In a country where one third of citizens are headed for heart attacks and suffer from high cholesterol, can a simple yogurt brand turn the beat around? Vidacol did, by transforming the Obelisk, a famous national monument in Argentina, into a heart-thumping public attraction – giving the world its first glimpse of the actual heartbeat of a nation.

Vidacol, a cholesterol-lowering yogurt brand from Danone, realized heart disease had reached epidemic proportions in Argentina, shortening lives by 13 years and putting 4 in 10 people over age 50 at risk. Worse, 40% were in the dark about their cholesterol levels.

So Vidacol took the problem to heart, constructing a high-profile attraction in the center of Buenos Aires to show the nation that their hearts were connected – and to pump life into heart disease awareness. We invited Argentinians to donate the sound of their own heartbeats, which we turned into a dazzling sound-and-light show – ultimately projecting nearly 20,000 individual beating hearts onto the Obelisk for one night during International Heart Month. In exchange for every donated heartbeat, we provided free cholesterol screenings to detect potential heart trouble.

The campaign became an overnight health index and symbol of Argentine pride that beat across international headlines, spotlighting the need to check cholesterol levels, and Vidacol’s role as a cholesterol-reducing food, while uniting Argentinians around a rhythm worth dancing to.

When the last Obelisk heartbeat faded, we’d achieved international headlines: 190 articles, 40m media impressions, and 20,000 free cholesterol screenings across Argentina.

Giving in to that pulsation sensation

We gave a national historic monument a pivotal role in bringing cachet to the generally unappealing task of cholesterol-screening.

Together with the Argentinian Heart Foundation and local Buenos Aires government officials, we invited Argentinians nationwide to step up and “donate” their heartbeat. We premiered our plans to stage “Connected Hearts” and offer free cholesterol screenings at a press conference for leading health journalists. In the days leading up to the event, we invited journalists to cover celebrities and the general public getting screenings at our Healthy Stations and “donating” the sound of their heartbeat, which would serve as the initial rhythm of the Connected Heart monument.

On the evening of the event, we flipped the switch: the heart of Argentina began beating. We projected the sound to the nation via a giant LED screen that displayed photographs of donors. People online joined in real-time at www.corazonesconectados.com, where they shared the moment and donated their heartbeat.

For one entire night, the iconic Obelisk pulsated with light and sound through the special effects of technology.

As the nation’s citizens stepped forward to “donate” their heartbeat – the Obelisk lit up, capturing the rhythm of the country with each additional heart. The heartbeat of Argentina also captured headlines, as participating citizens underwent free cholesterol screenings.

The campaign raised awareness of how high cholesterol contributes to heart disease, and Vidacol’s benefits as a cholesterol-lowering food. Prime-time news programs aired the Connected Heart event live across the country, including Telenoche, the nation’s most-watched newscast with 997,000 viewers. Media carried the story throughout South America and in countries as far away as France and Spain. In all, nearly 200 articles resulted in national and international press, producing 40m media impressions. We recorded 19,664 individual heartbeats by the end of the event, and 20,000 citizens received free cholesterol screenings.