Serious message behind red dress

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Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide is continuing to pump life into a campaign that targets women and their No. 1 killer: heart disease.

The District-based public relations firm is working overtime to secure celebrity commitments as part of a fashion show featuring red dresses, the campaign's universal symbol.

The "Heart Truth" public awareness campaign, which officially began in 2002, is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which is part of the government's National Institutes of Health.

Ogilvy won the original three-year, $2.3 million contract in September 2001. The contract has been extended through mid-April, and the total campaign budget has increased to $5.7 million.

The agency was charged with creating a campaign that would build awareness about heart disease among women ages 40 to 60. One in three American women dies of heart disease.

"You have to focus like a laser on the audience and the message," said Terry Long, communications director at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. "We have not lost sight of that."

In an effort to make the cause more tangible, Ogilvy created a concept that would serve as a symbol for the campaign. After research that included focus groups, the red dress became the official reminder of women's heart disease awareness.

"The red dress rose to the top as the [concept] that really was the most compelling," said Beth Ruoff, creative director at Ogilvy. "It's a universal symbol."

Just as the pink ribbon has become the symbol for breast cancer awareness, the government is hoping the red dress will get just as much recognition.

A survey conducted by Ogilvy in the fall showed that 25 percent of women already identify the red dress as the symbol for women's heart disease awareness. More than 500,000 red dress pins have been distributed.