Imagine trying to sing when every breath is a battle. This is the story of 18 strangers with one thing in common: breathing is a struggle. With the help of world-renowned choirmaster Gareth Malone and the Philips SimplyGo Mini Oxygen Concentrator, they were taught to do something they never thought they could: learn to sing. Gareth Malone created a custom arrangement of the Police’s Every Breath You Take designed specifically for people with breathing difficulties, and in five days they overcame their difficulties, conquered their fears and were ready to perform on one of the world’s most iconic stages: the Apollo Theater in New York City. The Breathless Choir triumphed in a performance that brought the audience to tears and touched the hearts of millions online.

UK/Europe: you cannot advertise prescription products at all. In the US, you must list all the possible side effects and be realistic about the benefits. In the US, UK and Europe you can advertise prescription products to doctors, but must be clear about the risk and benefits.

Lung diseases account for 7% of deaths worldwide. The global cost of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) will rise from $2.1 trillion in 2010 to $4.8 trillion by 2030, when it will become the third-leading cause of death worldwide. Philips believes there is always a way to make life better, and it was this kind of thinking that led Philips to develop the SimplyGo Mini, a portable oxygen concentrator that empowers patients who struggle with respiratory conditions to continue living full, active lives.

Gareth Malone is a well-known choirmaster in the UK and beyond with a reputation for helping unlikely people learn to sign. In Breathless Choir he faces his toughest challenge: teaching people with breathing difficulties. For this project he created a custom arrangement of the Police’s Every Breath You Take designed specifically for people with breathing difficulties.

Choirmaster Gareth Malone created a custom arrangement of the Police’s Every Breath You Take specifically for people with breathing difficulties. The track was arranged to allow for the singers’ limited breath and enabled stronger members to lead those who needed more help.

The track was also re-written to start with an emotional tone and become joyful and celebratory as it progressed. This mimicked the experience of the choir as they transformed from people with breathing difficulties to a powerful singing ensemble.

The lyrics also paralleled the personal struggles of the choir members. They were encouraged to sing out to the people in their lives who had been there through the ups and downs. When carers and family members were invited to the Breathless Choir’s final performance at the Apollo Theater in New York City, the show was an incredibly emotional experience for the choir and their loved ones.

For decades, Philips has been famous for making consumer electronics, but they want the world to know that they also create healthcare technology that improves people’s lives. The brief was to spread this message to three separate but equally important audiences: healthcare professionals, medical decision-makers and the general public.

Objectives

• Promote the SimplyGo Mini in a way that complies with heavy regulations on prescription devices.

• Establish Philips as a thought leader in health technology.

• Change the perception of Philips as an electronics company to a health technology company.