Pirúlate”: tongue out to sudden cardiac death
Objective
Increasing visibility for the Pirúlate project.
Solution
The Brugada Foundation supports research, education, and awareness efforts for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and support of victims and families affected by Brugada Syndrome, sudden cardiac death, and other cardiovascular diseases.
As part of these awareness and fundraising initiatives to support research projects, a campaign was launched to sell and distribute blue lollipops, with all proceeds going toward funding these efforts. The campaign, called Pirúlate—a playful or informal way of saying “to suck on a lollipop” in Spain—involved creating a blue heart-shaped lollipop that stains the tongue blue, reinforcing the message: “Stick your tongue out at sudden cardiac death.”
For the campaign’s communication, the LLYC Foundation collaborated to involve footballers Sergio Ramos and Andrés Iniesta as campaign ambassadors. Their involvement was key not only because of their media presence and broad reach but also because they were close friends of Antonio Puerta and Dani Jarque, two football players who passed away from sudden cardiac death years earlier.
The campaign’s launch revolved around a key milestone: a public event introducing the campaign, attended by the two footballers. Prior to the event, a filming and photoshoot session was held with the footballers and Dr. Josep Brugada to create promotional materials, focusing on the campaign’s core messages and the symbolic image of the lollipop and blue-stained tongue.
The LLYC Foundation defined the communication plan for the event, coordinating and managing the organization and communication efforts before and after the event itself.
Impact
The launch event garnered great attention and was covered live by media outlets such as marca.com. It generated over 100 media hits across television, print, radio, and digital platforms, reaching around 3 million people. Fourteen newspapers published coverage of the event, reaching nearly 400,000 people, with an estimated economic value of €55,000.
We need to support research, provide resources, and do our part for something that seems inexplicable when it happens.
