St John Ambulance Busts CPR Taboo with Life-Saving Bra

Created by Revolt, the campaign features the world’s first CPR Bra, designed to empower bystanders and address the hesitancy around performing the life-saving act on women

By Creative Salon

18 October 2024

St John Ambulance is tackling a critical gap in CPR treatment through its latest initiative, designed to address the barriers women face in receiving life-saving intervention. The campaign, created by Revolt, highlights the gender gap in CPR responses, which has been exacerbated by concerns over inappropriate touching, particularly when it comes to providing aid to women in cardiac arrest. A third of British men are hesitant to perform CPR on a woman, fearing accusations of inappropriate contact, according to new research from the charity.

To raise awareness of the issue facing women, St John Ambulance has joined forces with Chelsea FC Women’s Captain, Millie Bright, broadcaster and DJ, Ashley James, broadcaster, disability activist and content creator, Lucy Edwards, and activist, Sharon Gaffka, to introduce the world’s first educational bra, The CPR Bra. The bra has been created to reassure people that taking fast action is the right thing to do to save a life regardless of gender. It features the message ‘It’s OK to Save My Life’ on the front, along with a reminder of the steps needed to respond to a cardiac arrest.

Joanne Shepherd, senior communications manager at St John Ambulance, comments “Our message to people is that it is always better to do something than nothing in these circumstances. Regardless of gender, when it comes to CPR, every ‘body’ is the same, the technique is the same and everyone deserves the best possible chance of survival. We hope that this campaign encourages people to feel more comfortable to help women when they need it most.”

The campaign - timed to launch on Restart a Heart Day - will run across JCDecaux UK’s Out-of-Home screens including its life-saving street furniture that offers public-access defibrillators on the reverse of the screen. The campaign will also run across social media. The creative sees Millie Bright looking to ‘Bust the Taboo’ and encourage more people and businesses to sign up to CPR training.

Sarah Levitt, creative director at Revolt, said: 'It's a shocking and sad statistic that we're less likely to receive bystander CPR simply because we have breasts. This touch taboo needs addressing, and we need more education on how to give CPR to women. We're hoping the CPR Bra will do just that, and ensure no woman dies from someone else’s embarrassment."

The campaign also sees influential female voices across worlds of sport, entertainment and music, donning The CPR Bras on social media to drive awareness and conversation, and is supported by an earned campaign.

Kate Sarginson, head of creative at Fight or Flight, adds, “To know that my gender might define whether or not I receive life-saving treatment is plain wrong. It’s why this campaign matters so much – because through training, this is one gender gap that can be quickly closed.”

Chris Dooley, head of social impact at JCDecaux UK said: “Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and doing CPR or using a defibrillator can save a life. That’s why JCDecaux UK provides over 200 defibrillators on high streets UK-wide, funded by Out-of-Home advertising. JCDecaux Community Channel is proud to bring this important campaign to the public – with high-profile media space that includes our life-saving street furniture offering easily-accessible defibrillators in addition to advertising screens for brand messaging.”