Every 37 seconds a Westerner dies from a venous blood clot known as thrombosis, the underlying cause of the world’s top-three cardiovascular killers. It’s a condition made for our time as people sit long stages in office jobs…on planes, trains, in cars…and in front of screens. Most don’t know that sitting for 90 minutes reduces blood flow in the legs by 50 percent, dramatically increasing the risk of a potentially killer clot.

In the countdown to the first-ever World Thrombosis Day, October 13, 2014, Berlin-based Bayer HealthCare – an innovator in blood clot management – wanted to get people to stop, think and make time to move. Bayer launched Time2Move – the first global campaign to urge individuals to get up and move to reduce the risk of a potentially deadly clot. The campaign moved the message through the bloodstream of culture. At Berlin’s Alexanderplatz Station, a “Thrombo-Coach” rallied commuters to “shake-a-leg” up stairways instead of using escalators. At Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, a flash-mob dressed as red blood cells “clotted” the Gate in a narrative about a young man’s incident. We issued a Time2Move Challenge, gave away pedometers, and then invited people to digitally track and compare their daily steps to others around the world.

Scores of media events and activities across 23 countries got people moving to reduce the risk of thrombosis. Earned media reached 208+ million people and healthcare providers, while social reached 4 million, and Bayer’s Time2Move Challenge was adopted by people in 45 countries.

Kicking off the campaign was the release of findings of the Global Blood Clot Awareness Survey and infographic along with three short videos exposing the impact of deadly blood clots. At Berlin’s Alexanderplatz Station, a passionate Thrombo-Coach trained commuters to take the stairs, and a flash-mob dressed as red blood cells “clotted” the Brandenburg Gate in a dramatic portrayal of a young man who dies of a clot while watching the performance.

Bayer issued a Time2Move Challenge to encourage long-sitters to learn about the risks of thrombosis and start moving, and gave away Time2Move pedometers. People signed-up at www.WTDTime2Move.com to create their own ‘My Step’ profile, record their daily steps and see how their distances compared to others around the world.

Bayer also created a Twitter trivia series via @BayerHealthCare and an internal campaign tapped the power of Bayer’s 7,200 employees to spread the word.

Time2Move moved a world farther away from the threat of thrombosis, shaking up awareness through 684 stories that reached 208+ million people across the globe. In addition:

- More than 34 WTD Bayer-sponsored activities/events took place across 23 countries, including press and public awareness events, internal and external educational lectures and activities targeting healthcare providers

- Social media campaigns across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube reached more than 4 million users

- The campaign engaged 150,000+ healthcare providers and 7,200 Bayer HealthCare employees

- 45 countries participated in the Time2Move Challenge

- Videos – Flash Mob at the Brandenburg Gate, and Thrombo Coach at Berlin Alexanderplatz Station and What Could Happen in the Next 37 Seconds?, achieved more than 87,000 views

- Over 2,000 digital ads appeared on trains and billboards throughout Berlin