BetaHCF Case Studies Library is in beta. We're still adding campaigns and fixing things.
HCF Case Studies Library

← All campaigns · Open in the library

nhlbi.nih.gov

The Heart Truth

Also: The Heart Truth / Red Dress · Red Dress Collection · National Wear Red Day

“Heart Disease Doesn't Care What You Wear - It's the #1 Killer of Women.”

NHLBI's women's heart disease awareness campaign, created in 2002 as the first federally sponsored national program telling women that heart disease is their leading cause of death. Introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol, promoted through fashion-week Red Dress Collections, celebrity dresses and National Wear Red Day.

Years
2002–now
Country
United States
Budget
Original Ogilvy contract: three years, $2.3 million, awarded September 2001 (Washington Times)
Topic
Cardiovascular
Asks people to
RecognizeStartTalk to someone
Strategy
MetaphorTestimonial
Channel
Entertainment placementEventsPrintSocial (organic)
Audience
Adults
Women.

Evidence

ProcessUnknown

By the fifth anniversary, surveys showed women were increasingly aware heart disease is their leading cause of death, and awareness was associated with self-reported action to reduce risk (Long et al. 2008, sponsor-authored).

Sponsor (who paid)

Credits (who made it)

Sources

  1. Long T et al. 'The Heart Truth': Using the Power of Branding and Social Marketing to Increase Awareness of Heart Disease in Women. Soc Mar Q 2008;14(3):3-29 evaluation · 2008 · DOI 10.1080/15245000802279334 · PMID 19122892
  2. About The Heart Truth & The Red Dress (NHLBI) sponsor
  3. The Red Dress Pin (NHLBI) sponsor
  4. Washington Times, 19 Dec 2004 (Ogilvy contract and Red Dress origin) news · 2004
  5. Ogilvy picks up Heart Truth for another five years (Holmes Report) news
  6. The Heart Truth (FNIH) sponsor
  7. Ehrenthal DB et al. Evaluation of the Heart Truth Professional Education Campaign on Provider Knowledge of Women and Heart Disease. Womens Health Issues 2013 evaluation · 2013 · DOI 10.1016/j.whi.2013.01.001 · PMID 23481694
  8. Pregler J et al. The heart truth professional education campaign on women and heart disease: needs assessment and evaluation results. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2009 evaluation · 2009 · DOI 10.1089/jwh.2008.1260 · PMID 19772369
  9. Long T et al. Delivering The Heart Truth® to Women Through Community Education. Social Marketing Quarterly 2011 reference · 2011 · DOI 10.1080/15245004.2011.620682

Research notes

Taxonomy gaps: no cardiovascular topic ('cardiovascular-disease' used); 'brand symbol' (Red Dress) is not a strategy value, 'metaphor' is the nearest. Credits checked 2026-10-22 against fetched pages: Ogilvy PR (Washington Times, 19 Dec 2004, read via Wayback: 'Ogilvy won the original three-year, $2.3 million contract in September 2001'). Related AHA Go Red for Women (2004) is a separate NGO campaign. Meta Ad Library advertiser to search: 'NHLBI' / 'The Heart Truth'. Ehrenthal 2013 added 2026-10-22 (openalex-deep queue; DOI checked on Crossref and PMID via NCBI esummary 2026-10-22): 2,995 providers 2008-2011, knowledge scores higher after the professional education lecture (provider component only). Evidence unchanged. Evaluation sources added 2026-10-22 (citation snowballing / helpline pass): Pregler 2009, Long 2011; evidence level and outcome unchanged. Pregler 2009 is a pre/post test of the professional-education (CME) component, not the public campaign, so it does not raise the level. Evaluation links reviewed 2026-10-22: Long 2011 (community education program) set to reference; it describes the program rather than evaluating it. Evidence unchanged. Reuse terms checked 2026-10-23 by an AI research pass for #47; not yet reviewed by a person.

Record cases/nih-nhlbi-the-heart-truth.json, updated 2026-10-23· Link to this campaign