Heart Foundation comes under fire over ‘insensitive’ campaign

The Australian Heart Foundation has come under fire over a new ad campaign.

It has been labelled insensitive and cruel by its critics.

It promotes the message that dying of heart disease isn’t just bad for you, but it’s awful for the loved ones you leave behind.

The sick characters in the ad more or less suggest they don’t care about their loved ones.

Christine, who lost her husband to heart disease, slammed the advertisements in an emotional call to 3AW Drive.

“It’s at the expense of people who’ve lost someone,” she said.

Victorian CEO of the Heart Foundation, Kellie-Ann Jolly, said she understands the concerns.

“We totally understand that this is quite a bold approach to this issue and it can be confronting and challenging to people who have lost someone,” she told 3AW’s Tom Elliott.

“It has never been the intent to upset anyone. This is really about trying to look at how we can save lives.”

One of the three advertisements in the campaign has been removed in response to complaints.

“From the feedback that we’ve had we have actually pulled the mother and child from our video, so we have listened to the feedback,” Ms Jolly said.

Press PLAY below to hear Tom Elliott’s full chat with Heart Foundation CEO Kellie-Ann Jolly.

Click PLAY below to watch the commercial.