Best Public Health Initiative

Summary of work

Winner: 1 Mission 1 Million – Getting to the Heart of Stroke

With the mantra ‘Make a Difference’, 1 Mission 1 Million triggered a truly global conversation about atrial fibrillation (AF)-related stroke. The campaign set out a challenge for individuals and organisations to compete for a share of €1m as part of a unique global project to directly improve under-recognition of this devastating condition.

Using a strategy commonly associated with consumer brands, nearly 200 applicants spanning 36 countries campaigned for public support to secure funding. Unprecedented public interest generated two million votes to choose 32 winning projects now making a measurable impact in the community, in addition to elevating global discussion.

Judges comments

This was a brave, complex campaign that took a risk without guaranteed results. It was well implemented and worked hard to generate momentum, which paid off and delivered. The statistics showed great engagement – 2 million votes from the public, the numbers attending the press event and the 200,000 comments on the website all incredible results that really impressed the judges.

Stakeholder comments

Communications manager: 1 Mission 1 Million has exceeded all our expectations and went above and beyond our original objectives. It secured such strong engagement from the AF community and with the public and is continuing to make a real difference to increasing awareness and education of AF-related stroke around the world. The whole company has been inspired and motivated by 1M1M and is excited about the potential for Phase II!