The 28 th of September 2024, on the eve of the World Heart Day. At Luz Stadium, in Lisbon. During half-time of the match between SL Benfica and Gil Vicente FC, a video starring the “Eagles” ace player, António Silva, is displayed on the stadium’s screens. In the video, the international A and centre back player of SL Benfica shows how a cardiorespiratory massage is done, then challenging the about 59 thousand fans in the stadium to sing the “Hymn of the Heart” to the rhythm of heart beats. The chant echoed through the whole stadium, in a new version of the iconic “I love Benfica”, which was adapted by DJ Kamala and accelerated to 120 bpm (beats per minute) – the ideal maximum frequence in cardiac resuscitation. When this new version of the song started playing in the stadium, the band Tocá Rufar entered the field giving rhythm and force to the voice of the thousands of fans present. It was a unique and moving experience, where the public had the opportunity to learn the Basic Life Support fundamental manoeuvres, at the same time celebrating sports and life with the hymn of the heart of every fan. This activation initiative of the brand Hospital da Luz, produced by the FunnyHow agency in partnership with SL Benfica, was distinguished with an international creativity prize by Clube de Criatividade de Portugal, during the CCP 2025 Festival, under the category “Events and activation / Event for Consumers”, as a “brand experience”. The application was submitted by FunnyHow, under the title “Hymn of the Heart” and the following considerations: “Hospital da Luz, official sponsor of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, was looking for a relevant and emotional way to approach the club’s fans during a match day. The goal was to reinforce the presence of the brand in a highly enthusiastic territory such as football, but in an authentic and helpful manner in alignment with the brand’s mission: saving lives.” “Thus, the challenge arose: how to activate this sports partnership in order to create real value for the community, leveraging a moment of heightened attention such as a match at home in Luz stadium?” “The context proved to be alarming: 8 in 10 Portuguese do not know how to perform resuscitation manoeuvres. Associated with it, studies show that the risk of cardiac arrest increases during moments of great emotional stress – such as a football match. And few clubs have a story so deeply marked by this topic as Benfica, which witnessed player Miklós Fehér die in the field due to cardiac arrest.” “The briefing was therefore clear: to create an impacting activation at the stadium involving fans, generating notoriety for Hospital da Luz, and above all raising awareness to the importance of knowing how to apply Basic Life Support manoeuvres.” So, the agency took “a profoundly emotional element deeply embedded in the club’s culture, the hymn ‘I love Benfica’. And with the support of the musical official partner of Benfica, adapted the hymn to the rate of 120 bpm – the ideal rhythm to apply thoracic compressions in the case of cardiac arrest. This was the origin of “Hymn of the Heart” – the first stadium chant that can save lives.” “Besides the immediate impact in the stadium, the initiative drew great mediatic and social attention, becoming an example of how a health brand can activate a sports partnership with a real purpose”, further adds FunnyHow in its application. Over 59,000 fans watched the action live at the stadium. Over 20 national media channels reported the initiative, including generalist, sports, and health-specialized press. About 5 million people were reached through earned media and social media, and thousands of fans interacted with campaign content and shared the adapted hymn on social media channels. The “bronze winner” prize granted to this “brand experience” was disclosed about a month ago and confirmed in the CCP 2025 Festival (Clube de Criatividade de Portugal), held in late May. CCP is a non-profit organization with the purpose of promoting creativity in communication, which holds every year, since 1998, the most prestigious creativity festival in Portugal. Congratulations, FunnyHow! And congratulations to Hospital da Luz!
