​

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic created further complications causing an overload for the health system. This, in turn, led to disruptions and in some cases, delays in the patients’ arrival to the medical centres.

Boehringer Ingelheim wanted to raise awareness of the importance of a quick reaction when observing a patient who is showing symptoms of an ischaemic stroke. Therefore, the company decided to educate people on the main symptoms, thereby empowering members of the general public to react and act in a timely manner.

our approach

Action Bulgaria created a digital disease awareness campaign under the theme of „Act Fast! Stroke Doesn’t Wait!”. The initiative utilised the globally accepted F.A.S.T. approach, which is used to identify stroke symptoms worldwide. The campaign leveraged the power of online media, social media as well as influencers activations.
To enhance the impact of the initiative, partners of the campaign included the Bulgarian Stroke Society and the National Patient Organization. 
A key element of the campaign was an informational animated video demonstrating the main symptoms of the disease, based on the F.A.S.T. approach. Additional materials included 4 short videos and 10 static visuals for Facebook as well as Google Search activities. 

Celebrities and influencers, including famous Bulgarian athlete Ivet Lalova, actor Vlado Penev, popular hip-hop artist Itzo Hazarta, TV host Dr. Nedelya Shtonova, as well as well-known influencers such as Mama Ninja and Tatko Kaloyan joined the initiative to effectively convey the key messages to their audiences.